Heading to Vancouver next month and need some advice
 

Hi everyone - great to be on here and hopefully someone can give me some good advice!

I am heading out to Vancouver in December to look for a job using my 6 month visitor allowance. If I manage to get a job can I get a work permit if I am already in Vancouver? If "yes" any ideas how long a work permit might take??

If anyone one knows good head hunters to contact when I get to Vancouver that would be great. I`ve worked in private offshore finance throughout Europe for the past 5 years and before that I was a Lloyd`s insurance broker in the city for 7 years.

Thanks,

James

Re: Heading to Vancouver next month and need some advice
 

Hi, looks like you are new here. Welcome to the forum and community.

If you travel to canada as a tourist you will NOT be allowed to work, since you are just there as a visitor. If you want to work in Canada you need to apply for a work permit.

There are lots of different routes and options available and I suggest you do some reading on the subject of work permits.

Have a look at the website:
http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca...ravailler.aspx

Re: Heading to Vancouver next month and need some advice
 

It is not that straightforward, I am afraid, James.

If you find someone who will offer you a job, the employer will then need to apply for an LMO, which is basically to prove that there is no Canadian who could do fill the post.
There are conditions the company need to fulfil prior to making the application, such as where and how long they need to have advertised the post.
The processing itself can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks and upwards.

Details are here;
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplace...wp_forms.shtml

Once this is approved you can activate the LMO and claim your TWP at the airport or hop over the border to the US. You can apply to London for it but this takes several weeks and only means they give you a letter to get your TWP at the Port of Entry, so if you are sure you will qualify it is much simpler and quicker to get working if you do it at POE.

If you go into Canada now as a visitor, make sure you have proof of sufficient funds to live on for 6 months or Immigration might be rather suspicious.

Re: Heading to Vancouver next month and need some advice
 

Thanks for the responses!!

Having enough funds is not a problem and I will be staying with my cousins who are residents in Vancouver so that should be fine for the people at immigration.

The reason I asked about getting a work permit quickly is I already sort of have a job offer, well the company is more than happy to give me a job - unfortunately their main concern is the amount of time it takes to get people working in Canada. For example it took them 3 years to get a guy and his family across and he already worked for them in the UK.

My cousin recommended the BC PNP which as I understand it gets a work permit in around 30 days if you have a valid job offer and then I can work whilst my PR application is processed. I think I`ll be OK for an LMO as the job title is high up on the NOC chart under management occupations and my experience is more than 5 years.

Does anyone know about the PNP in detail?? All the official websites are great for generic explanations of processes etc but what I actually want to know is people who have done it, how long it took, any problems they encountered and so on

If anyone out there can help it`s well worth a few drinks on me in December when I get there.

Obviously as a back up if anyone knows any employers who need good people that would also be great

Thanks,

James

Re: Heading to Vancouver next month and need some advice
 

Well, once you get the LMO, you can get your TWP at Port of Entry and get working right away, so the time for PNP is irrelevant to the company in terms of them having to wait.

If they get the advertising done,as per the LMO requirements and apply, then that could be through in 6 weeks (but it does vary) and then once that gets to them, you use it to claim your TWP when you fly in. It takes about 20 minutes at the border.

This is much quicker than waiting for London to process your TWP application and means you could be working for your new employer in a couple of months if all goes well with the LMO application.

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplace...wp_forms.shtml

When you apply for PNP, if you are accepted then you will not need to renew your LMO. PNP takes quite a while, but once you are working in Canada the wait is a lot easier.:thumbsup:

Re: Heading to Vancouver next month and need some advice
 

It's not that simple unfortunately. As Helcat said, there are rules with regards to having to hire the post for a certain amount of time, and having to prove that any Canadians / Permanent Residents that applied or who were interviewed were unsuitable - and this applies to all jobs regardless of NOC code or experience of candidate.

As an example, my position is very specialist and high up on the NOC list, but my initial LMO was refused as the Service Canada officer dealing with the application, after talking to the local University, deemed there to be sufficient potential candidates in the area - which was a load of tosh, as none of them could have had my specialist skills or experience.

Re: Heading to Vancouver next month and need some advice
 

The employer has to meet HRSDC requirements for advertising and then apply for the LMO, which may or may not go through. Quite a few are being refused in the current economic climate.

You've gone through this to make sure you may qualify for PNP and that the employer qualifies? http://www.welcomebc.ca/wbc/immigrat...ns/index.page?

Re: Heading to Vancouver next month and need some advice
 

The employer meets all the requirements to be eligible for the PNP process. The employer is a multinational recruitment company specializing in banking and finance. They have 3 offices in Vancouver and jobs are listed continuously for staff but finding good people long term has been very difficult for them so hopefully an LMO wouldn`t be an issue.

I was going to join the London operation of their financial services group when the option for Canada came up. I have been speaking with the director in Vancouver and we just need to sort out the best way to get me into Vancouver to started asap - hence my cousin recommended the PNP as I could get a TWP after just a couple of months.

I have no idea if it will help but previously I have also had to visas for the USA.

Any input that can help would be greatly appreciated. E.g. anyone know a personal contact at BC gov I could talk to when I arrive??

Re: Heading to Vancouver next month and need some advice
 

You can telephone CIC from within Canada bu be prepared for a long wait! They are a nightmare to contact.
I am not sure what further information you need at the moment, though.

Your situation seems quite simple to me.
Your employer needs to get the advertising done, apply for the LMO, once that is approved the you get yourself the TWP at POE and then sort out the PNP when you get here and start work.

You do not need to begin the PNP before you begin work here, you can apply for PNP once you are here working and if you do what I have stated above then your employer will be happy because you will be here working and the PNP timescale will be irrelevant.
Is there any reason that this would not work for you or your employer that I have missed?

Re: Heading to Vancouver next month and need some advice
 

Hi - thanks for your comments and I hope it is that simple because you see so many horror stories online and you don`t know what to believe!!

One quick question - the company is a global recruitment company and the jobs are already on their websites and have been for months. Do they still need to advertise on things like job bank etc??

Lastly and most importantly any idea how long an LMO might take - I`ve seen people saying 9 months??

Thanks again for your help

James

Re: Heading to Vancouver next month and need some advice
 

It depends on the skill level of the job as to whether or not it needs advertising on job bank.

Consult this page for more info: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplace...crutment.shtml

My LMO in Ontario took 3 months to be rejected two years ago, and 2 months to be approved when it was resubmitted.

Re: Heading to Vancouver next month and need some advice
 

Are you talking about the Approval for PNP in this 9 months? In which case, it might take that long.
I thought your company wanted you to be there quickly?:confused:

If it is just an LMO through HRSDC, as described in previous posts, then that would take a matter of weeks, not months and you could apply for your TWP at POE then do the PNP application once you were working in Canada.

Yes, it is fairly simple, once the LMO has been approved, of course, which isn't a forgone conclusion.

If you want to be working in Canada as soon as possible and want to make sure your job hasn't evaporated by the time you are PNP approved, then use the route I have outlined.

It is advisable to advertise on Job Bank, as this is actually administered by HRSDC and they like you to use it. It is also free.
Be aware that advertising the position is not necessarily enough. HRSDC may want to see evidence of due consideration of Canadian candidates and any Canadian applications they have received must be proved to be insufficient for their job description.

At the risk of repeating myself, if I were you, I would get the company to post on Job Bank at once, after 3 weeks get the LMO application in.
:fingerscrossed:when it arrives, go over and get TWP at POE and then submit the PNP application from within Canada.

Re: Heading to Vancouver next month and need some advice
 

Perfect. Thanks for your help.