BrotherCooke

Hi, has anyone had any experience of (successfully) emigrating to Canada through the BC PNP Tech Pilot? I've been working towards my Canadian dream since the summer of 2016, paying off debts, selling almost everything I owned, saving up settlement funds etc. but now I've come to apply for jobs I feel like I've really hit a wall. Many Canadian employers don't seem to want to offer me an interview because I don't have a work permit/the legal right to work in Canada, but I can't get this without a job offer from what I understand! Does this sound familiar to anyone? It feels like a real catch 22 situation.

My girlfriend has an IEC invitation already, but needs to use this by the end of Jan 2020. I am waiting for an ECA from ICAS which I paid for 11 months ago (yes, seriously!) I have a very high IELTS score: L9, R9, W7.5, S9 - Overall band score 8.5 (equivalent to CLB 10). I have 5+ years working in NOC 2282 (IT user support) as well as project management and admin experience in the HE sector. Despite all of this, I'm getting absolutely nowhere with my current approach of applying for jobs remotely. I've only had 2 Skype interviews since August and plenty more rejection emails due to being outside of Canada with no work permit.

I have family in Ontario (Uncle and Aunt, and cousins) but even though they are willing to accommodate us, this seems to count for very little with IRCC, hence us looking towards BC instead. In all honesty, we'd settle anywhere we can at this point, and would actually prefer a more rural setting. I'm 38, my girlfriend is 31, we have two great big boxer dogs we'd like to take with us (we even have quotes ready to transport them.) Neither my girlfriend or I have undergraduate degrees, so we will lose points there. I suspect that my ECA report might even ignore my NVQ3 teaching assistant qualification when it eventually arrives, so it may only show high school equivalent.

Earlier this year I paid £120 for a phone consultation with Sterling Immigration, but it felt like a massive waste of time and money, and something she said about my willingness to work "in an Indian restaurant in Vancouver" made me suspect they are not a legitimate company, and that we'd be better off doing this ourselves. If anyone on here has any advice about how we should proceed, I'd be incredibly grateful.

What would you do next? I'm not ready to throw the towel in just yet!

christmasoompa

Hi, welcome to BE.

I'm assuming that you can't just go on your girlfriends IEC i.e you've not lived together for a year or more?

If not, then have a read of the Job Hunting section of the Wiki to see where you're going wrong. Unfortunately applying for jobs remotely is highly unlikely to result in anything, it's all about personal contact, so really you need to get out there and job hunt in person. Loads of hints and tips in the Wiki, so grab a cuppa and get reading that.

What do you think your CRS score will be (ignoring the NVQ, as I agree it's unlikely to count)?

BrotherCooke

Hi christmasoompa thanks for your reply.
We looked in to the possibility of me going on my girlfriends IEC invitation - we've lived together for 14 months since September 2018. The immigration consultant I mentioned seemed to think it might work if my girlfriend moved over ahead of me, got a job and 3 payslips then met me at a specific port of entry, where I could potentially come in as a dependant. Further web searches (including IRCC) made it sound unlikely to be an option though other than as a temporary visitor, is that not the case? Do you think there might be another option?

I'll definitely checkout the Job Hunting section, I'm open to any and all useful information! Thanks for the heads up! I've contemplated getting on a plane and simply handing my (tailored) resume out to as many employers as possible, but I didn't know if this would be a bad investment of money and energy. I estimated a 2-3 week trip to BC would be about £2000 out of my savings/settlement funds.

Despite my professional experience in the UK, my CRS points are very low, which is another reason that we have looked at the BC PNP Tech pilot (provincial nomination and a job offer) as the best option, as this route has far lower entry requirements due to the current shortage of tech sector workers.
CRS points, calculated without my partner:
Age = 61 points
Level of education = 30 points
Official Languages = 136 points
Official Language proficiency and foreign work experience = 50 points
Subtotal Core/Human capital + Spouse factors + Skill transferability = 277 points

CRS points, calculated with my partner (in case her own IEC invitation expires):
Age = 55 points
Level of education = 28 points
Spouse level of education = 2 points
Official Languages = 128 points
Official Language proficiency and foreign work experience = 50 points
Subtotal Core/Human capital + Spouse factors + Skill transferability = 263 points (14 points less than my 'solo' application.)

Siouxie

If you have lived together 'as if married' for more than 12 consecutive months do be aware that you will be considered 'common law' for immigration purposes and must include your 'spouse' in any PR application - they would not be able to be sponsored at a later date and you could be refused for giving false information (misrepresentation) if you applied without including them.

Regarding the IEC - you would both come over together - you don't want to spend any time apart as common law partners as it makes it harder to prove your relationship is ongoing. Your partner with their IEC obtain a 2 year work permit, you would enter with them initially as a visitor. Once they have obtained a skilled job (NOC O/A/B) and can show a contract of employment for a job lasting more than 6 months, together with a couple of payslips, you can obtain a spousal open work permit. Types of work permits for your situation

Without some formal qualifications you may struggle to get a job. https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketrepo...nts/3772/39070

Have you looked at the Atlantic Provinces Pilot Project? https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...immigrate.html - you will need to check out each Provincial link to see what jobs are available.

BrotherCooke

Hi Siouxie many thanks for your reply, and sorry for the delay in responding. My girlfriend got a nasty electric shock at work this week so I've been driving between hospitals, home and work, and avoiding flooded roads.

You've made very useful points about declaring our relationship in my applications, and not spending time apart. It's made us both reflect on what we understand to be our options. We now don't think that her IEC invitation (as great as it is that she was selected) is going to end up being all that useful for us. My girlfriend is currently a veterinary receptionist, and looking at the list of NOC 0/A/B jobs, we think she may struggle to get a job in one of those NOCs in Canada.

I am actually sitting some IT exams in early December (CompTIA A+) that alongside my professional experience are often accepted instead of a computer science degree. It's something I looked for in the UK when shortlisting candidates for IT roles, and quite a few of the jobs I've applied for in Canada have also stated this in the job posting, which is why I've chosen to pay for these exams and bolster my resume. I really hope I've understood this correctly (I think I have.)

I'll definitely take another look at the AIP as you've suggested. We'd parked that idea for a while as I still don't have my ECA back from ICAS, so the BC PNP felt like the best/quickest option at the time. It might be time to start looking at other provinces again. It's a shame that having close family and a place to stay in Ontario counts for so little, but I understand why it has to be this way.

christmasoompa

Sorry to hear about your girlfriend, I hope she's recovering now.

Tbh, I don't understand why you're discounting the IEC route? That's going to be the easiest route over by a mile, which is why I asked if you would count as her common-law spouse. Skill Level A, O or B covers literally thousands of jobs (including receptionist).

BrotherCooke

Hi christmasoompa - my girlfriend says she's feeling much better now, thanks!

When my girlfriend got her IEC invitation in February 2019, we'd only been together for 9 months, and 'officially' lived together for about 4 months of this, so it wasn't an option at the time. Add to this the unhelpful advice we received from the consultant, and an unhealthy dash of my own pride about wanting to emigrate on my own strengths, and we arrive at our current situation where it seems we might have been sat on the golden ticket the whole time. We did read some IRCC web pages that seemed to suggest that my girlfriend needed either a highly skilled or managerial position, but we didn't really dig in to this as much as we should have. I suppose I've been so focused on my own application that I didn't question what we thought we knew for certain.

Okay, so this is definitely a good avenue to re-explore. It relies on her finding an appropriate job, me holding out until I get a temp work permit, us both managing financially in the meantime, and an application for PR much further down the line, but it's still a good option. It's certainly more attainable than our current 'plan'. She has to use the invitation by February 4th, so the clock is ticking, as if there wasn't enough pressure!

BrotherCooke

Hi Siouxie and christmasoompa . Thanks again for taking the time to reply to us previously, you really helped us a lot!

The great news is that we're heading out to Ontario on my girlfriends IEC 'working holiday' invitation on January 10th. Our flights are booked, including transfer for our 2 dogs. I will enter on my previously obtained (but still valid) ETA as a visitor. We will stay with my Canadian family while we gather the rest of the evidence for me to obtain a temporary spousal work permit, hopefully by seeing an immigration officer in person (seems likely to be quicker than paper or online application.) I should have some contract IT work lined up once I have my permit and SIN, but I don't know that it makes sense to declare this level of detail when the immigration officer asks what the purpose of my visit is, and why I don't have a return ticket. I don't want them to think I'm going to try and work illegally as I'm definitely not!

There's still so much to do before we leave, but at least we're taking the leap and doing it! It's the most exciting thing I've ever done.

Next up on the list of things to sort are potentially shipping belongings over, getting medical/health insurance, perhaps a proof of funds letter in lieu of a return ticket, swapping drivers licences over when we arrive, having a police certificate ready for my eventual application, and proof of living together. So many things on my tick list.

Anyway, thanks again! I'll keep reading the wiki pages, they're really useful. If you have any other thoughts or tips, we'd love to hear them. Corinne & Rich.

Siouxie

Good news indeed - exciting times ahead!
When you enter (Yes, proof of funds is required for the IEC holder - and having proof of sufficient funds for a return ticket is always a good idea)... you will just tell the officer that you are accompanying your CL spouse (have some proof of your CL status with you - affidavit of common law) You need to request (this is important) a Visitor Record (not the stamp) it gives you 'status'.. without it you won't be able to exchange your drivers license. Explain to the officer that you are aware that you are unable to work without a work permit and that you have sufficient funds.. blah blah...

christmasoompa

Good news, congratulations and I hope the move goes smoothly.

Best of luck to you both, hope your GF finds a job nice and quickly so you can get your SOWP sorted and start your new lives.

BrotherCooke

Thanks again Siouxie we'll definitely look in to the affidavit suggestion. I had read that we would need to fill in a form of this nature when I eventually apply for my SOWP, but it makes sense that we should have this ready for the immigration officer on our initial entry to Canada.
​​​​​I have found an official form that is exactly what we're after. I think we should even be able to fill it in without paying for a solicitor/notary as we have all of the evidence to back it up (joint bank account, tenancy agreement etc)
https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ir...s/imm5409e.pdf

christmasoompa My cousin has offered my gf a part time job in the appropriate NOC, but it's not totally clear to us how many wage slips we need to get together as evidence, or if she actually needs to be full time. The wording on the IRCC website doesn't really make this very clear, so I'm hoping we can ask when we go through immigration. Still it's a start, even if she has to then find another full time position.

BrotherCooke

Hi Siouxie and christmasoompa - I hope you and your families are well during the current global situation.

I don't know if this is an appropriate way to follow up on the thread above - as it has drifted far from the original question - but your advice would be helpful.
Also, I realize there are much bigger things happening in the world than my spousal work permit, but I'm really starting to worry now that we only have one income.

After living in Ontario for 2 months, we finally had all of the evidence (IRCC forms, partner's pay slips, notarized affidavit of common law union, proof of funds, police cert, medical etc) that we needed to go and 'flagpole' at the Niagara border literally JUST as they started to close down the borders for non-essential travel! That was a hugely disappointing day - we barely noticed the falls as we drove home with the news on the radio.

As we're now locked down and nobody has any idea when the border will reopen, should I take the hit and apply online which is likely to take over 3 months (plus whatever delays are added due to COVID-19)? Or is it perhaps worth waiting until I can flagpole at a POE? A paper based postal application would take even longer - 137 days the last time I checked.

Former Lancastrian

According to their website IRCC offices are still taking landing appointments until 30 April.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...ment-only.html

Siouxie

So your common-law partner has a full time skilled job (with a contract) now and you are hoping to apply for a Spousal Open Work Permit on the back of it? Great news! (congrats!) ...... There's really no point in waiting, you might as well apply online - in fact they are requesting that you do so - https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...ary/apply.html - if things change then you can always pop down to the border with the proof and see if they can issue it.. I wouldn't hold your breath on things changing in the next few weeks though, so you may as well get things started.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...apply/poe.html

PMM

Hi

1. Re-Read all appts. are cancelled until 13/Apr.