British Citizen (25) looking to move to Toronto
 

Hello all! To provide some context, I am a twenty-five year old British Citizen hoping to move to Toronto to be with my partner (although he grew up in the UK, he was born in Canada and has lived there for 7/8 years now) at the end of 2022/beginning of 2023 Basically, I'm not sure what steps to take at all or which Visa would be the best option for me. I have tried my best with the official Canada.ca website and used their online tool to assess what routes I can take but there is a lot of information to make sense of so I'm still unsure. I currently work full-time as a copywriter and prior to that I was a buying administrator. From my understanding I believe I'll need proof of funds to be successful in my application, which I know I will not have a sufficient amount of, or a job offer instead. I presume I will also need a visa, a work permit and an eTA. I believe that I would need language test results as well? To be honest, I'm finding myself a bit flummoxed and frustrated at the moment trying to figure out what I need and it doesn't appear that I can just call up to speak with someone either.

Can anyone give me a step-by-step guide for dummies on what to do here?

Thank you!
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Re: British Citizen (25) looking to move to Toronto
 

Sounds like your best option would be an IEC visa, it's a 2 year open work permit for those aged 30 and under. No job offer required, no language results and a much smaller amount for proof of funds ($2,500). Your partner could then sponsor you for PR once you've lived together in Canada for a year.

You'll probably be looking at nearer mid 2023 before being able to move (the visas have almost all gone for this year's program, but it might be worth hurrying up and trying to apply asap i.e. today just in case!). But that would be a great option and tbh, isn't likely to be much longer than other routes anyway.

You could try and find a job offer and sponsoring employer in the meantime. And of course, the obvious option would be marriage and spousal sponsorship if you felt you were ready for that. Are you by any chance self employed?

What did the online tool say when you completed it, did it say you were eligible for any route?

As for the step by step guide for dummies, start with the Wiki which has tons of useful info including this page - https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Quick...an_Immigration

Re: British Citizen (25) looking to move to Toronto
 

Hi christmasoompa!

Thank you so much for replying. According to the online tool I am applicable for the working holiday programme so I have applied today! I am now just sitting in the pool.
If I can't move until mid 2023 that is understandable—I assumed there would be delays and this will give me a bit longer to save up for the proof of funds/work permit/health insurance etc.
I am not self employed, I am looking to visit Toronto for a holiday in September so I will see if I can find a job offer during this time as well.

Re: British Citizen (25) looking to move to Toronto
 

Sounds like a plan. So it said just the WHV (IEC by another name), nothing else was an option?

If you did get selected under this year's IEC then you could move earlier, it only takes approx 8 weeks to get the visa (and you'd have a year before you had to move using it). But realistically your chances are incredibly slim for this year now, so you'd just have to keep an eye and see when the pools for next year's program opens, and apply straight away to give yourself the best chance of getting a visa under the 2023 program.

Re: British Citizen (25) looking to move to Toronto
 

Well, I did another online tool from the 'Find out if you need a visa to travel to Canada' page, which I completed (only very basic information, what type of passport I have, where I'm from etc.) It asked me if I needed a work permit, which I believe I do as my job isn't on the list and I don't believe my role is classed under a 'highly skilled' worker, to which it stated 'If we approve your work permit application, we’ll issue an electronic travel authorization (eTA) for you'

So... no visa? I'm a bit more confused now.

Re: British Citizen (25) looking to move to Toronto
 

That's correct, you don't need a visa to travel to Canada, as people from the UK are eligible to travel on a eTA. There are countries where a visitor visa is required to enter Canada, but the UK isn't among them.

So you can visit using an eTA, but that's not relevant to being able to work or stay in the country longer term, it's only giving you the info for visiting.

Re: British Citizen (25) looking to move to Toronto
 

I see, I see! Thank you again for clarifying. At least I know I'll only need the eTA for when I visit in September!