Need help (lots of it....)
 

Hello all,my name is Andrew - i just introduced myself on the 'meet and greet'...im currently living in Ottawa, Ontario and work at MBNA Canada(officially 'Bank of America'now)...heres my story:

This is my 4th time in Canada i first came here in 2000 on a rugby tour with my school and loved the place, went all round ontario and knew i wanted to come back.

In 2001 after i finished school i came here on a gap year program with a work visa and worked in Toronto for 5 months in the Eaton Centre in a sports store...had an awesome time and knew that i wanted to move here eventually.

Then in 2004-05 i came to Ottawa on an year long exchange program from Swansea University and i studied at Carleton University - where once again i had an unbelievable time and also met my girlfriend. We done the whole long-distance thing whilst i finished my last year back at Swansea and have now been together for two years (tommorrow is the anniversary!). Now im back out here on a year working/holiday visa but i want to become a permenant resident so i can be with my girlfriend. I have looked into this but seem to fall short in all the requirements to get a permenant residency here - for example i took the 'skilled worker' test on the citizenship and immigration Canada (cic.gc.ca) and fell short as despite having a degree, my work experience is under 1 year in Canada as i have only worked in my current position for about a month. I also looked at applying under the family class section but i do not currently live with my girlfriend as she had to find a place to live before i finished university and is living with a freind....as am i - because of this i am not eligible as a common-law partner (or spouse...for obvious reasons) and am unsure whether i could apply as a 'conjugal' partner???

Basically i am looking for any help/advice/comments that anyone may have which might be able to help me get a permenant residency here...my visa expires august 2007 and am hoping to have a permenant residency by then...is this too optimistic as i've heard waiting times are long to get this processed??

Anyway...apologies for the huge life story

Any help would be hugely welcomed!

Andrew

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

I suggest you post your question in the immigration forum and seek input from Andrew Miller or Jim Humphries as they can offer the more expert advice. However a solution around a family sponsored (spousal / common-law partner) is the way to go IMHO. Timelines are shorter than skilled worker and you don't have to jump through the same hoops on skills assessment.

Proving common in law status will be the crux of the matter. Ask the experts!

AX

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

Either A:

Make an honest woman of her and do the spousal route (Conjugal partner is a bitch to prove)

or B:

Get some more work experience and qualify for skilled worker. A degree on its own in no way makes you skilled, although I seem to recall thinking i knew it all after I graduated, only to find out the hard way that really I knew just enough to get by.

or C:

Find a job eligible for a PNP certificate....which if you want to stay in Ontario is not an option.

Option A is the quickest route...but marriage is a pretty serious proposition...more so than moving to Canada.

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

Why not get your girlfriend a visa for the UK (bunac) and live with her in England until you are eligible for common law sponsorship?

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

Actually i thinks its called SWAP not bunac if you do it from Canada.... either way thats exactly what i did and it worked like a charm.

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

A problem with either the spousal or conjugal approach is that it takes years and, during that time, the person being sponsored cannot work in Canada. It's ok if you can go abroad for a few years but, if you want to do it from within the country, you need some serious cash.

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

Except he already has a work permit good for three years...although the job by the sound if it may not be good for three years.

After approval in principal is granted then he would be good for an open work permit an could go try his luck elsewhere in the job market...Im no sure how long thats taking now, last case I took an interest in took about 6 months to reach that stage, but that was a while ago now. Anyway, if the job lasts say a year or more longer that might just do?

My understanding is spousal is a lot quicker and easier than conjugal to get through the system.

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

I don't know why that would the case, the longest steps are collecting the police clearances and waiting for the initial review at Vegreville. It seems to me that it's three years into the process before it matters which claim you're making.

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

Conjugal always seems to be a less solid relationship then spousal, so there is more digging, and it seems a much higher ultimate rejection rate. Thats just what Ive read anyway, but it could be certain consultants trying to scare some business there way :rolleyes: Ive no idea what current timelines are like, still, gotta be faster than good old skilled worker.

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

Why didn't you apply via Buffalo anyway?

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

Can't say I know. Inland sponsorship, via Vegreville, was the only option presented to us at the time and that was so long ago I've forgotten the details.

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

It may be that there's more digging, we're only two and half years into the process so nothing much has happened yet.

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

You went conjugal presumably? or can you be common law while waiting for the divorce to come thorough?

That sounds like a long time, I thought spousal sponsorship took around a year or so..but I could well be wrong. I made the fundamental error of marrying my canadian after my PR came through, so haven't really paid much attention to the details.

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

People are common law after one year for the purpose of immigration so that covers us. I don't think there's a realistic possibility of getting a divorce in Ontario; my lawyer reckons another five years and, since the cost of litigation gets higher as the process grinds on, I don't think it can ever be done. It'll be interesting to see what the immigration people make of that, should we ever get to the top of their pile.

Re: Need help (lots of it....)
 

Presumably if you both want to make it easy it can be?