Canada: Immigration Advice

rjessome

dealdish wrote: »

when i get sinp can i get tempory work permit ,study for kids at port of entry.or must i apply for pr after sinp.also anyone in wexford area willing to help me fill out sinp form when i gather documents.

Yes, when you receive SINP approval, you can then apply for the work permit and study permits at the port of entry to Canada or through CHC London, your choice. And yes, after receiving SINP approval, you have 6 months from the date of the approval to apply for PR. This CANNOT be extended. If you don't use it, you lose it.

rjessome

Chris12 wrote: »

Hi Roxanne,

Could I please ask you a question??

My husband has a contract signed with canadian company who are in the process of applying for LMO. When they get this they said he must bring his approval letter and job contract to canada and his work permit will be issued at customs, all good so far, problem is, does myself and child have to travel with him?? We were hoping to follow him out later, also would I get an open work permit because he has the lmo or do i apply for it and the childs study permit when i get there.

Thanks for your help.

Hi,

No, you and your child do not have to travel with him. You can come later and show the officers at the port of entry to Canada a copy of your husband's work permit as well as proof of your relationship to him (marriage certificate and birth certificate of child) and apply for your respective permits (and pay the fees) at that time. You don't need his LMO. But the first thing to consider is whether or not you and your child are ELIGIBLE for these permits. Your husband must be in a job that is classed as Skill Level 0, A or B in the National Occuptation Classification Matrix. In other words, his job must be considered a high skilled position. Your husband will NOT be issued any permits for you or your child if you do not travel with him. The Applicant (you and child) must apply yourselves. But you can do that on the basis of his work permit if it is a high skilled position.

Roxanne

rjessome

NoelAPM wrote: »

That has been answered in detail early In This thread. Due to the criteria for eligibility you will not be able to take part in the IEC program for Ireland. And unless you have a uk passport you are not eligible to apply from there!

Your next best option is to find an employer either before you leave or when your there for a holiday! The employer can apply for an LMO which like the IEC program will grant you a work permit. Unlike the IEC program tho you will not be able to move around freely. You will be tied to that 1 employer. An LMO is also explained in detail earlier in the thread.

This advice is correct. And one thing I want to point out, if you are in Canada on holiday and find an employer with a positive LMO willing to hire you, you must apply for the work permit from OUTSIDE of Canada. This may mean "flagpoling" or applying to a consulate or embassy in the US or UK. You cannot change your status from visitor to worker from inside of Canada. Flagpoling has been explained before but it basically means leaving Canada via the US land border and then re-entering Canada and applying for your work permit when you re-enter.

Roxanne

rjessome

DeniseDee wrote: »

Hi.
I'm slightly baffled by all of this. I have an Irish passport, but have lived in the UK all my life, so this means I can't apply for the IEC under the Irish scheme. I'm 3 months past my 31st birthday, so this means that I can't apply through the UK scheme.

I'm guessing this means I need to find another way to come to Canada.
I've got a Masters' degree, and over three years' managerial work experience. I want to move to Canada for at least a year, what is the best way of doing this?
How likely is it that I can apply for a job from the UK and find a company who will be prepared to wait however many months it takes for me to get a visa.

Is there any other way that I can do this? Is it worth just coming over to Canada and applying for jobs there? Or would the waiting time to get a visa be too long?

Thanks for your help.
Denise

Hi,

First of all, as explained previously, you do not need a VISA to enter Canada. You are exempt from the requirement to obtain a visa. What you are looking for is the ability to be able to apply for a work permit. Again, this has been explained through the LMO topic in this thread. How likely is it to get a job while abroad or in Canada on holiday? That depends on too many factors to answer here. But if you are serious about it, then research areas of Canada that need your skills and experience. Contact companies who may need what you have to offer. Build your network using professional sites like Linked In or from within your own professional circle. There is no magic formula for finding a job in Canada. It all depends on the work you put into it and whether or not you are needed in the Canadian labour market.

On the bright side, I'm assuming that you and your partner would be considered common-law based on Canadian immigration criteria. That means you have been living together for the at least 12 months in a conjugal, committed relationship. If that's the case, then only one of you needs to land the job with an employer who has a positive LMO granting permission to hire a foreign workers. Assuming the job is in the appropriate skill classification (as described in a previous answer) the partner would then be eligible to apply for an open work permit based on the other partner's LMO work permit. And no, it does not take long to get the actual work permit if you have the LMO and contract/job offer. Again, that process is described in a previous answer.

Roxanne

rjessome

natmlr wrote: »

Roxanne,

You are doing a really fantastic thing here as trying to find information online is an absolute nightmare. Even in person I found myself being able to gain a whole lot more information from the UK than in Canada.

So here is my story. . I am currrently in BC working as an assistant manager in accomodation (Which is on the NOC list). I have just recently (Feb 27th) moved to BC from Saskatchewan where I had been working for the past 6 months in hospitality. I am currently on my 1st year IEC programme which expires on the 6th of September this year.

My employer is fully willing to tackle pnp with me, and has done in the past for at least 3 of my colleagues.

As my current permit expires in september my worry is covering myself in terms of dates and visas. If I start the pnp application process within the next month that only leaves me 4 months left on my current permit and im certain pnp will not be complete in that time. Im really unsure what my options are and ive been looking online for almost 3 weeks, im panicking that looking and researching is wasting even more time as I really dont want to have to give up my car, job, apartment and friends to return to the UK!

If i start my pnp process now should i also apply for my 2nd iec or a work permit of some sorts to cover the processing time? Im really confused by the whole thing and nothing seems to point in the right direction.

As I said I have been here since Sept 2011 on an IEC, I have a diploma in hospitality management and 3 years work experience in this field (not in Canada) another 4 years experience within hospitality to supervisory level but not management. I am 24 years old from scotland and have no dependants and or spouse.


I'd really appreciate any information or guidance you can provide, even talking to people I have met on this side that have been through the process cant provide me with my help as of course every case is different and the rules and terms of applications change.

Thanks you for taking the time to read this!

Natalie

Hi Natalie,

You have time if the employer is willing to tackle PNP for you. However, since you are on an IEC permit, be aware that the employer must show recruitment efforts attempting to hire Canadian citizens or permanent residents. You ALSO must have at least 2 years of previous supervisory/management experience in a similar role to be eligible to qualify as a skilled worker under strategic occupations for the BC PNP. If you do not have this amount of previous supervisory or management experience in a similar position, you WILL be refused. Given what you wrote, this might NOT be the appropriate path for you to take.

In your shoes, I would probably apply for another IEC and try to build on your supervisory experience before applying for BC PNP. Or, still applying for the 2nd year of the IEC, you may want to consider obtaining an arranged employment opinion and applying as a Federal Skilled Worker IF you meet the points requirements.

Honestly, you probably need an in depth consultation so a lawyer or consultant can look at all of your facts and that of your employer so that you are aware of all of your options. You can send me a private message if you are interested in this. There is a small fee involved BUT it will give you a clear path as to what you need to do to reach your goal of becoming a permanent resident of Canada. Doing things "right" and creating a long term plan are key to success in immigration to Canada. Othewise, you can waste a lot of time and money with no positive results.

Roxanne

rjessome

Lola Bee wrote: »

Please help, any advice greatly appreciated!!!
I received an email today informing me I have been conditionally accepted onto the IEC 2012.

However, I'm extremely concerned that I did not validate the IMM1295 form before I sent the original documents. I have kept a copy of all the documents I sent and I do not have the required barcode for the IMM1295 form. I recall seeing the 'Validate' symbol on the form but thought it was for office use only.

Can you tell me if I have now seriously jeopardised my application for this programme? If so, I will not be eligable to reapply as I turn 36 on April 17th this year.

Is it possible for me to validate the form and send via email and still be considered?

I'm extremely anxious about this as I have a job offer in Calgary and have a start date in May 2012. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have emailed IEC in London for advice too but they are slow to respond. The problem for me is I'm in Mexico for a couple of months waiting on this to come through and have been informed I have 12 days from today to get everything completed or face being rejected.

I agree with the other poster who answered you. The application normally would not have been accepted to go on to 2nd stage if the form had not be validated. However, the bottom line is that it is either done correctly or it is not. If it has been that you can expect positive results. If it hasn't, it will be rejected. And no, you cannot validate the form and send it via email. They expect you to follow the instructions from the start of the application and do not allow you to correct things after the fact. You think they are slow now? Imagine if they let everyone correct mistakes. It would take a year to process these applications! Sorry if that's not what you want to hear. However, I still do not think you would have made it through the first stage if the form had not been properly validated.

Roxanne

rjessome

dealdish wrote: »

Does anyone know immigration office requested for processing this application. on first page ,number 4

Are you applying for Permanent Residence? Application IMM 0008? The office would be the consulate or embassy responsible for processing applications for your home country. Most likely London, UK for you. Or, if you are already in Canada AND you were legally admitted for a year (meaning your permit received upon entry allowed you to stay for a year NOT that you have been here for a year) then you could also choose Buffalo, USA for processing.

Roxanne

rjessome

cuana wrote: »

hi rjessome


I would appreciate your advice I've only just started looking into immigrating to Canada, and I have a question or questions

From what I gather I would be applying for a visa as a federal skilled worker, I have worked in Retail Management for many years however I gather from that the cap has been reached in my area of experience, if I applied for a visa would this generate an automatic refusal? Would it be in my best interests to apply for a temporary visa instead?

Also I cannot see an age any reference to age on the federal skilled worker do you know if there is a cap? I can see that the option for a temporary working visa from Ireland is 18-35

Thanking you in advance

The overall CAP of 10,000 total applications for ALL occupations for the Federal Skilled Worker program is full for this year. You wouldn't be refused but your application would just be returned to you. Don't waste your time and energy. Retail management is also NOT on the list of occupations being accepted without a permanent job offer.

The Federal Skilled Worker program is points based. You are awarded points based on several criteria, one of which is age. No, there is no cap on age for the FSW program but you are awarded points based on your age.

If you can, apply for the IEC permit if you are eligible. Options for permanent residence to Canada may open up for you depending upon what kind of job you find in Canada and your employer.

rjessome

bananarep wrote: »

Hi I'm just wondering both my BF and I are here on IEC and working. We have both been asked to do professional qualifcations for our jobs- can we do this under the IEC. It is part-time obviously but longer than 6 months. moduel based. I note the IEC website says:
"Is it possible to enrol in courses during my stay in Canada while under the IEC initiative?
Yes. However, the courses must be part-time and considered as personal development/growth. Your courses cannot be part of a university degree. If you are in Canada under the IEC initiative, you may enrol in language courses over a short period of time, i.e. less than six months."

It's just not very helpful- does that mean we have to wait until we are PR to do our qualifications?

If the program of study is longer than 6 months, you cannot enroll in them on your current permit. Sorry.

rjessome

Tonto86 wrote: »

You'll get and IEC visa. Come to Calgary mate, tons of work, especially in bars.

I went job hunting just bars last week and got offered 3 jobs. Bar work is also on the shortage list so you could ask your employer to sponsor you.

And how is he going to be eligible for IEC without post-secondary education?

Tonto86

rjessome wrote: »

Tonto86 wrote: »

You'll get and IEC visa. Come to Calgary mate, tons of work, especially in bars.

I went job hunting just bars last week and got offered 3 jobs. Bar work is also on the shortage list so you could ask your employer to sponsor you.

And how is he going to be eligible for IEC without post-secondary education?

Bit confused rjessome. Are you saying you need post secondary education to apply for provincial nomination in Alberta? Even in bar work?

retalivity

rjessome
Banned

What happened here?

red menace

retalivity wrote: »

What happened here?

Banned for advertising jobs apparently
Jobs that would lead to sponsorship for someone
Bit harsh considering all the answers she has given on this forum and the time she took to answer so many questions

Tonto86

red menace wrote: »

retalivity wrote: »

What happened here?

Banned for advertising jobs apparently
Jobs that would lead to sponsorship for someone
Bit harsh considering all the answers she has given on this forum and the time she took to answer so many questions

Don't know if he was an immigration consultant or really knew his stuff. He told me that a third level education is a requirement of the IEC.... which is completely wrong.

Recruitment agencies can be brutal over here, promising jobs and sponsorship but when you hand over their fee nothing materializes. The government warns against them. Check out this Canadian show on it, its like their version of watchdog

2conscious

Arrgghhh, what a pity this poster is gone


Can anyone else answer my question

My own query relates to the IEC and an intra-company transfers. I have been planning to apply for an IEC visa this year. In the mean time and purely by coincidence my employer has offered me a mgt position in our new office in Calgary (this is dependent on a new long-term contract). What I would like to know is; if I send off my IEC application and am successful, would it affect an intra company transfer application (visa) in 4-5 months time if it were to happen? Also, I would rather my employer does not know of my original plan to go to Canada on the IEC; would this be made known to him in the process of applying for an intra-company transfer for me?

My dilemma: I don’t want to miss the opportunity of getting an IEC visa this year, but don’t want it to affect the ‘work move’ if this comes up for me.

Many thanks

twinturbine

rjeesome,

I have recently applied for the IEC but got a refusal on the grounds of the 18 month rule as I had been studying and training as a pilot in England from Jan 2010 to Apr 2011. I made a mistake in my application as I put down leaving England in Sept 2011 as that is when my lease had ended. What would your advice be on the best course of action for either re-applying or trying to contact them to tell them of the error if that is even possible? If I re-apply with the corrections made will I get flagged as having applied and refused before and maybe get barred from the country?

My only other option would be to travel to Canada, complete my further training (for which I do not require a student permit as it is under 6 months) and try to get a job offer, positive LMO and temporary work permit. I'm not sure whether you have any knowledge of the helicopter industry in Canada and the prospects of me obtaining the positive LMO?

Any advice or guidance you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

pollynat

Hi, I have been scanning and scanning pages to find out relevant advice for my situation, and so happy that I came across your thread, excellent content, thank you for taking the time.

I am currently here on first year of IEC, due to expire in August 2012. I also turn 36 in July, so I need to get the 2nd year application in quick. Now I find out about the 18 month rule, which effects me, as I lived in Mexico for 9 months during the last 3 years.

Any advice on how to stay? I have a permanent job , and I think my employer would do what they can to help... I just dont know how to go about it, the infor on CIC is very conflicting with the IEC rules..

Thanks in advance for any insight

retalivity

FYI,
a quick google of the username (or if youre really smart, the posters real name) should give you plenty of other places that she can be contacted

de_chippie

I have to agree with retalivity. If look over her old emails starting from the start and see how she signs her name, that should help people.:p

damob9

Have a look at her profile there's a link to her website

de_chippie

If anyone is interested, if you look up www.allexperts.com and search alphabetically for Immigration Issues . You can get in touch with roxanne.

It kind of like boards.ie but I think it is North American.

Hope this helps some people.

De Chippie:cool:

Barry91

Can someone answer a question for me,

I have a flight booked for the 1st of June to Canada, however looking like my LOI wont have been sent to me by then, can anyone tell me exactly how i can go over and activate the visa over in Canada once its sent to me? Also it would be far too expensive to change flights so that's not an option.
Thanks

retalivity

enter canada on a visitor visa.
once you gt your LOI, go to the border & and cross over and back again, getting your visa at immigration when you return to canada

Helix

plus you can look for a job while youre in as a visitor, you just can't start til you actually have your LOI. that'll save a month or 2's worth of wasted IEC visa looking for work

Barry91

Ah right thanks alot, and there no issue of getting into the US just to leave like a few hours later? Will i need a tourist visa for them or will the Irish passport suffice?

Helix

if youre going by road you pay about a tenner for an esta i think it is

youll have no bother though

rockstar086

Would anybody the procedure when entering Saskatoon Canada with a LMO.? Employer says permit is issued at border, how does this work, are you called into a room and interviewed or what documentation do you need to bring with you. My police certificate was sent to employer should I have kept a copy for immigration, will they ask to see this.

Sorry too many questions

Helix

you give whatever the employer has sent you to immigration, they give you your paperwork

its easy

Jeff33

Hi Roxanne,

Thanks for all the great information you are providing,

I have a question about my Immigration Options. I am currently in Canada on my first IEC Visa which terminates in July 2012. I have applied for my second IEC as you are allowed to apply for two & I'm waiting to hear back. I passed the initial requirements & paid the application fees as requested. But I'm still waiting for my application to be granted as I paid the fees nearly 5 weeks ago now & as of today there are only 1,000 places left & I'm starting to panic.........!!
My situation is I came out in July 2011 & landed in Toronto & spent 8 months there working low end jobs as I couldn't get a job in my field for love, nor money. Case of no Canadian Experience & not recognising my Qualifications. I moved out to Calgary & secured a job as a Land Surveying Technician. It's a Full-time position with a Multi-National Company & comes with benefits & pension plan. My question is I'm worried I might not get the second IEC Visa & wondered what my options are? Can I apply for the AINP or should I apply for a Skilled Visa or try get my Company to sponsor me.

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Regards Geoff.

Helix

if you passed the initial bit then a visa has been set aside for you. if you're not eligible for whatever reason that visa goes back into the pile available