From Wiki
[edit] Getting your toe in the door as a visitor
People sometimes ask if they can enter Canada as visitors and then, while they're living in Canada, apply for temporary work permits, with a view to upgrading their TWPs to permanent residence status.
Yes, it theoretically is possible to do this, and in fact a few members of the BE forum have done it.
There are, however, some obstacles.
- British citizens usually are allowed to enter Canada for six months. However, keep in mind that the immigration officer at the port of entry is allowed to use his/her discretion in admitting a traveller to Canada. The immigration officer also can use his/her discretion in the length of time for which he/she admits a British citizen to Canada, up to a maximum of six months. But typically IOs do admit British citizens for the full six months.
- If a British visitor wants to stay in Canada beyond the initial six months, he/she can apply for an extension of his/her visitor status. This application needs to be submitted in good time, before the expiration of the initial six months.
- Children who are in Canada as visitors are not entitled to receive free schooling from public (state) schools.
- Visitors are not eligible for provincial health care insurance coverage.
- A visitor is not entitled to exchange his/her UK driver's licence for a provincial driver's licence. A visitor may drive in Canada on his UK driver's licence for a finite length of time. Please reseach the rules of the specific province in which you want to live.
- If you are granted a temporary work permit or a permanent residence visa while you're in Canada as a visitor, you have to leave the country and re-enter so that you officially can "land" in Canada. The nickname for this quick trip outside the country, which can be as short as an hour or so, is the trip around the flagpole.
[edit] Seasonal Residents
- Some foreign citizens own homes in Canada, and alternate between living in Canada and another country.
- In theory a British citizen would be admitted to Canada for six months at a time.
- Some people have done this for years.
- However, remember that the immigration officer at the port of entry always has the right to bar you from entering Canada.
- So buying property in Canada with a view to being a seasonal resident is not entirely without risk.
[edit] Related Information
- Depending on your situation, the following Wiki articles may be helpful:
