ChaseDC

Hello everybody,

I am new to this forum. First let me introduce myself. My name is Robert, I am a teacher from Washington,DC. My gf and her son (he's 3 and I love him like he was my own) live in Winnipeg. I really need to move to Winnipeg to be with them, so we can resume being a family.
In an ideal world, I would be able to find a teaching job for the 2008-2009 school year and move there over the summer. I have no problems taking a non-teaching job, as long as I could be there to support them. She has a good job and is raising her son with the help of her mother and sister. I guess if there was any way I could be assured that I would be able to live there legally, I'd quit my job and move there in a heartbeat. I understand that immigrating to Canada is not easy and can be a lengthy process.

I had heard about this site, but really have no idea where to start looking to find information and to get the ball rolling. I figure this is as good a way as any to get some information and maybe come in contact with some people who can help me out.

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can provide me.

mandymoochops

Hi there and Welcome, the best source of information is at the top of the page and is the Wiki!

Written by our resident bastion of all knowledge Judy it gives advice on nearly every aspect of the whole Canada thing.

As Judy would say "Grab a coffee, lock your doors and read read read" as there is a lot of information to digest.

Once you have a general overview of the processes involved and which one would apply to you, do a search on the relevant part of the forum (probably this bit i'm thinking as most questions you will have will be about the process I would think) to see if anyone else has asked the same thing.

If you post and you get scathing answers you can guarantee that someone has asked the same question a zillion times or the information is available on the Wiki so don't take any notice of this!!!!

After doing this and you have done as much research as you feel you can, then come on in and ask away! A good moral for this site is "Help them that help themselves" and believe me there is some fabulous help from some great people here.

Best wishes

ChaseDC

Thanks mandymoochops

Judy in Calgary

Hello, Robert, and welcome to the BE forum.

Most of the information in the Wiki was written with British expats in mind.

If you're American, it would be worth your while to look at the Wiki called Free Trade Agreements. NAFTA would be applicable to you. In theory, teachers are listed in Appendix 1603, which lists the professionals who are allowed to accept jobs across the border. As far as I can tell, however, the teachers to whom this is applicable are those at the college, seminary and university levels. In addition to that, teaching is a heavily unionized profession in Canada, and it's tough to get your toe in the door.

Your girlfriend might be able to sponsor you as a common-law partner. But, in order to be eligible for that route, the two of you would have to have been living with each other in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 months (sharing a residence, sharing household costs, etc.).

If the two of you were in a position to marry, I think she'd be able to sponsor you as a spouse. I believe the burden of proof would be somewhat less than it is in the case of a common-law sponsorship.

Even if you got all that sorted out, there still would be the teaching thing. You'd have to start out as a short term supply teacher, work your way up to being a long term supply teacher, and finally get a fulltime permanent position. It could take a couple of years to get to where you want to be, just on the teaching front alone.

If you have the persistence of a Rottweiler, it can be done.

Good luck with your quest.
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ChaseDC

Thanks for the info, Judy.

As far as the teaching thing, I don't even care if it's not in the teaching profession. And if I were lucky enough to get even a short term position, I'd do that too. I teach at the elementary level (K-5) and have no experience at the university level. But again, if it meant doing a job at an university to get my foot in the door, that's not a problem.

Judy in Calgary

You're welcome, Robert.

By the way, perhaps I should clarify that a temporary work authorization via NAFTA and a permanent residence visa via common-law or spousal sponsorship are two different things. Once you had permanent resident status (equivalent to a green card in the United States), you could accept any job with any employer in any part of Canada.

Another point worth mentioning is that private schools tend not to have a "union" mindset in the way that public schools tend to do. So, if you're looking for teaching jobs, do keep private schools in mind.
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canadablade

Wy move to winnipeg, I lived in DC and its way beyond. Marry her and move your girlfriend south

ChaseDC

Well, right now should wouldn't move here. We talked about where she would live in the states and she said northern california or Hawaii.

I have to convince her to marry me