alohavic

My husband has been offered a job in Saskatchewan and had his nomination through yesterday (it only took a week, which was a lot faster than we expected!)

We're getting conflicting information on what to do next. Would it be to apply for a TWP, PR or both at the same time? Also would you advise obtaining the TWP from CIC in London or at the POE (worried about arriving in Canada and not getting it!)

Thanks for any help you can give us. This has all happened so quickly - less than 2 months since he applied for the job - and our heads are spinning!

Former Lancastrian

At the moment you only have the nomination letter which will have an expiry date. The letter is sufficient to get the work permit on arrival in Canada and pay the fees for it. You would then submit your PR application and wait for it to be approved. Once approved you would get the COPR forms and then make a quick trip to the border (flag pole) re-enter Canada and do the formal landing.
Determine your eligibility – Provincial nominees

Apply to the SINP | Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program | Government of Saskatchewan

alohavic

That's fantastic - thank you so much!

One more quick question and apologies if I'm just being incredibly thick. On the Apply to the SINP link it says this:
Temporary Work Permit

After you’ve applied to the SINP and your nomination has been approved and sent to IRCC's Centralized Intake Office, we can provide a letter of support for a Temporary Work Permit. This will allow you and your accompanying family members to move to Saskatchewan. If the permit is approved by IRCC, you’ll be able to start working or preparing your business operations while your permanent resident visa is being processed.


Do not quit your job, or sell or dispose of your personal possessions and business assets until you have received your permanent resident visa from IRCC.

How are you supposed to move to SK and start working without quitting your job first? Am I just mis-reading it?

Former Lancastrian

Its a standard disclaimer. Obviously if nominated and they give you the support letter for working most assume thats it they will be given PR status. SINP and IRCC could refuse the final granting of PR status due to an inadmissibility i.e. criminal convictions etc.
In the majority of cases this doesn't happen.

alohavic

Ahh, that makes sense. I think I was just being a bit over cautious! Thank you again

JGK

Alternatively, you can land at the Saskatoon immigration office rather than the 10-hour round trip to the border.

Former Lancastrian

True but a lot of people don't want to wait from anywhere from 1 to 8 weeks to get an appointment unless IRCC have reduced their waiting times to get appointments at local offices which vary across the country.
I tend to think Estevan is closer to the border than Saskatoon and the OP doesn't give a location in the query.

alohavic

Thanks both for the advice. Yes, we will be living in Estevan so it's just a 10 mile trip to the border!

The Names Bond

Hi alohavic. I also live in Estevan and activated my Permanent Residency earlier this year at North Portal Border Crossing which is around a half hour drive from Estevan. It is a simple process that they are very familiar with as most people do their landing there. Border was quiet when I did mine which was around 2pm on a Monday afternoon so the actual landing itself took around 15 minutes from arriving at the border to leaving as a new PR.

Good luck.

alohavic

Hello The Names Bond, it's nice to hear from someone in Estevan. I'd love to hear how you're finding it there? When did you arrive and what job are you doing?

We went and had a look around last month and liked what we saw. It's a lot nicer in person than it seems online but it would be good to hear from someone with experience.

All being well my husband and daughter will fly out at the end of next month and I'll follow on when the house is sold.

Former Lancastrian

Mmmm it looked good last month (July or August). Just wait till you see and feel Estevan in January or February

alohavic

I suspect that's something most expats go through in their first Canadian winter!

Former Lancastrian

First, many of us are still bitching about winters 28 years on unless of course you are one of those smug bar stewards living in Vancouver or Victoria. If they ever spent a winter on the Prairies the term global warming would be dispelled pretty quickly.

alohavic

I know that pretty much nothing will prepare me for it so I'm just going to venture on with an optimistic attitude and be grateful that at least it's generally sunny and not the depressing persistent rain that we have at the moment!

The Names Bond

Hi alohavic, nice to hear from someone else who is taking the plunge and moving to Estevan, not really a place a lot of Brits flock to.

I have been living in Estevan for just over 3 years now. I initially came over on a 1 year temporary work permit, working at the newspaper print plant in Estevan, and after 6 months I applied for Permanent Residency via SINP.

Whilst it isn't the prettiest place in Canada, no nice scenery, mountains or lakeside views etc. it is a far more laid back place to live than anywhere in the UK, and there is certainly a lot less traffic!!

My first winter here the temperatures regularly hit the -40C's however it is nearly always sunny here and believe it or not it still feels warmer here at -20C than it does in the UK at only -2C, mainly because of the damp UK winters. Fortunately this last winter was a very mild one with snow on the ground from mid November until around the end of March. Summers are usually very hot.

When I first arrived here Estevan was in an economic boom, it is in the middle of the oil patch and there were Canadians from all across the country working here, this had the effect of pushing up the cost of property prices and it was costing me 2 weeks wages in rent alone, however the price of oil has nosedived and things are a lot more sensible right now.

It wouldn't be fair for me to paint you the perfect picture of Estevan, in fact for the first 2 years I was here I was terribly homesick, missing family, friends and my hometown, and I have no doubt this would be the case no matter where in the world I had moved to so not really a reflection of Estevan, however that has passed and I now think of Estevan more as my home than the UK.

I have made a home in Estevan and it has fortunately worked out very well for me, I have a reasonably secure future, certainly more secure than the UK where my job no longer really exists, and looking back over the last 3 years it was the best move I have made.

If there is any further information you would like to know then I will do my best to answer any questions you have. I wish you and your family all the best for your future here, and hope it works out as well for you as it has for me.