Jeffy G

Hi everybody, any help would be much appreciated...

In July i will graduate from University (thank god!!!) and towards the end of July i will be leaving the UK for Canada with Bunac for a year, and then stay for an extra year and then hopefully longer.

Here's what i plan to do...

I plan to work and live in Montreal (even tho i have family and friends in Toronto ) to be with my girlfriend who lives in Westmount. After i have completed my year with Bunac i want to stay on and do my Masters at Concordia University in MTL. Now my g/fs mum works for the University and i have been in contact with them and they have said i will be granted a place as long as i obtain a certain level in my current degree (which is pretty much a certainty!!)

Ok so i presume my student visa will run from the start of my course to the completion of it...which means i will be stuck between July and Sept '07 and i don't wanna leave the country...so i guess if i just leave the country at one of the border crossing points and then re-enter i'll be granted a vistors visa until i have my student visa, right??

Anyways, my main query is...What can i do after i have completed my Masters? I won't want to leave the country and my girlfriend, but to apply for residence i'll have to leave right?? Hopefully by the time i have completed my Masters i will have a permanent job offer which will cut down my wait time???

If i could just stay in Canada for an extra year won't i be granted residence? Or will my Bunac and Student Visa's hinder this???

I'm really confused...but i have the determination to see this through!! I'm off to Montreal for Xmas and NYE and i will be doing further research then but any additional info or help would be much appreciated!!

Kind Regards

Jeff

andy_sheila

You can apply for PR whilst in canada, If your g/f is canadian then you can apply for spousal sponsorship at the end of your Bunac yr, you will have to prove you have been living together as a couple for the previous 12 months.

This is how it should go:
1, Come to Canada on Bunac and move in with g/f (keep all bills in joint names)
2, At end of Bunac yr, apply for PR as spouse of Canadian citizen, also apply for study permit*. PR will be processed before study permit runs out.

*check how long the application is for study permit as you will need it to be granted before Bunac ends.

HTH

Remya

I did almost exactly the same as you, only it'll be a year and a half in between my WHV expiring and me starting my Master's (fingers crossed I actually get it). I'm even in Mtl. Couple of points:

1) You might want to have a look at the fees for Master's, as they can be quite high and you'd be classed as 'international'. Have you already been living with your gf a year? If so, I'd apply now, or asap; if you get PR before you study you can qualify for Canadian loans/bursaries. Waiting for inland PR is annoying (I'm at 9 months and counting with no right to get a job!) but I'm not sure how getting a study permit at the same time would work. I'd say if you did the BUNAC year (and make sure you get in there early before there aren't any left - mid-January), apply for a study permit asap, get that and then apply for PR after you've been here a year.

2) Word of warning about getting jobs, do you speak French? It might matter less if you're living in Westmount but in that case, be prepared to work in Second Cup (like Starbucks) or similar. It's hard enough to find a job here speaking French, even harder if you don't, and your qualifications and experience definitely won't be recognised. Montreal is the call centre capital of North America (I think)... might have a few suggestions for you so PM me closer to when you get here.

Can I ask what your degree's in? If you have a Canadian Master's you won't have probs. finding a job (although again, in Montreal, it's hard to say - an awful lot of students leave the province after studying). Nice to know someone in a similar boat to me.

Jeffy G

Hi guys, thanks ever soooo much for your input. Yeah my girlfriend is Canadian andy_sheila...i suppose i better apply for my student Visa pretty early into the Bunac year to guarantee i'll get the study permit. How long does the PR application usually take?

Hi Remya...thanks for your input...here are a few answers to your questions...
I have e-mailed Concordia about the fees and they are yet to get back to me. I haven't been living with my girlfriend yet but we shall be getting a place once i arrive in MTL!!! I've been placed on the list for the Visa's so i'm in early, i just need to make sure i fill it out and return it as soon as i recieve the application in December...

Unfortunately my french is appalling and i've found it rather hard once in MTL, but hopefully i'm gonna try and take a basic french course before i go and my girlfriend is gonna try and teach me as well...We did think about going to Toronto, but she has just started her course at Concordia and well i'm flexible...i can go anywhere so it made sense!!!

As far as a job is concerned...my girlfriend works part-time for a telesales company that sells holidays to Florida to the rest of Canada (the Anglo-phone provinces!!!) So i could work there and well she earns alot so i hope my English accent will come in handy!!

My degree is in Sociology and Criminal Justice studies...and i hope to do a Masters in the Sociology of sports and sports fans...i thought about doing it here at the University of Plymouth but i cannot wait to leave and i want my future to be in Canada (i go over every year to visit family and friends in Toronto!!) I love the country beyond belief...and well like you say having a Canadian Masters should help eh!!!

Where abouts in Montreal are you?I take it you're from England to?? I'm just worried that i will get the chance to spend the two years there and then i'll have to leave!!I didn't realise my g/f could sponsor me...

I'll keep you updated and any more info you have would be very welcomed!!

thanks ever so much!!

Jeff

andy_sheila

She can only sponsor you as conjugal (commonlaw) partner, you have to have been living together in said relationship for at least 12 months, keep all documentary evidence of your relationship from when you first got together but especially when you start living together.
It's a personal thing but it would help to have a joint bank account now (keep statements) and anything else you can put in joint names such as electricity bill, telephone etc. Also keep photo's, holiday receipts, etc.

To sum up, Keep everything that links you together and create ties now (if you can)

Good luck

Remya

Good advice from andy_sheila about getting proof. It's not that hard once you've been living together a bit. After the 12 months are up on your BUNAC visa (and not before, they don't accept the time you spent waiting after applying as adding to your common-law time, it must be 12 months before applying), apply for PR and a visitor's immigration document (on the CIC website, fairly easy to do). You have implied status until the visitor's doc. comes through, and have to wait about 9 months from sending PR until you get it. Note that it's slower in Quebec (elsewhere is around 7 months, in theory) and costs $250 more because you need a certificat de selection de Quebec - CSQ. I think you might also need a certificate to study, but the details are on the Quebec Ministry of Education's website (have to have a letter of acceptance first, etc.).

As for getting a place in Mtl, it's pretty cheap compared to other major cities, although Westmount isn't the cheapest area so I suggest you look on the Plateau (your gf will know where I mean). Easy to find a place, especially in the summer, there are loads of ads in newspapers. We got one after 2 days in a youth hostel that's near Beaubien, it's about $500/month all bills included but it's quite hard to find one that convenient now I think.

Good luck with finding a job, I'm not sure a French course is that good an idea before you come because the Quebecois accent is quite different... practice helps once you're here, of course! But again, summer is the easiest time to find a job, lots of students out there in the same position as you.

Any ideas what you'll do after your Master's? Just curious. And yes, I'm from England, moved to Scotland at 18, then Holland at 22, Texas for a bit and finally fully emigrated here just before turning 24. Hardest thing I ever did, and you have to take a few steps down on the 'career' ladder (can't even do office work, really) but if you can come up with a plan, it's worth it. If I wasn't planning on going back to grad school I'm not sure it would have been the right move, but Mtl is very easy to get around in with the Metro,and there's lots happening. The temperature difference in winter and summer is huge (-30 to +35!) but I didn't find that a problem, only the length of the winter itself.

>I'm just worried that i will get the chance to spend the two years there and >then i'll have to leave!!

This part I didn't get - why 2 years? The BUNAC visa is only a year. If you have all the documents and did everything properly, they won't turn you down for PR because your gf is Canadian and you want to be together, it's that simple. There are no financial or medical requirements. So don't be worried, just get on with making a new life here and msg us if you have any more questions or problems. :-)

Jeffy G

Hi guys...once again thanks ever so much for your input...as far as relationship material goes...all i have is photos of us together etc. But once i get to MTL i'll make sure i keep everything that proves we are a couple.

Remya...as far as the part that i confused you with...i meant two years (year with Bunac and a year doing my Masters(hopefully))

I just thought it would be alot harder trying to gain PR...thought i'd have to take the immigration test (which i'm sure by then i'll have enough points anyways!!

Ok, so say that the tuition fees are too much for my Masters...i'll only be in MTL for the Bunac year (living with my girlfriend) then i'll apply for PR, will i be allowed to work whilst waiting for it to come through or will i be restricted from earning? I desperately want to take my Masters in Canada...as it will hopefully help me more in succeeding in Canada but if its going to be too much then i'll have to put it off for a while...

I'm sorry to keep asking these questions, but it really just seems too easy...Live with girlfriend for a year and provide proof then gain PR without taking the immigration test...hmmm...

But you guys are really helping me and i sincerely thank you for that!! I'm heading to MTL for NYE and i just know i will not wanna leave...Roll on next July!!!

Jeffy G

>>Any ideas what you'll do after your Master's?


As far as my future...i'm really not sure to be totally honest. My dream job would be working for a record company...i'm soooo passionate about music but its a competitive industry...so really i just want to be happy in what i do but also financially comfortable (cliche i know!!!)...i'm willing to hussle!!!!

andy_sheila

happy to help, we all needed it at some point

Remya

Hi there,

As andy_sheila said (again!), no, you can't work while you wait for your visa. Make sure you save, save, save while you work; I did this and I'm coming right to the end of my money about now...

Second thing: you might find that Canada differs quite a bit from the UK in terms of qualifications and jobs. I find you generally have to have a qualification in something relevant to the job you're applying for (even for general office jobs, there are diplomas out there for 'office admin', whereas I believe almost anyone can do that in the UK; construction work and so on needs it...there are even customer service diplomas, Master's in journalism... etc.). So if you're really, really into working for a recording company, and it's that competitive, you might want to reconsider your Master's and go for something more relevant. If I don't get into grad school (and you're lucky your Master's is only a year, mine's two!) then I might well end up regretting taking what I did as an undergrad as it will have been an enormous waste of time and money from a working in Canada perspective. Just see how it goes when you get here; as always, try and make contacts and network a lot and see what's feasible. If you hate University right now (sounds like you can't wait to graduate), you might really hate the Master's, as I've found even undergrad here is more thorough than the UK (exams in the middle and at the end of term, at least 3-4 pieces of coursework). And of course, it always happens that people do Master's and then don't know what to do with it, and (especially here) are often turned down for jobs for being overqualified and under-experienced.

I'm not trying to put you off, I'm try to be realistic (no, really!). I guess all you can do is wait until you're here and see what happens. I'm sure you'll have fun figuring it all out.