Is there still a mad rush for Canada in U.K.?
#16

Originally Posted by MarkG
I think the best way to look at Canadian 'skilled worker' immigration is as a lottery: if you pick a 'winning ticket' you'll get a visa in under a year, if you pick a 'losing ticket' you'll wait five years and get denied because they just raised the points score or changed systems. If you pick something in between you'll get there eventually, but may have retired by the time you do so
.

If you land a job you might get here in a year, otherwise, take a number and wait in line. If you have the necessary points and pass the background / medical etc, then eventually you will be accepted...unless the points go up, in which case you are in the same boat as everyone else without a visa in their hand.

#17

Nope, doesn't work like that at all.
There is simply no way of telling how long your application will take or whether it will be disqualified by a random change in the immigration system. It's a pure lottery based on when you apply and in what class.

#18

Originally Posted by MarkG
Yes it does. When I applied, people who'd applied a few months before were getting visas in a year or less. Mine will have taken the best part of three years, and if I'd applied a few years earlier I'd have been disqualified by the change of system (where I'd have gone from ten points above the required score to several points below).
There is simply no way of telling how long your application will take or whether it will be disqualified by a random change in the immigration system. It's a pure lottery based on when you apply and in what class.
There is simply no way of telling how long your application will take or whether it will be disqualified by a random change in the immigration system. It's a pure lottery based on when you apply and in what class.
If you forget something or they need to ask for more details / evidence, or look in more detail at your background, then that will cause you a delay, but all things being equal processing times dont vary by 4 years!
It sounds like you (and most everyone else who applied around that time) got caught up in the legal challenge that was brought after the points change, which resulted in CIC having to go back and reasses all the aplications from before the system change.
Until the point change to a higher number I think all bets are off as to how the minister decides to apply that to in process applications, although the law says that the new number applies to all in process applications, it might be a political hot potato to try and apply it in that way. There is nothing random about it, except that level of preparedness the applications come in with and how much more detail CIC have to go into.
Last edited by iaink; Dec 18th 2006 at 2:23 pm.

#19

Originally Posted by MarkG
Yes it does. When I applied, people who'd applied a few months before were getting visas in a year or less. Mine will have taken the best part of three years, and if I'd applied a few years earlier I'd have been disqualified by the change of system (where I'd have gone from ten points above the required score to several points below).
There is simply no way of telling how long your application will take or whether it will be disqualified by a random change in the immigration system. It's a pure lottery based on when you apply and in what class.
There is simply no way of telling how long your application will take or whether it will be disqualified by a random change in the immigration system. It's a pure lottery based on when you apply and in what class.
I am with Iaink on this one - it was a very long time ago that people were being processed in less than a year. So long ago that, had you applied then, you would have your visa by now.
I applied in June 2004 and have just received our visas. Skilled worker, no acceleration due to AEO etc. When we applied those that were receiving their visas then had been in the system for 18 months or so

As Andrew Miller has stated (negatively but truthfully) on the immigration forum. Immigration has nothing to do with the needs of the immigrants but with the needs of Canada. This needs to be accepted or the protester needs to apply elsewhere, where exactly the same "system" will be in place (insofar as that country's needs are concerning) albeit under a different system, an individual may be processed quicker.
I know of a police officer that obtained his visas the same day that I did. He had applied through Alberta PNP and his entire application took less than 6 months - I doubt that, if he had wanted to, he would have been processed by Australia any quicker


#20

Originally Posted by Dying to leave England
Immigration has nothing to do with the needs of the immigrants but with the needs of Canada.

#21

Originally Posted by Dying to leave England
I applied in June 2004 and have just received our visas. Skilled worker, no acceleration due to AEO etc. When we applied those that were receiving their visas then had been in the system for 18 months or so



It was a straightforward application, i.e no requests for further information or interviews just med requests and then passport requests.

#22

Originally Posted by dbd33
I don't think that holds at all. Immigration is allowed or disallowed by politicians and it's administered by bureaucrats; the needs of Canada counts for as little as the needs of the immigrants.

#23
Forum Regular



Joined: Sep 2006
Location: Cobble Hill, Vancouver Island
Posts: 212






Originally Posted by Gezza
Judging by the slowing tempo of this forum could anyone say if there is still a number of people in U.K. eagerly awaiting their visas to move to Canada or are we seeing the end of the trend?

#24
Pinko lentil-hugger




Joined: Aug 2005
Location: London
Posts: 273












When I applied last August, I was advised that the wait time was minimum 42 months (3.5 years). I was happy with that at the time, as actually not having to go straight away quite suits me at the moment. As time has passed, however, I'm kind of wishing I'd got my act together and submitted the forms a year earlier, as was the original plan. However, that year was spent doing lots of research and getting all of our documents together to make sure that we missed nothing out, plus I had another year's work experience under my belt as well by then, so it wasn't entirely wasted time.
Initially we are headed for Vancouver, but we're actually really flexible and open to going to all sorts of places. I'm hoping to visit a few other places this year and in subsequent years, so my plan of living in a Yaletown loft could well morph into living in a log cabin in sunny Nunavut by the time this thing becomes a reality (if it does, of course).
We're both still young and have no dependents, so we're ok to wait, and see a bit more of Europe while we do!
Initially we are headed for Vancouver, but we're actually really flexible and open to going to all sorts of places. I'm hoping to visit a few other places this year and in subsequent years, so my plan of living in a Yaletown loft could well morph into living in a log cabin in sunny Nunavut by the time this thing becomes a reality (if it does, of course).
We're both still young and have no dependents, so we're ok to wait, and see a bit more of Europe while we do!

#25
Forum Regular

Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 33









we got our police checks from here and the ukraine (wifes country). then realised the wait was huge. decided to put things on hold. also want to have kids so will do this first here. also set up a website with a partner. if this is a goer then we may take it over to canada in the future to attack the US market. the site is based around helping local communities communicate better. its called whosyourneighbour.co.uk. we go live officially in january, but it is working at the moment. we have very few members, but here's hoping.

#26
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 829












5 years is a long time. You never know what can happen in that time. Fortunately there are other options. E.g. Study permits, work permits,Bunac, PNP, Quebec. I even have one friend who got a job with a large multinational and then got transfered.
So it's not so much of a mad rush as carefully thought out plans. One size does not fit all.
If I was facing a 5 year wait, I'd just apply and forget about it for the first 3 or so years rather than spend 5 years posting on british expats from the UK (That would be too soul destroying).
Our current plan is to pass our french exams next June and be in Quebec by the following spring. We could do it sooner, but what's the rush?
So it's not so much of a mad rush as carefully thought out plans. One size does not fit all.
If I was facing a 5 year wait, I'd just apply and forget about it for the first 3 or so years rather than spend 5 years posting on british expats from the UK (That would be too soul destroying).
Our current plan is to pass our french exams next June and be in Quebec by the following spring. We could do it sooner, but what's the rush?

#27
Just Joined

Joined: Dec 2006
Location: Cardiff.... soon to be Ottawa!
Posts: 20


We applied in Feb 05 and got a letter through saying to expect to hear somthing in 24 months. So we are waiting till March to see what happens. Hopefully we will hear somthing about that time even if it's to say it will be delayed...
So here we are still waiting...
Dan.
So here we are still waiting...
Dan.

#28
Pinko lentil-hugger




Joined: Aug 2005
Location: London
Posts: 273












Originally Posted by britsnake
If I was facing a 5 year wait, I'd just apply and forget about it for the first 3 or so years

#29
Just Joined

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 20


Originally Posted by Hipster Contrarian
When I applied last August, I was advised that the wait time was minimum 42 months (3.5 years). I was happy with that at the time, as actually not having to go straight away quite suits me at the moment. As time has passed, however, I'm kind of wishing I'd got my act together and submitted the forms a year earlier, as was the original plan. However, that year was spent doing lots of research and getting all of our documents together to make sure that we missed nothing out, plus I had another year's work experience under my belt as well by then, so it wasn't entirely wasted time.
Initially we are headed for Vancouver, but we're actually really flexible and open to going to all sorts of places. I'm hoping to visit a few other places this year and in subsequent years, so my plan of living in a Yaletown loft could well morph into living in a log cabin in sunny Nunavut by the time this thing becomes a reality (if it does, of course).
We're both still young and have no dependents, so we're ok to wait, and see a bit more of Europe while we do!
Initially we are headed for Vancouver, but we're actually really flexible and open to going to all sorts of places. I'm hoping to visit a few other places this year and in subsequent years, so my plan of living in a Yaletown loft could well morph into living in a log cabin in sunny Nunavut by the time this thing becomes a reality (if it does, of course).
We're both still young and have no dependents, so we're ok to wait, and see a bit more of Europe while we do!
We applied in August 2005, via the skilled worker route and were told that the wait was over 3 years. My brother went in June this year after waiting 2 years, but he hasn't managed to find a job yet (in IT). In fact he's only had a few interviews and reckons that the Canadians want you to have Canadian experience. He's already packed his bags and is on his way back to UK.
My burning question is that if the Canadians are so deperate on wanting skilled workers, why do you need Canadain experience so badly. I know it's a chicken and egg situation, but my brother met many people who were well qualified in their own country but doing basic jobs in Canada - eg he met an English doctor working as a taxi driver, because he couldn't find relevant work.
Once our application was put in I was really excited about leaving the UK rat-race, but now my thoughts have changed, as being a Telecoms engineer with over 16 years experience, do I really want to go to Canada and struggle to find a job because I don't have the right "Canadian" experience.
There must be many people out there who have had this experience of struggling once they'd emigrated to Canada so I am looking forward to your replies.

#30

Originally Posted by Ascensionite
My burning question is that if the Canadians are so deperate on wanting skilled workers, why do you need Canadain experience so badly.
There must be many people out there who have had this experience of struggling once they'd emigrated to Canada so I am looking forward to your replies.
There must be many people out there who have had this experience of struggling once they'd emigrated to Canada so I am looking forward to your replies.
I really do have little sympathy for those that do nothing and then complain about how their qualifications were not recognised and how they had to take jobs driving taxis.
It's just one more thing that one needs to take into account when deciding whether "Canada is for you"

