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I've recently arrived in Regina SK from england (and i am a british citizen),for a long holiday to stay with my girlfriend as she now has permanent residence in Canada.I am trying to find work in order to apply for a work permit but i feel i'm getting nowhere.I need to have a job offer to get a permit to work but nobody wants to hire people without a work permit so im going round in circles.please anybody help!!

Do you have skills/qualifications/experience that a Canadian employer is likely to choose over a permanent resident, and be willing to go through the paperwork process to secure you a WP?

You need to be honest with yourself and promote what makes you a better choice than someone else, particularly in the current economic climate.

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Newcom...um#Job_Hunting

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Quick_...an_Immigration

Im still pretty young but have good experience in my field.I dont have any actual qualifications as such and feel thats possibly holding me back.Im willing to do the whole deal and do what it takes as my girlfriend now lives here and i'd love to move here permanently and settle down together.I have been applying for a year now and actually came here to see if i would have more chance of securing work being here in person

Being here in person will help, but without formal qualifications to back it up, its virtually impossible to land a work permit.

Is your relationship at a point where a spousal / commonlaw visa might be an option..it would mean more time here without working (legally) of course.

thanx for the link,busy giong thru the info.also wondering if u might know.im here on a visitors visa obviously but im curious if there are any casual jobs i might be able to do without having a work permit or does every casual job also require a permit?

At the moment we both staying with my gf's parents,but we all looking and moving to Winnipeg end of feb as Regina fells a bit small for us.We hope to get a place on our own once that happens as my gf is obviously entitled to work now so its a big help.

Legally all jobs require legal canadian status...but thats not to say you might not find something....er..."cash based", but if you are caught you can kiss any chance of legal status or stying in Canada goodbye, so probably not a good idea.

Dont matter where you are living, its the nature of the relationship that counts. Read the immigration wiki and CIC website and see if it helps any...of course she has to be up for that level of commitment and a relationship of convenience to get legal status in Canada is not going to stand up to the rigorous examination it will get from the authorities.

If it was really that easy to just turn up and get a job with LMO etc, dont you think everyone would be doing it?

Ok....I was in a similar position a few months back. My OH is Canadian, but even though we had been together for over a year, we hadn't lived together so sponsorship wasn't an option.

We were fed up of the long distance thing, and after reading up on TWP/PR etc, I decided to come over on a visitors visa and just 'wing it.' I got 6 months issued at POE so I thought I'd have plenty of time to land a job! Easier said than done. I spent a month looking for work/people willing to do the LMO thing.

I met a girl at a house party who was working for Tim Hortons.......she told me apply there. So, in I went, asked for a job, had an 'interview' the next day. I explained my situation (no work permit, need LMO etc.) The manager told me, 'no problem.....we have a group LMO, we can just apply to have your name added to it.' That took a week. Then I went to the border, got my 2 year TWP issued!

Ok, so working at Timmies isn't everyone's idea of a dream job, but it pays well (in GP anyway) I get dental and medical benefits, plus $200 a year towards eye care. But the biggest plus is I get to stay in Canada!!

So.....maybe you could go into your local Timmies and see if they have a similar deal with the LMO and stuff......It's no guarantee as every store is different. But if you get to stay in Canada then it's worth a go! Then once you and your GF have been together for a year, apply for sponsorship!

Sorry for waffling on......hope you get something useful out of this! Good luck x