Hi everyone,
I need some urgent advice from someone on here who may have gone through the same situation or who is currently in the same situation. I applied for my permanant residence to Canada (PR) through the skilled worker programme in November 2007. I was sent a confirmation letter within a few weeks indicating that the waiting list was 42-48 months before my application would be processed. Since then I arrived in Toronto, Canada as of July 2011 as part of the IEC programme. I was eligible as I was not yet 31. I am now working in a permanant role here as an accountant for a media company in Toronto. I accepted the permanant role when it was offered to me as I believed that my PR application would be processed no later then Dec 2011 according to the letter I was sent and also the Canada Immigration Centre website which didn't change it waiting times for quite a long time after I applied. I went onto the Canada immigration Centre (CIC) website last week and saw that the processing time has now been extended to 58 months for application from the UK. I was a little shocked at this and I have no plans to return back to the UK. I now feel settled here and I was looking at options to extend my stay here at least until my permanant residence visa has been processed. I have been told that I can apply for an Labour Market Opinion (LMO) although I am not sure if there is a good chance that this will be approved, maybe someone on here who has gone through this process can let me know more about this. Also I have seen on the CIC website there are immigration forms for extending your visa as a student or worker IMM 1249E. Im not sure if being here on a one year visa will allow me to extend my visa this way but I would like to give it a try. If someone can let me know the options that I have I have going forward that would be great and much appreciated. thanks for taking the time to read this.

Hi

1. The employer has to apply for the LMO after advertising the position on the Jobbank for 2 weeks. Then has demonstrate that any CCs or PRs who applied for the job were not qualified. The salary must meet the local norm. Only then can you apply for a work permit. Processing time 8-12 weeks after the advertising.
2. The IEC visa is not extendable.
3. To apply as a student you would need acceptance at a school, pay international fees, show first year tuition, and $10K for living expenses for the first year, funds to leave Canada after the end of your course.

Whilst an WHV isn't extendable, you could apply for another (second) IEC working holiday visa which would enable you to remain for a second year whilst waiting for your PR application to be finalised, provided you are still under 31 when the application is made.

Isn't the upper age limit 35?

http://www.international.gc.ca/exper...ang=eng&view=d

Not for UK citizens it's not. It's 30. Other nations, such as Ireland, France and I think Germany are up to 35, but for UK for some reason it is annoyingly 30.

Well since I arrived in Canada I turned 31 which I guess rules out that option, but thanks alot for the advice.

Man that sucks.

I applied in January 2007 and got lucky as it sailed through in just 27 months.

My deepest sympathies are with yourself and the other people that CIC have dicked over.

Good luck and I hope you can stay. You might want to consider re-applying under the new immigration rules at some point if your occupation is on "the list".

Could you please elaborate on the statement other people that CIC have dicked over?????
If you are referring to the age limit 30 as opposed to 35 I agree that the age limit should be a fixed age for everyone applying regardless of where they live. If not referring to this then Im at a loss.
A bit like asking why can I legally drink in Alberta at 18 but I need to be 19 to legally drink in Ontario.

If his current employer has offered him a full time position, does this not negate the requirement for his job to be on the list?

@JamesM - 27 months wow, thats fast comparing to some of the processing times I'm seeing by country now, I just don't know whats happened since I applied, waiting for over 4 years is just ridiculous in my view.

@ Almost Canadian - Im hoping that having full time job here will helps in some way, I am going to try and contact the Canadian Visa office in London and see whats they say if not the LMO option looks like a good bet. Not to straightforward it seems and not guaranteed either but its better then going back to the UK at this point.

Thanks all again for the advice.

I think he's referring to the 4 year wait for PR. Any rational person would consider this being dicked over by CIC.

Well yes 4 years is a long time but as they say good things come to those who wait.
As you are a water carrier would you please let CIC know what they should be doing to alleviate these wait times?????
Maybe CIC could hire more Govt workers or just throw open the doors and let everyone into Canada. No applications etc etc just show up at a POE and waltz in.

You need drop that entitled chip on your shoulder. You really don't need to whiningly reference every tiny slight against you in every reply you make.

And yes, they should fire all you guys and just open up the border.

Did I hit a nerve
As I said in a previous post dish it out expect the same in return but I guess in your eyes that is whining. And to add to my childish demeanour wasnt it you that initiated the slights between us or do you not like the rules of the game???

How is you churlishly admitting that we pay your wages hitting a nerve? That obviously annoyed you a lot as you seem unable to stop going on about it. Look, if you want to play internet hard-man and "dish it out" then fair enough, but learn some context; try not to spread it around every thread you post in as this makes you look like a fool.