I am just looking into my options for the future as far as allowing me and my boyfriend to be together are concerned.
I am a 21 year old UK citizen, not in a highly skilled occupation and he is a Canadian citizen also not in a highly skilled occupation.

I've read about the new rules for unmarried partners so if we were able to live together for a continous year could we eligible for my entry into Canada under that catergory? Obviously that raises the question of how we'd be able to live together for a year. I have looked on the internet for sites about working holidays but I can only find them for students, I also looked in the local library and again came up with nothing. Does anyone know of any resources I could look at about these holidays?
If I was to enroll in a university here in the UK (original plan before I fell for a Canadian!) and took a gap year to work in Canada and then decided I didn't want to go to university after all in the UK would that cause problems with Canadian immigration?

If I was to go to Canada as a student I know I am not eligible for any financial aid but I saw that they are changing the circumstances foreign students will be able to work in - does anyone know anything about this?

I have also looked into trainee options, as I would either like to go to University to study programming or find a company willing to train me but I can't find any Canadian companies willing to do this on an international basis or for non-students. Any ideas?

Lastly, if we go down the marriage route and I settle in Canada that way and THEN go to university would I be eligible for any kind of financial assistance? (loans etc)

Are there any other ways of us being together that I haven't thought of? I'd like to know what all of my options are!

Thankyou in advance for any help you can provide me with.

if you come over as a visitor and get married (don't mention marriage at the border,
plz) , once you get your approval in principle you can apply to work.

Once you are a PR, you get all of the benefits a citizen has except you can't vote.

If you search this newsgroups archives you will find a wealth of info on Inland
spousal applications.

great places for info:

http://www.canadaimmigrationlaw.net/Library/lico.htm

about lico requirements

http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/acrossthe49thparallel

tons of archives and helpful folks in this yahoo group!

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/coming/espouse.html

The last site listed is on the government site and you should look all around
carefully at the rules, fees etc....

This looks like your only way.......without qualifying for independent immigration.
You will definitely be better off going to school here AFTER you get a PR.

If you wanted to apply as a fiance and wait a long time before you can enter Canada
that is something they do too, but in those cases you (and your sponsor) have to have
qualifying income and funds in the bank.

If you are already married, you have to give the financial info, but there are no
requirements about how much $ you have to have or make.

Good Luck!!

"Avienda" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > I am just looking into my options for the future as far as allowing me and my
    > boyfriend to be together are concerned. I am a 21 year old UK citizen, not in a
    > highly skilled occupation and he is a Canadian citizen also not in a highly skilled
    > occupation.
    >
    > I've read about the new rules for unmarried partners so if we were able to live
    > together for a continous year could we eligible for my entry into Canada under that
    > catergory? Obviously that raises the question of how we'd be able to live together
    > for a year. I have looked on the internet for sites about working holidays but I
    > can only find them for students, I also looked in the local library and again came
    > up with nothing. Does anyone know of any resources I could look at about these
    > holidays? If I was to enroll in a university here in the UK (original plan before I
    > fell for a Canadian!) and took a gap year to work in Canada and then decided I
    > didn't want to go to university after all in the UK would that cause problems with
    > Canadian immigration?
    >
    > If I was to go to Canada as a student I know I am not eligible for any financial
    > aid but I saw that they are changing the circumstances foreign students will be
    > able to work in - does anyone know anything about this?
    >
    > I have also looked into trainee options, as I would either like to go to University
    > to study programming or find a company willing to train me but I can't find any
    > Canadian companies willing to do this on an international basis or for
    > non-students. Any ideas?
    >
    > Lastly, if we go down the marriage route and I settle in Canada that way and
    > THEN go to university would I be eligible for any kind of financial assistance?
    > (loans etc)
    >
    > Are there any other ways of us being together that I haven't thought of? I'd like
    > to know what all of my options are!
    >
    > Thankyou in advance for any help you can provide me with.
    >
    >
    >
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Hi Avienda

Where are you now? Has your boyfriend already been to the UK on a working holiday
visa? If he hasn't, and you're alright with the idea, that would probably be the best
way to stay together - for the next couple of years, anyway. During that time, you
could investigate further options (such as, if you start living together, applying
for the unmarried partners option you mentioned in your post).

Good luck Rich

Avienda <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
    > I am just looking into my options for the future as far as allowing me and my
    > boyfriend to be together are concerned. I am a 21 year old UK citizen, not in a
    > highly skilled occupation and he is a Canadian citizen also not in a highly skilled
    > occupation.
    >
    > I've read about the new rules for unmarried partners so if we were able to live
    > together for a continous year could we eligible for my entry into Canada under that
    > catergory? Obviously that raises the question of how we'd be able to live together
    > for a year. I have looked on the internet for sites about working holidays but I
    > can only find them for students, I also looked in the local library and again came
    > up with nothing. Does anyone know of any resources I could look at about these
    > holidays? If I was to enroll in a university here in the UK (original plan before I
    > fell for a Canadian!) and took a gap year to work in Canada and then decided I
    > didn't want to go to university after all in the UK would that cause problems with
    > Canadian immigration?

<snip

Thankyou very much for the information!

Is LICO judged by your gross salary or is it supposed to be after rent and such?

I am in England, my boyfriend hasn't been here on a working holiday but he is 27 now, I read that 27 is the upper age limit for the working holiday visa - Is that that you must be 27 at the time of issue or is 27 the time you must return to your home country?

The other factor in that is that he has just discovered a student loan from way back which will require him to be able to work a substansial amount in order to pay it back so I'm not sure that it is financially viable for him not to work for 50% of the time and I guess he wouldn't be classed as having no commitments in Canada.

Would getting married whilst a visitor not be risky? I don't want to end up barred from the country or something!!

i'm sorry, i can't give you any advice, but i just wanted to say that this is almost *exactly* the situation with my boyfriend and i (i'm British and he's Canadian). if you sort something out i'd be interested in hearing what you plan to do.

good luck too!

Depending on when your boyfriend's birthday is, he'll have to apply quickly for the
Working Holiday visa. You have to enter the UK before your 28th birthday -- but the
good news is that you then have 2 years, and can even apply for a 6 month extension
after that (it will be a visitor's visa however). When I was in the UK, my girlfriend
returned to Canada to get her visa and rejoined me about a month later.

You can find more information at http://visa.fco.gov.uk/ -- and I suggest you email
me for information as well at [email protected].

As for the student loan, I doubt this would be a problem as many people enter the UK
on working holiday visas with student loans still standing in their home country.

Hope this helps Rich

Avienda <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
    > Rich wrote:
    > > Where are you now? Has your boyfriend already been to the UK on a working
    > > holiday visa?
    >
    > Thankyou very much for the information!
    >
    > Is LICO judged by your gross salary or is it supposed to be after rent and such?
    >
    > I am in England, my boyfriend hasn't been here on a working holiday but he is 27
    > now, I read that 27 is the upper age limit for the working holiday visa - Is that
    > that you must be 27 at the time of issue or is 27 the time you must return to your
    > home country?
    >
    > The other factor in that is that he has just discovered a student loan from way
    > back which will require him to be able to work a substansial amount in order to pay
    > it back so I'm not sure that it is financially viable for him not to work for 50%
    > of the time and I guess he wouldn't be classed as having no commitments in Canada.
    >
    > Would getting married whilst a visitor not be risky? I don't want to end up barred
    > from the country or something!!

They make it so difficult don't they?!

I think I may apply for an HND here and defer my entry and then spend the year over there working (waiting on some information for some schemes I found on the net) and see how things go. That way if things don't work out between us I won't be facing a divorce and I'll have some extra work experience and independence to show for it! If things were to go as well as I imagine they would then I guess I'd be up the aisle like a shot

We'll see though, I get my exam results in 2 weeks and a lot rests on that!

Good luck with things with you and your boyfriend, I know it's difficult!