Hi!

I'm going to be travelling from the UK to visit my girlfriend who's in Canada, hopefully for four or five months. I'm not working and not studying, but I'm just wondering if anyone foresees me getting grief with customs officials if I'm visiting for this length of time with no purpose other than to see my girlfriend?

Also, I'm attempting to get some unpaid work experience whilst I'm there so I'm not just watching daytime television - will there be any problems with this?

Any help/advice would be very much appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Alex.

They will want to see a return ticket and they will want to see, probably, proof of funds to support yourself.

The first time I went to Canada to visit my (now) wife back in 1999 I was going for the whole summer (3 months) and they took me aside and wanted to see proof I wasn't going to work illegally (apparently many students do this while backpacking around etc - who knew hehe). However once I had established I had some money and so forth they were fine and let me in. I visited many times after that when she was my girlfriend and then fiancee and then when i went there for our wedding and after we were married etc and never got "interrogated" again.

If you are going for more than 3 months you might find your return ticket and travel insurance very expensive, I know I wanted to go once for 3.5 months but had to cut it back to 3 as i couldnt get reasonable travel insurance prices over 3 months and the plane ticket was twice as expensive.

As far as the "unpaid work experience" that's illegal and if they find out they will deport you and you will have serious issues getting back into Canada or applying for PR status there. So I wouldn't do that. If you are doing any kind of work that you would normally expect to be paid for or taht is taking a potential job from the legal labour market you are working illegally. About the only thing you can do legally is unpaid volunteering that is unpaid for anyone who does it even Canadians etc.


Drew

If you are a student you could always contact BUNAC who arrange gap year work in Canada...

http://www.bunac.org/uk/workcanada/

Clare

I agree with Clare. I wanted to spend the whole year with my boyfriend after I left uni in 2001. I needed a way to do this and discovered BUNAC, through them I managed to get a one year work permit. This in turn gave me the year I needed to live my boyfriend to reach 'Common law' status in Canada. After the year we were eligible to apply for permanent residency, which I did and I am now a permanent resident, so it worked out really well.

If you need any other info let me know.

Int.

Working in Canada on a tourist visa from U.K. is illegal and, I am told, employers get into trouble not just you. Saying that, I have heard of people trying to do this. Apparently the per hour rates for casual labour in BC. Canada are so low you will earn in a day what you would get in England in 1 hour. Seriously!