Is Canada A Possibility?

bucky101

I'm 38 and my wife is 35.We have 3 young children.Doing carpentry since i finished my leaving cert in '92 (not certified) and have moved up to Supervisor since '04 (self employed) and then to Project Management in '09-'10 when the recession finally kicked in and the company closed. Wife is a supervisor in retail.I know we're too old for the standard IEC visa. Have emailed a couple of those online visa companies who say they can help and was quoted roughly €2500! But are even they a guarantee? We lived illegally in the USA for 5 years '98-'03...is this a negative for a visa? Is a job offer or LMO our only option.Any help would be greatly appreciated as we would love to sell up and move.Thx.

tinkerspony

Try www.canadavisa.com you may be able to apply for permanent residency. They are genuine lawyers and will give you advice. You can also apply online yourself through official Canadian website at www.cic.gc.ca

ciaran67

bucky101 wrote: »

We lived illegally in the USA for 5 years '98-'03...is this a negative for a visa?

Why tell them? I would keep that under my hat. 'Illegally' isnt a plus point. Dont be put off by your age mate.

montreal2011

There is a lot of data sharing between the USA and Canada. I am pretty sure that they share criminal records, but I'm not really sure about travel data.

On the application for permanent residency, you are asked to detail ALL travel outside your country of residence since you turned 18, or the last ten years is enough if you are over 28.

You must state all countries you have resided in for the same period, as well as what you were doing, i.e. job, school, unemployed.

Your overstay is right on 10 years, so from what I can remember from the permanent residency application, you might not have to mention it.

There is a question on the application, have you ever been refused or ejected from a country, so as long as ye left the USA rather than deported, ye can say no to this.

Before ye pay for a lawyer, look up the CIC website, see what visas options are open to ye, look at all the application forms, and see if any part excludes you. A lawyer will want part cash before they start to look at your situation. You can really do this without a lawyer, the CIC website is very clear.


http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index-can.asp

bucky101

Guys,thx for the response,greatly appreciated.
tinkerspony: thx for that website,i'm gonna give them a call tomorrow and pick their brains a bit and see what they think.
ciaran & montreal: I said I better mention the US overstay in case it came back to bite me further on down the line re: applications forms,citizenship forms etc. (if dreams come true!), luckily we were never deported from the US but left of our own accord.
Looking at the CIC website The Federal Skilled Trades Program would be the visa type that would suit me but you need to have worked 3/5 years which at the moment I haven't. That might possibly rule that visa type out. From what i'm researching...an LMO seems to be the way??
If successful...is there an expiry date on an LMO, eg. is it valid for say, 6 months after being offered. Its just with regards to selling/renting the house,school term for kids etc.

ohap2

http://tradesecrets.alberta.ca/experiencedworkers/qualification-certificate/

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/bulletins/2013/ob279E.asp

Have a look at these two links, you can apply for AIT approval by verifying your work experience. It costs 450 dollars and takes about two months to go through. Once you have approval you are eligible for an Alberta Occupation Specific Work Permit which makes it easier for an employer to employ you rather than having to apply for an LMO for you. In both cases you need to find a job before you can make the move.

Trevor edmonton?

Hi Buck

I have just joined this site to reply to your questions as i am trying to get over to Edmonton on Lmo. i have just looked at cic web site and you can see what companys are looking to get LMO cause they now have to advertise on this site to get permission.

http://www.workingincanada.gc.ca/report-eng.do?lang=eng&noc=7271&area=25349&titleKeyword=carpenter&regionKeyword=Edmonton,+Alberta&source=2&action=final

im waiting for mine to come through and i must apply again with my family when lmo is in place. im 45 so ur age is good. i think all above on link is correct

bucky101

Hey ohap,thx for the info. We are looking to go to Ontario (more so Ottawa/Toronto),is there something similar to the AIT in in this region?
Trevor,thx for the info. we were looking to go at the end of the school year next June 2014. When do you think is a good time to start sourcing jobs/LMO etc.? Is there an "expiry date" on an LMO? Will they hold a position for a couple of months/weeks?

Trevor edmonton?

Hi Buck
The LMO can take about 12 weeks to come through if the company has not got a fast track option. This will last for 6 month i think.
Only when you get a positve LMO (i got shoot down for not having LMO in London office) can ye apply for visa called TWP.You will be the main person in application so choose visa option= (other) in your situation (not called open). You have to have contact schools to except each child(letter).London office can take 12 weeks when there is no strike like now. My advise on a home-- is pick a location close to train line cause you will only have one car at the start and you want to make movement as easy as possible. IT takes a couple of week to get London visa ready to submit as you must get kids shoots information and stuff like that in place.

seachto7

Sorry to hijack thread, but looking into this as well. I missed out on the IEC visa, am 36, and going back to uni for a year, but went through the online questionnaire and it tells me I wouldn't be eligible for a visa. My background would be online marketing, and I speak French. (though not fluently)

Trevor edmonton?

Hi Search07

I would not give up that easy. Have at look at my link above and see if anyone is hire in your type job and then you would be in a very strong position if you got a contract. Give one of them a call as you have nothing to loose. Have your cv in front of you so you can say all the positive thing about yourself and be confident.Good luck

seachto7

Thanks for that, though I don't think my job is that amazing that they would hire someone outside of Canada for it....

bucky101

trevor,sent you a PM.