ElishaScott

My contract here in Britain ends in September. We want to move to Vancouver and September seems like as good a time as any to do so. My wife was born in Canada to British parents, so we figure immigration should be relatively easy.

What is less easy, is that my job doesn't seem to translate well in Canada: I work in Arts and Heritage Education (although I am happy to change careers)

Our plan is for us to put our house on the market ASAP, once sold my wife will move into her parents, with our daughter,(her parents live away in the summer), and I will go to BC to look for work, staying with family friends. We have some equity in the house and hope this will translate to funds required for the time it takes us to sort ourselves out in BC.

Has anyone done anything similar, or does anyone think this plan is nuts!

I look forward to some reassurance and advice!!!

Atlantic Xpat

Immigration is never easy....

Does your wife hold Canadian citizenship? If so she can sponsor you as a family member which is the 'easiest' route to gain PR in Canada. If you haven't already then you should look at the CIC website www.cic.gc.ca for the details of the process.

If she doesnt then you are into skilled worker route and 4 years wait I suspect. But others (or the immigration forum) can comment on that.

AX

mushroom

Hi there,
I'm in similar postion, being born in Canada myself of British parents. I filled out a Canadian passport application, which you can download off the web, and received a Canadian passport within a few weeks (even though I was brought back to the UK as a 1-yr-old.). My understanding is that you automatically qualify as a Canadian Citizen if you were born there, as will any of your children. However I still have applied for the Citizenship certificate for myself and my daughter, which can take up to 18 months at the moment and costs CAN $ 175 each. I need to apply for a Spouse PR card for my wife, which will take 18 months- 2 years and costs nearly GBP 1000.

This is an important bit that I'm not clear on.... If myself and my daughter have Canadian passports and my wife applies as described above. My understanding is that we can all live together in Canada awaiting the PR application, but that she will not be able to work.

harrys

I cannot comment on the immigration legalities. But one of the biggest headaches seems to be selling the house. It is extremely variable, depends on the area, the market, the time of the year, quality of house etc. So be prepared for long delays here. This can upset the apple cart if you depend on the money from the house in a very serious way. Just read the thread on selling house and you will see what I mean. Best of luck anyway. HCS

ElishaScott

Thanks for all responses.

I cannot wait the timescales quoted!

As I understand it if you have a job offer and the employer can demonstrate that the potential employees skills cannot be accessed in the existing community, that you are entitled to work.

I have, as far as I can tell, the points to work in Canada. If I go to Canada and find work "accidentally", am I immediately entitled to work, notwithstanding my wife's birth citizenship (although she does not have the paperwork)?

Adam

iaink

Its called a work permit or "temporary authorisation" , there are conditions imposed Points only help you out for skilled worker (Permanent residency) and that is a looooooooong wait. If you accidentally find work you still need to get a work permit, and no, you cant just start work on the grounds that your wife says shes a citizen but has nothing to prove it , you need either PR status or a work permit specific to the job, or an "open" work permit gained by association with someone with canadian resident status of some kind.

IF your wifes qualifies for citizenship (which she should, except under some circumstances), thats by far your best, quickest option. After she sponsors you there will be a shortish wait before you get "approval in principle" (AIP), at which point you can get an open work permit which does not require the dreaded HRDC labour market opinion, and proof of advertising, work conditions etc, and you can go join the canadian workforce.

I say "IF" because it depends on what she can prove, and whether she was registered etc etc etc.

Did you check here yet? First thing I would do is contact the CHC in London to get that ball rolling.

ElishaScott

Thanks so much for this.

Yes I have read and re-read all the federal, provincial, immigration consultant pages etc. etc., but can never find a paradigm for my specific situation.

What is the easiest way of demonstrating my wife's citizenship?

She has a birth certificate!!

If birth = right to citizenship, what other proof is required?

We know plenty of people in BC, AB and MA who could 'vouch' for us...


Adam

Ps sorry for posting an immigration enquiry here, moderator, but it seems to have generated a friendly and helpful response!!

iaink

If she has a canadian birth certificate that is probably sufficient.

Contact the Canadian High Commision in London to leverage that into a citizenship certificate / canadian passport.
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/canada-...assy5-1-en.asp


Once you have her citizenship sorted out, then apply for her to sponsor you for canadian PR as her spouse. You can either do that while in the UK, or once you are in Canada. But, if you do it while in Canada, you cant work until you get the AIP, which can take a while, and is I imagine pretty frustrating.

There are quite a few people who come here who have done this, Im sure they can fill in the details.

Biiiiink

If you're born in Canada, your proof of citizenship is your birth certificate.

ElishaScott

Mushroom / All,

Who was your guarentor? Or did you need Form PPT 132? If so where did you get it from?

Adam

AnyaT

Whoa there. I’m getting the impression you haven’t looked into the many details of immigrating to Canada. First, no matter which way you choose to come (sponsorship by wife or skilled worker), you will have to wait the timelines quoted by CIC (Citizenship and Immigration Canada). Skilled worker will be the longest wait, up to 3 years to process your application, I believe. Sponsorship by a Canadian spouse is the easiest and quickest way to go. So assuming your wife has proof of citizenship (passport or birth certificate), she will apply to sponsor you and you will submit your application. You can do this from outside the country, or return to Canada and do it here – either way seems to take about 6-9 months to process. PLEASE NOTE: you will NOT be able to work if you apply from within Canada. It is extremely unlikely you will find work “accidentally” and be able to circumvent the waiting period. The Canadian job market is tough to break into at any time, and Canadian employers are very strict when it comes to checking the legal work status of immigrants. Even immigrants with work permits but a temporary SIN (Social Insurance) number find it very hard to get work.

You also might want to reconsider your plan to move to BC while your wife stays behind (I think that is what you are proposing). As noted above, it can take a long time to find work in Canada without any Canadian qualifications or work experience, and it is quite likely you will have to take something at a lower pay level just to break into the job market to start with. Does your wife have any Canadian work experience? If so, she would stand a better chance of finding work faster, and then you would be able to count on one salary while you look for a job.

I think you need to take a much closer look at your plan to immigrate. Your statement that all this should “be relatively easy” makes me think you may not be prepared for the amount of work and difficulty involved – apologies if this is not the case.

AnyaT

That is correct. Your wife can stay in Canada while her application is processed, but will not be able to work until her work permit comes through. This was the case when I sponsored my husband.

iaink

I think this is the form for citizenship cert for those born in canada.

http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/canada-...f/CIT0006E.pdf

I Followed the instruciton on the chc website and it was easy to find.

As others have said though, this doesn't seem very well thought out, more of a knee jerk thing.

Canada's nice and all, but emigrating shouldn't be taken lightly, especially when its going to involve a complete change of career, and moving to the most expensive place in canada, and one thats not exactly renowned at the moment for its booming economy!

Biiiiink

My guarantor for Canadian passport app via London was my other half (dentist). I thought that was a bit dodgy but apparently not, they didn't bat an eyelid. My Dad's just about to get his Canadian one renewed also through London and will use my brother (police officer) for his.

ElishaScott

I am used to whoa-ing! Believe me, I am prepared!!! I have approached this minefield from several different angles in the last 8 months and been knocked back, by becoming confused, several times!

I am driven by timescale related to my job here. I want to get all the (relevant / minimal) paperwork needed done this side of the Atlantic and then focus on getting appropriate work once on t'other side! There is no way I can get a job offer there, in my current field, here.

Does everyone think 6 months is impossible planning time if I follow the spousal sponsor route? If so I need to put in a new timescale!

I wish I had found this forum last summer when we first looked into this!!

Adam