Ok, this is going to be kinda complicated to get in writing... but I'll give it a bash...

As I have mentioned before in a previous thread, my boyfriend is a chippy and we plan on going to Canada to where there is a labour shortage of chippies and to where chippies are on the Occupations Under Pressure list. I am sure he will have no problems getting work as he is highly qualified, has a great CV and is talented at his job and in my opinion he would have a lot to offer Canada. The problem is me...

We haven't been co-habitating so I cannot be classed as his common-law partner (even though we have been together a year and a half).

But I desperately want to get the ball rolling for me just in case. We plan on living together as soon as he sells his property, which is due to go on the market in the next month and plan on coming to Canada sometime between Nov 2008 and Jan 2009.

Can I put in my application as a skilled worker, then after a year of living with my boyfriend (and subsequently residing in Canada) I would be considered his common-law partner, so I would be eligible for an open-permit by jumping on his bandwagon. Would this scenario enable me to have my Skilled Worker application fast tracked? (This is all subject to him getting a work permit etc. obviously, I am just thinking ahead here...) Our goal is to get PRs for us both.

You may say, why don't I wait? But I want a back up plan especially as immigration laws are subject to change at the drop of a hat... and so can the Occupations Under Pressure list and the Labour Shortage list...
Also, can I add a common law partner to my appliction at a later date if any of the above happens?

Hope my post doesn't sound too neurotic, I would just really like to live in Canada, not to get away from the UK, but for what Canada offers as a country...

Experience on this forum has shown that PR applications are not always fast tracked if the PR applications were submitted before the applicants came to Canada on temporary work permits and later were offered permanent jobs by their temporary employers. In those circumstances PR applications sometimes are fast tracked and sometimes they're not.

Experience on the forum has shown that PR applications have been fast tracked when they have been submitted once the applicants have been working in Canada on TWPs and then have received offers of permanent jobs.

I don't know the answer to that question. However, your plan of action has a flaw, namely, the fact that arranged employment does not necessarily fast track a previously submitted PR application. Since that is the case, the answer to this subsequent question may be moot. I'd still be interested to know, just out of curiosity, if a common-law partner can be added to a PR application. Perhaps someone else will provide an answer.
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Thanks Judy...

I have a Skilled Worker Application Form here on my lap that I previously printed off and it says that your family members may apply for Permanent Residence as part of your application, then it goes on to say that this includes:

Spouse or common law partner and dependent children.

Anyway based on your response, I guess it would be a waste of time, money and effort to put in a PR Application before I go if I want it fast-tracked later on down the road...

Is there anything I can do while I have time on my hands to aide my application in the future I wonder. I want to do all I can to be prepared while I am still here in London... Police Checks or whatever, these things are more difficult to do from across the atlantic ocean so can anyone advise me with some wise words...

Thanks.

Yes, I do understand that spouses, common-law partners, and dependent children can be included in an applicants PR application.

The point about which I thought you'd asked, and the one to which I had responded, was about adding a dependent to your PR application after you'd submitted the application. I think, but am not sure, that there is a point beyond which you cannot add a dependent to your PR application. If it gets to a certain (advanced) point in the process, your common-law partner would have to earn PR on his own steam, or else you can sponsor his PR application via the spousal / common-law sponsoreship route.

I don't think there's any use in requesting police checks now, because they go stale after some time, and you'd need to request them again.

The one thing I've seen on this forum is that British expats living in Canada have struggled to get certificates that demonstrate their level of education, and they've struggled to get records of employment from former employees. I would say you would make your life easier down the road if you kept good records now and filed relevant documents in such a way that they'd be easy to retrieve.
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Thanks Judy, you're a diamond. Oh and yeah, you're right, the question I asked was can they be added at a later date, I would still be interested in knowing if this is possible - we'll wait and see...

There is no problem with "fast-tracking" already existing applications if it is done properly. The experiences reported here vary for few reasons:

- applications already in final stage of process won't be "fast-tracked" because there is nothing left to "fast-track" them

- many applicants don't properly update their applications

- there is sometimes also a difference between applicants who already work in Canada and those who don't yet when they update their applications - some officers when making decision what priority should be given to any updated case often prefer to prioritize applications from applicants who are not yet in Canada over those working in Canada as the latter are already safely here with work permits, health insurance, etc..

Dependents may be added to application at any time before visa is issued. Applicant who already received visa but didn't land yet may also have the option of returning unused visa and add dependent - it is much more complex than adding dependent prior to visa being issued, but it can be done.