Ellboy

Hi,

Can anyone offer any advice/suggestions with regard to our situation. I have read many threads on this great forum and also checked out the wiki.

From what I can understand/gather it seems that maybe the TWP option leading eventually to PR is the best route for our situation. Although maybe I have missed something that maybe more suitable.

I am a qualified hairdresser trained/worked at Vidal Sassoon & Tony & Guy (14 years +), having looked at the Regional Lists of Occupations under Pressure, it seems that British Columbia is a region that would be suitable. 6271 Hairstylists & Barbers.

Can someone please layout the process/timescale and steps I would need to take to apply for and be granted a TWP?

Other questions.....

Should I go down the TWP route in BC, as it is listed as an "occupation under pressure", does this negate the need for a job offer?

Should a job offer be needed, does a TWP restrict you to a particular employer? Also does the TWP restrict you to the occupation (ie Hairdressing)

How long does a TWP visa last for and what is the process/timescale of progressing to PR?


A little more info/background.................

My brother & I, (both born in the UK/UK citizens) were both participants in the Swap/Bunac Work Canada program for non students. I am a qualified hairdresser, my brother has no formal qualifications/training, so the Bunac open occupation work visas were ideal. We travelled to Canada in February 2007 (aged 31 & 35) arriving in Vancouver very much looking forward to the year ahead. We decided to spend a few weeks in Vancouver visiting & then we travelled to Toronto to do the same before we both were going to find jobs.


Unfortunately we were involved in a car accident soon after arriving in Toronto, being rear-ended whilst stopped at a red light. This accident came just at the time we were going to look for employment, thankfully although we were not seriously injured, as a direct result of the accident (being hit at speed) it became necessary for us to leave Canada because we needed some time to recover from it. Due to accident we not in a position to have been able to work immediately & unfortunately we could not continue living in Toronto without income for an extended period. Therefore we had no choice but to return and we left Canada in early April. We were also hit financially as a result of the accident (rental car penalties/tow charges etc.)


We now would be in a position to return to Canada but our visas expired in (Feb 2008). We both would very much have liked to have been able to live & work in Canada throughout this past year, as we originally intended but we were alas unable to do so, due to the accident & no fault of our own.

I understand that the Bunac program has changed with regard to age restrictions now (18-30).

Could anyone offer any advice or assistance with regard to the chances of having our Bunac visas re-issued/extended (like a do-over) or if not, perhaps someone reading this can advise us on the other options we may have.

Sorry for the long post but I thought that it would be help to include some detail.

Many thanks in advance for your help & advice.

Judy in Calgary

Hello, Ellboy, and welcome to the BE forum.
That would be my guess too.

I don't see 6271 on the list for BC. I do, however, see it on the list for Alberta. Hairdressers who qualified outside of Canada have to do a challenge exam in order to be certified in Alberta. Members of this forum who have done the exam have reported that it was easy.

See these Wiki articles:
No.

You almost always are restricted to one employer.

Most definitely. But then that is an extension of the fact that you usually are restricted to one employer.

The length of time for which the labour market opinion (LMO) is valid. This might be a couple of years. I suggest you encourage the prospective employer to apply for an LMO for at least a couple of years.

See the Wiki article called Fast Track PR Application.

You cannot have your BUNAC visa re-issued. I think the TWP route is the most feasible one for you.

The only other possibility that has a remote chance of being feasible, as far as I know, is an application for permanent residence via one of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). I don't know whether or not that would work for you, but it's worth at least reading the PNP section of the Wiki, to which I gave you a link.

Hope that helps.
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Ellboy

Hi Judy,

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply, I will look over the articles and links you suggest.

The occupations under pressure list for BC I found Hairstylist listed on was linked on this BE site.

First

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Catego...under_Pressure

then I clicked "Occupations under Pressure in British Columbia"

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/workplaces...up200709.shtml

I hope the links work.

Is the link you provided the more accurate one?


Again thanks very much for your reply.

Ellboy

Hi Judy,

Forgot to ask, where and when do I take challenge exam.

Where can I find information on it, do you have anywhere/links you can point me to?


Thanks again

jancal

Please come to Calgary - we reallly, really need good hairdressers. I will be your first customer!!!

Ellboy

These two links seem to contradict each other, the second link shows hair stylist on the list # 6271 of occupations under pressure in BC. However the first link does not show hair stylists.

How do you determine which is the current and correct list?


http://www.topproduction.com/BC%20Oc...ure%20List.pdf

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/workplaces...up200709.shtml

Ellboy

Hi everyone,

I have made a little headway, but I have been unable to find out where I can find the current occupations under pressure lists for BC & Alberta. The lists I have found seem to conflict.

Also can anyone tell me where & at what point do I take the exam.
i.e. I guess it would be after I have arrived and been issued the TWP at the airport.

Can anyone maybe tip me a reliable & trustworthy consultant or lawyer that any of you have successfully used to get your visas?


Thanks Jancal for taking the time to reply & sure you can certainly be my first client.

Judy in Calgary

First of all, I would trust a website whose URL ends in html before I trusted a website whose URL ends in pdf. The reason is that a PDF file is like a photocopy of a document. It is a snapshot that is frozen in time Yes, in theory someone who has the advanced version of PDF writer software can make changes in a PDF file. But generally speaking a PDF file cannot be relied upon to be as up to date as an html website. A website whose URL ends in html operates in real time.

Secondly, look at the source of the information. To do that, look at the beginning of the URL, in this case http://www.topproduction.com and http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca. Top Production is a Music Production and Promotion company in Vancouver, and HRSDC is a government department called Human Resources and Social Development Canada. On the home page, there is a Canadian flag, photos of the Minister of HRSDC and other clues that tell you it's a government website. I personally would trust the government website before I trusted a music production and promotion company, at least insofar as immigration matters were concerned.

The government website includes hairstylists and barbers on the list of Occupations under Pressure for British Columbia, so I think you can trust that information.

I don't know when you would take the challenge exam. I don't even know if you need to take a challenge exam. Foreign hairstylists do need to take a challenge exam in Alberta. I don't know if they need to take one in BC.

I have never used an immigration consultant or lawyer to gain entry to Canada, so I can't help you on that question.
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Judy in Calgary

Here is BC Industry Training Authority's web page about Hairstylists.

Here is ITA's web page about the challenge exam for hairstylists. Yes, it is a PDF document, but I reached it by way of a link on a provincial government agency's website. So I think the chances of its being accurate are high.

It would be a good idea to read the application form for the challenge exam soon. There is a lot of information you need to gather, e.g., the signatures of current and previous employers.
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Ellboy

Thanks Judy,

I very much appreciate you taking the time to respond.

Thats what I was thinking regarding the lists, I emailed the hrsdc site for clarification but have not had a reply from them yet.
My uncertainty came when you gave me the link to the alternative one from topproduction in your earlier post, as it came from you I thought that it was likely that it was the more accurate one.

I have also found lists in several other places and they all vary. Maybe they change frequently, as I have no idea of how often they are updated, so I thought I would ask if anyone on BE knew.

Thanks again for your kind help.



Also, I wonder if there is anyone on the forum that has made the move to BC from the UK and has worked or is working as a Hairstylist/Salon Manager, if so can you please let me know of your experience.

Many Thanks

Judy in Calgary

You're most welcome.

You may attract more responses if you start a new thread with a relevant title. People who could answer your questions may not necessarily open a thread with a very general title.

If you don't have any luck here, you might try Brits2Vancouver or Access Okanagan.

Hope that helps.
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Ellboy

Thanks so much Judy.

I am checking out the links and will start a new thread as you suggest.