Andy18913

Hello everyone my first post here and like many others im looking for help. so id like to say thank you in advance.

Short version of the background first:

Through changes in my career and private life i need to make a change. Now is the time for me to make the move i have thought about for a long time and that in move to Canada.

I have been talking to an immigration lawyer who tells me i don't have enough points for the skilled federal worker system. i need 67 but am currently only at 59.

He suggests i need a job offer (10 points) to be able to start the process.

I have spent a long time going through website after website seeing how the best way to do this would be.

This is where i seem to have hit a vicious circle and i am sure im missing something but have looked at that much info on the web i think ive over confused it all.

The problem i am having is i am getting told by one website i need a work permit/visa to get a job offer. Then i am told i need a job offer to get a work permit.

I am desperately trying to get to Ottawa to start to build a new life and also to develop an ongoing relationship that can only develop further if i am over there and not in the UK.

All i want is a chance. I am 38. i have worked for my company for 22 years. I do not have a skill trade just experience (steel/construction industry / administration).

My main worry is i am prepared to work as hard as i need to make this happen i have even started French lessons in the hope that will help. But worried no matter what i do someone over there could still say, No.

Hope i have not rambled on too much. Like i said all im looking for is a chance to prove i can make this work.

Is there another way i can just get over there and start working? ive looked into the temp work visa and told i need a job offer to start that also.

Thanks for you time and any help or advice given will be greatly appreciated.

Andy

Reaver

Hey Andy,

Im by no means an expert having only just joined myself. However you should find a lot of useful info on the wiki links at the top. In particular these two....

Quick Guide to Canadian Immigration

and

Quick Job Hunting Instructions-Canada

In particular the key point in the latter link is about phoning prospective employers. As I understand it, a skilled worker is a worker that is in high demand so if you focus on chasing up companies that offer the type of work your after then Im sure you will find one thats actually willing to sponsor you for a visa under the Skilled Federal Worker entry. Hope this helps.

Reaver.

.

Reaver

Another option for you, although this would depend on your funds, is simply to take an extended holiday. During your time there you could develop your relationship further, and in the mean time do a little recce and visit prospective employers. I dont know much about you and at 38 Im not going to teach you to suck eggs, but obviously the last thing you want is to go over with a job and the relationship to fall apart or discover you actually dont like Canada that much. Just an idea.

Reaver.

.

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

Forget the Skilled Worker route - a job offer would give you the extra points you need, but realistically no employer is going to be prepared to wait the 2 years or so for you to get there via that route.

If you want to try the job offer route, then you'd be better off going on a Temp Work Permit first and then upgrading that to PR as soon as you can.

But you do need a job offer for a Temp Work Permit, plus you'd need a Labour Market Opinion (something your employer has to get for you, to prove they've advertised the job across Canada and been unable to find a Canadian willing, or able, to do the job). Once you've got both the written job offer and LMO, you can apply for the TWP.

Reaver has pointed you in the right direction, so grab a cuppa and start reading the Wiki which should help you understand it all.

Good luck.

Andy18913

Thank you for the replies guys really appreciated.

Now to come up with a plan of attack. Oh for a magic wand eh

jameswales

What your missing is a sense of reality.

Good luck.

victorfoxtrot

I was in the same situation last year. I had a good job in the UK, but I was in a relationship with a Canadian. We were only going to find out if it was the 'real deal' if one of us upped sticks and moved across the Atlantic. After much deliberation and research into how I could go over there and work, I decided I'd make the move. I've found it frustrating and at times soul destroying, because all I wanted to do was work, feel valued and that I was contributing to our lives together, and legally I can't - until my partner can sponsor me as his common-law, which will be in 3 months time. I don't want to discourage you in anyway but job hunting without a valid visa for me was tough. I got interviews for jobs in my industry, but when it came down to it, no one was willing to apply for the LMO. There are success stories out there, but I found it to be a long uphill battle. So I have made the decision not to apply for any more jobs, because the rejection was frankly getting me down! I've adjusted to being a lady of leisure and have found things to do in my spare time, but it has not been easy!

A half way house option might be to see if your company, who you say you have been working for, for 22 years, might agree to you taking a sabbatical? It's worth a shot, because at least then you would have a safety net in case it didn't pan out the way you had hoped.

I really don't want to put you off, but the reality of long distance relationships is that someone has to make the move, and invariably, unless they are ultra lucky it means they have to spend a bit of time unemployed, awaiting visas. For me, I felt that it was a risk worth taking, and whilst the sheer frustration of the situation has reduced me to tears at points, I can now at least see the light, at the end of the tunnel. We'll have racked up one years worth of living togehter at the end of July and then application for spousal sponsorship goes in. Once that is in, hopefully it will be less than 6 months before I get a work permit, and by then I actually think I will be very sad to say goodbye to my coffee mornings!

helcat12

Harsh and also untrue, if you are referring to the job offer. Getting a job offer and an employer that will apply for an LMO isn't easy, but it can be done and we are proof.
We found that many Canadian employers are quite frankly ignorant of the whole process of LMO and when they discover that the forms are so short and so simple and if they have a job already advertised then they have already done most of the work that is involved in preparing for the LMO, they are surprised it is not as hard as they think at all.
The main thing they do not want is to have to wait a long time for you to get there, but getting the TWP at Port of Entry means you can be there in a matter of a few weeks, probably as soon as a Canadian having to resign and relocate from another area of Canada!
I advise the OP to find suitable companies with web research, including companies with no job available but that do employ your skill set and then telephone, talk to people, book a trip to meet potential employers and something might just come good. Research the LMO process so you can talk confidently about it and even take the forms to show them!
It worked for us, so good luck to the OP!

canadian_critic

I concur that a temp work permit will get you out here and you may then qualify for PR. That's relatively speaking the easy part. Getting a job offer is going to be difficult because not so many companies are recruiting, unless you're in a highly specialist area, which from what you've told us, you are not.

The other reality is that the process to get a TWP is quite strict and can be lengthy. Employers will probably end up losing interest unless your skills are genuinely unique, and even then they may change their mind. This happened to me twice and it's incredibly frustrating, in particular knowing that the person who came second ends up getting the opportunity.

Applying for work in Canada from abroad is really only likely to be successful if you have niche skills, not least because Canadian employers won't want to go through the admin and process knowing that you might change your mind on a whim (which they do over here themselves a lot).

It sounds like you're in a relationship with someone in Canada and so perhaps at least have someone who can help you a bit, may be even a place to stay. You need to get to Canada to start the job search process, but I'm not sure what the reaction will be. In my experience employers either do not know the process or do know it, and then they're not keen on the wait.

You know that you have a struggle ahead, but many of us did not get in easy or quick. Just be realistic about it all. It's possible you may qualify under the Provincial Nominee program but then I think you need to be either working or have an imminent job, as your employer has to recommend you. Some skills in UK which you might think are not specialist, are in demand in Canada. Many trades in fact. You need a Canadian specialist advising you.

BTW, links for information are useful on face value but be careful of overwhelming yourself with information. All the information is there but there is so much. In your case you need a special strategy to get what you want, and you stand a risk of inadvertently exploring the wrong path, finding out when you've spent lots of time and possibly money.

Someone else mentioned the TWP being a simple and quick process, saying the wait is similar to a Canadian giving notice and preparing to start work. I think this is somewhat true, but you may need to be the expert and convince the employer that it's not extra work for them. My first employer in Canada had an immigration person in HR, so in that respect I had it easy. I have not heard of such positions in the past few years though, but for a big company you might just get assistance from within.

Also, your immigration consultant, is he/she in Canada? I would recommend finding one in Canada rather than outside, as they will know about things like PNP mentioned above, which is specific to the province you're in.