Incoming!!
 

Hi everyone!

We are aiming to move to Canada early next year and are looking at suitable areas to live (no job offers as yet).

We've had a good look around the forum and has been really useful so far.

We are both in our 30's and currently living on the fringe of the Peak District. We enjoying cycling, running, sailing and generally being outdoors in our free time.

I work in a senior leadership role in Local Govt. and my girlfriend works in the events/marketing/fundraising/tourism sector... but we are looking for an adventure and moving to improve our current work life balance, so are happy to find work around the area we prefer living.

We are not keen on living in a metropolis but do enjoying going out for nice food and drinks.

We don't have any kids but do have a dog and a cat. We are doing a recce in November, so having a shortlist of potential places to live in advance will help us plan our trip.

Currently we have Port Moody and Saanich on our radar, but any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Also, the route we looking at is to secure a job and work on a temporary work visa for around 12 months and then (if we like it) apply for PR. That being said, is it possible to come over on a temporary visa and then find work?

Thanks in advance

Re: Incoming!!
 

Nope. You need a job offer first, and a LMIA (something the employer has to apply for to prove they've advertised the job across Canada and been unable to find a Canadian to do the job) before you can get a temp work permit. You can go as a visitor (no visa required if you're a UK citizen) but then return to the UK whilst you wait for the LMIA etc.

So a recce is a good idea, but don't get too fixed on one place as you don't want to set your heart on BC and then subsequently find the only place you can find an employer prepared to go to the cost/hassle of hiring you is in Manitoba. :lol:

HTH, welcome to the forum and good luck.

Re: Incoming!!
 

To add to christmasoompa's, be aware that a lot of Local Government in Canada flat-out won't hire a non-Canadian. It's common to write on the ad PR/citizens only, or to have a dedicated application site with tickboxes that just won't let you fill in & submit if you're not already a PR/citizen. So you probably won't be able to transfer to something directly similar, and if you're looking at other organisations, then... yeah, basically places people want to live normally have enough applications that you're really going to need to work for an LMIA.

Have you checked how your points work out for Express Entry draws (routes directly to Permanent Residency)? If your heart is set on moving, you could do worse than sitting down with a calculator and seeing if you've got a shot. If you would score over about 420 (although it's never gone that low) it's probably worth being in the pool, just in case the points requirement dips.

Re: Incoming!!
 

Hi both,

Thank you for the replies.

I'm not precious about staying in Local Govt. but certainly didn't appreciate the restrictions/citizenship requirement, so thank you.

I tried to fill out a points scoring pro-forma online but as I haven't already taken the English test, it wouldn't allow me to progress through the system. If you are aware of one I can do either online or manually, that would be really appreciated.

Re: Incoming!!
 

If you are a native English speaker, just assume full marks for now, that will allow you to progress.

Re: Incoming!!
 

My hubby worked for local government on a TWP. It was never an issue.

Re: Incoming!!
 

Hence 'a lot', not 'always' ;) To take an example OP gave, Saanich council FAQs #5 FAQs | District of Saanich reads "You must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or have a legal permit to work in Canada". So for them, if you've already found an open permit (eg IEC, spousal open, bridging open), they'll entertain the application, but they won't sponsor people themselves. I can't remember which one but I was filling in one in BC & as soon as I checked that I wasn't already a PR (permits weren't adequate), the rest of the form simply greyed out.

Re: Incoming!!
 

Have you estimated how many points you score on for EE? IF you qualify under the EE stream with enough points (450+ish) then that would be your best route...

Re: Incoming!!
 

My husband is a sheriff and we are not yet Citizens.... I think you may be in with a chance

Re: Incoming!!
 

Does that still make you giggle? ;)
I got as far as that stage in a potential eviction a few years ago and despite the irritation of having to deal with it all, I still had to stifle laughter at the idea of enlisting the help of the sheriff. :lol:

Re: Incoming!!
 

So, we've eventually worked out how to do the points calculation... :thumbsup:

The score for Skilled Worker came out at 93/100 and the EE was 437. If I've understood the advice/info in the thread, I stand a chance of EE?! My girlfriend fits into bracket 'A' on the Skilled Worker criteria and has a similar score on the test but what we need to understand now is:

- Can we both enter the country if one of us is approved for EE?
- What are the differences/Pro's& Con's between the SW entry and EE entry?

Re: Incoming!!
 

SW is EE - EE is just a catch all name for several visa routes that come under it, SW being one of them.

You'd both go on the same application (assuming you've lived together for a year or more) and both get PR.

The lowest the points have ever gone down to is 450, but at 437 it's worth applying in case they go drop.

HTH, good luck.

Re: Incoming!!
 

Hey! Thanks for this reply. So a little confused as one of the questions for the EE points system asks whether you have a job offer - I get 437 points if I declare not having a job offer as of yet, but 487 if I say I do have a job offer. If it was necessary to have a job offer before applying for EE why would this be a point score criteria?

Re: Incoming!!
 

It's not necessary for EE, but it gets you extra points if you do. Just as speaking French isn't necessary, but you'd get extra points if you did, or a PhD isn't necesssry but you'll get extra points etc.

But you were originally asking about a work permit, and that's a different thing to EE - a job offer and LMIA is needed for a work permit.

They're two separate visa routes, with different requirements.

HTH.

Re: Incoming!!
 

Thank you for your help, it's much clearer now :starsmile: