Many clients are under the wrong impression that they can apply for BOWP just after receiving ITA / nomination from the PNP they applied for. That is totally wrong. There are other conditions to be met to be eligible for BOWP application.

As we all know, PNP applications can be made under Express Entry or without Express Entry. For both the routes of PNP, the main constraint of BOWP application is the same, which is “be the principal applicant on your permanent residence application”. Also, you need to submit a copy of your acknowledgement of receipt letter of your PR application during your BOWP application.

That means there is NO way for applying for BOWP application right after receiving ITA / nomination from PNP application. Applying for the PR application and getting the acknowledgement of receipt letter are the deal breaker.

If you want to learn more about this, please check yourself from this direct link from IRCC website: 

You can play around with the options below and will find what I just explained above.

What to do if you cannot apply for BOWP?

If you are unable to apply for BOWP or extend your current work permit, please make sure to retain / maintain your status as a visitor by applying TRV or visitor record. If TRV / Visitor record application gets refused, you need to leave Canada in good terms to avoid the risk of impacting your future PR application. By no means you should remain in Canada without a legal status.  

Disclaimer: The above writing is not intended to be a source of legal advice. Please seek legal advice and use your own good judgement before choosing to act on any information provided above. If you choose to rely on this article, you do so entirely at your own accountability.