Applicants who are on maintained status may be subject to additional review by West Kootenay RCIP.
Maintained status allows a temporary resident to remain in Canada under the conditions of their previous permit while Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) processes their application to extend or change their status. However, not all maintained status situations are the same.
West Kootenay RCIP has been advised by IRCC that applicants must have valid temporary resident status throughout both the community recommendation process and the permanent residence application process. Applications that rely on a pending status application may face additional scrutiny, particularly where there are concerns that the application was submitted primarily to delay a loss of status rather than to pursue a legitimate immigration pathway.
To help verify eligibility, applicants on maintained status may be required to sign an IMM 5475 Authority to Release Personal Information form. This allows IRCC to share limited information with West Kootenay RCIP about the status and outcome of the applicant’s temporary resident application.
We may request this information because:
- A community recommendation does not resolve an applicant’s immigration status issues.
- If an applicant loses their temporary resident status, they may no longer be eligible for RCIP.
- IRCC requires applicants in Canada to maintain valid status throughout the immigration process including the PR process.
- West Kootenay RCIP must ensure that recommendations are issued only to applicants who are likely to remain eligible through to the permanent residence stage.
Applicants who are currently on maintained status should be prepared to provide additional documentation about their status application if requested.
Want to learn more?
Check out this recent article in the Toronto Star: Temporary residents in Canada filing ‘dummy’ applications