Hi all,

We're just at the beginning of the immigration journey, and although we have wanted to move to canada for many years we couldn't consider it until now due to work circumstances. However, we're aware that the application process can take many years, and the outcome is often uncertain. Our back up plan if FSW won't work is an inter company transfer early next year, so we'll effectively have thought about it for ten years, get the chance to do it and then probably have another year or longer before we can go. (Assuming we can even get the ICT).

So I was wondering, after the initial effort and excitement of compiling the application and doing the research and making all the decisions. How have you maintained their motivation when it can take so long? What got you through?

IMHO, the best solution is to send it off and forget about it until something happens. Given the way the process changes, you might get a response in six months, or you might get it in three years, or they might send all the applications back next year and ask you to reapply.

If I remember correctly, when I applied they estimated eighteen months to process the application, then I got a letter upping that to two years, then another letter upping it to three years, then I got a medical request after just over two years. So you simply can't tell what will happen or base your life around it.

If I was in your situation I'd concentrate on the ICT and let PR bubble through the system in the background. Once you're in Canada you may be able to fast-track it with a permanent job offer or whatever is applicable at the time.

^^^ what Mark said.

A far shorter route than applying outside Canada for permanent residence is to get a job first. If your new Canadian employer can get an LMO (Labor Market Opinion) which says the job cannot be filled by a Canadian citizen at present, then you can apply to the Canadian embassy for a temporary work permit. This process takes around 6 months. Once you the have the permit in your hand, you can move to Canada straight away - no motivation problem!

Once you're in Canada, you apply for permanent residence. This is what we did, and in 18 months we now have our PR.

Now, there are two caveats:

1. You have to be applying for a job that a Canadian citizen cannot fill, but, because the economy here is booming, especially in the West, and particularly in Oil and Gas and related fields, it's easier to find this kind of job than you might think.
2. You are tied to the employer that got the LMO until you get PR. So you've got to feel that you can stay with them for at leat 18 months.

Hope this helps

Please stop posting your link in the body of the post.

Its shorter, but for the majority of people coming here its a non starter as employers dont want the hassle unless you have skills that are in short supply.

Also , its only a temporary status which can create a few issues on its own.

I found the easiest way to deal with the wait was to just carry on with life and wait for something to happen, but that feeling of being in limbo was hard to avoid, and that I suppose was not nearly as bad as if I was stuck waiting in the UK rather than already being over here.

Apologies for the incorrect use of the link. I've added it to the signature as suggested.

The TWP is, as it says, temporary, but the key point is, if you do have skills that are in short supply, and Canada is a growing economy unlike the UK, then you don't need to wait for PR while feeling frustrated in the UK.

It's not for everyone, but it is a potential route for the impatient.

The length of the end to end PR process can be pretty disheartening at times, but personally I wouldn't have considered moving under any other option. I felt the temporary status/tied to a job was too risky in case the job didn't pan out or I flat out hated it. Also we have kids and have set expectations about location so the PR route felt like a longer but safer option for us. As iaink said, try to carry on and live your life with the whole thing ticking along in the background. Best of luck with your move.

Good points. If we'd got kids, I dont think we would have have taken the TWP approach.

To OP - I agree whole heartedly with the general sentiment here that you need to post the application and then forget it as much as possible.

From the time we first applied to when we came over was close to six years, and that was shorter than we thought at one time. In that time I was made redundant, got a new job, didn't like it so left and did some contracting work. Life has to go on, especially when there is no guarantee that you'll actually get here.

Forgetting can be tricky and the situation is bound to impact some decisions (moving house, starting a family, etc), but the more you can just carry on as normal the better IMHO.

Good luck.

Thanks all, I'll follow your advice of posting and then forgetting about it as best we can. In the meantime we'll also look at the ICT route. I appreciate that the temporary options may not be ideal for those with children, we don't have any so this could work for us if FSW is not an option. I agree it would be ideal to go down the perm route first, because of the flexibility and less risky but that may not be available to us if we're not on the list.

Thanks for all your help

I disagree completely with the sentiment of post off for PR and forget about it...

If you really want to get to Canada then you should be researching, looking for work and doing everything you can to get there... otherwise you risk waiting years and years and your application being bounced. Or alternatively getting PR, but still not having a job, which in my opinion is a far scarier situation to be in with kids than having a job and twp... Living in the country opens up various PR options such as FSW2 of PNP routes.

Also just to clarify you do not need an LMO to get a TWP if its an intracompany transfer.

Good Luck!