hi

we are an Irish family living in France.. our children speak excellent french and are doing well 16 and 14. For good reasons we have decided to leave France and our dream is to move to Canada, maybe Nova Scotia.

I think the Nominee program would be best for us as the points test only gave us 65.

Could anyone please give us some advice on how to start the process, without any unwanted delays.

We need to put our house up for sale so I need to know what our chance of success are a.s.a.p.
How can I find out if we stand a good chance and then go at it full force.
after the sale of our house we should have enough to buy a house and have some cash in the bank to tide us over for a while. will this increase our chances at all??
and if not, why not?

many thanks
Sam

I can't speak for NS, but in BC the employer applies to the Provincial Nominee Program on your behalf. Basically, you need to get a job first. Once the PNP approves the employer's application you are granted a temporary work permit whilst Citizenship and Immigration Canada process your application for permanent residence. You still need to satisfy CIC's other requirements such as health and criminal record (lack of!).

Quebec does things differently to most other provinces. If you are all French speakers, have you looked at their immigration requirements?

Have you looked at this...?

http://www.novascotiaimmigration.com/en-page1040.aspx

1. Find and employer willing to take you on and who meet the PNP criteria. Check via provincal websites what the current requirements are regarding employers, basicaly they have to employ so many people, pay a certain level of wage etc etc

2. Employer applies to Service Canada (SC) for a Labour Market Opion (LMO) Basicly this is a single form which I don't know the EXACT contents of but states that the employer has tried EVERY possible avenue to recruit a Canadian citizen to no avail and they now wish to employ you from overseas.

3. Employer (hopefuly) recieves the LMO confirmation from SC and sends a copy to you.

4. You apply for work permit (WP) either in your home country Canadian Embassy / High Commission or in most cases when you land in Canada via immigration at the airport by producing your contract / LMO and any other documents requied (confirm with employer).

5. LMO valid in most cases for 12 months (meaning you have 12 months to arrive in Canada). WP valid in most cases for 24 months. Make sure you confirm these timelines as they are not always the case.

6. MOST people wish to emmigrate via the PNP system but some don't why???? no idea, so the next step is a bit vague. Some provinces like you to be in province for a certain period of time before submitting your PNP application, others allow you to apply before you arrive in Canada you'll need to check this out regarding where you end up going. Basicly therefore the next step is to apply to the province for PNP sponsorship then when you get the letter saying you have been successful and have PNP status you can then apply for your Perminant residency (PR). All in all approx time from start to PR can be around 18 months some times shorter sometimes longer depends on your circumstances.


Hope this is of some help.

With the NSNP (I'm not sure about other nomination prgrammes) but you don't need LMO.

Quoted from website
The NSNP is a two-step application process for permanent resident status in Canada.

Step one - Apply to the Nova Scotia Nominee Program:
Once you decide that you want to settle and work permanently in Nova Scotia, you should review the NSNP categories to see if you meet the criteria set by the province for nomination. If you do and you choose to apply, you must complete the required application forms, attach all supporting documentation and forward the complete application package to the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration for assessment.

If you are approved by the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration as meeting the NSNP selection criteria, you will receive a Letter of Nomination. A Certificate of Nomination will be issued by the Office of Immigration directly to the appropriate CIC visa office.

A nomination by the province does not guarantee that you will be granted permanent residency. This final decision rests solely with CIC.

Step two - Apply to a Citizenship and Immigration Canada visa office

If you are nominated by the province, you must then submit your NSNP and federal immigration application package directly to the appropriate CIC visa office within 90 days of nominee certificate issuance.

CIC will conduct criminal, security and health checks on your application. It may also request an interview or additional information. CIC will make the final selection decision on whether you will be issued a permanent
resident visa.

You can apply for WP if you are successful in the nomination but it still doesn't mean you will be accepted by CIC for PR you will still need to apply the same as everyone else but with the nomination it will be a faster process.

Just shows how different they all are and that it isn't as straight forward accross the board.

Good luck then hope it goes well.

Nova Scotia is generally English speaking with some French areas in Digby Neck and a many in Cape Breton.

We went via the Provincial Nominee Community Identified Stream. No points required. It is also fast, and if you have funds to buy and live you stand an excellent chance of success. Send me a private message and I can give you some more info.