EMG

Hi everyone, this is my second post and would just like to say that this is a fantastic forum and how people give advice is amazing.

I've fallen in love with a beautiful Canadian girl and like wise her with me. We've know each other for a few years now and last year we meet up in Boston for a holiday and a relationship blossomed. We've kept in touch via email and phone calls and i have just returned from a two week holiday in Vancouver with her. We both decided that we want to be with each other on a daily basis. We have both talk about marriage and yes we both have thought long and hard about this but when something feels right it feels right.
Is there anyone who has had a similar experience and traveled down this road that could help us with good advice regards immigration for me coming to Canada. I've read through the Wiki regards spouse sponsorship etc and I'm trying to get as much info as i can. I'm 31 Irish and have a skilled trade (plumber). My girlfriend is 30 and a citizen of Canada.

Thank you for reading my post
EMG

FlirtyKnickers

Hi EMG...sorry, can't help with your questions but wanted to say Welcome to BE....

albertabound

Hi,
Cant help much either but I think BristolUK may have had a long distance relationship prior to immigration. I am sure he could help.
Tina

Aviator

Long distance ain't easy. My OH and I had a similar issue. I lived in Canada, she in the UK. Fortunately I was in the UK quite often at that time, I sponsored her, she moved over, we got married and still are. It was really quick in those days, the rules are different now though, but I know how tough it is. Hope it goes well.

Under the present rules, if you are going to get married, you could do so in the UK and then she sponsor you. You can come to Canada while the process is taking place, but you'd need a permit to work.

kazchug

I have a friend who survived a long distance relationship, him from the UK and her from Vancouver. They are a similar age to you. He met her while on a TWP which expired and he had to return home. She sponsored him, it took longer than planned but it did work out in the end.

EMG

Hi, thanks for the welcome its all abit confusing.

EMG

Hi thanks for you replay. Its knowing how they went about it that would be really intresting .

EMG

Hi, thanks for the replay. I'll try and find him/her and hopefully they can help.

BristolUK

My ears were burning.

She is Canadian and was already living in Canada with two kids. We met while I was living/working in the UK. The relationship developed over a series of visits to Canada, to the point we wanted a life together.

Not practical for them to come to the UK, so it had to be me to Canada. Sponsorship was the best option and we quickly established that the low cost of Houses in NB meant the money from my UK house sale could buy a home and a rental property to provide an income.

In looking at the sponsorship details we would have to have lived together for a year. That was difficult with us living over 3000 miles apart and would take another year, even I came to stay for that long - visas allowing. It also became clear she had to show she'd be able to support us all. How could we show that if all the money was mine?

We then discovered that being married meant the year together didn't apply and there was no need to show the ability to support.

Getting married solved both problems. We did that in Canada and then I returned to the UK to sell up.

Sponsorship/PR can be applied for externally and you can visit Canada while that happens. It's supposed to take about six months.

One can also be in Canada and apply - remaining in Canada for the process. It could take a couple of years and it seems you may apply for a permit that allows you to work after about 6 months. CIC suggested that to me, but with the rental income I was actually looking at early retirment and it wasn't an issue for me.

Those are the bare bones.

EMG

Hi,
Thanks for you advice as it has help me a lot in trying to figure it all out as it can be a little confusing.
Your ears were burning but with the best intentions.
I got to now find the answers regards the process in getting a work permit and now soon i can get one while we are applying for the spouse visa.
I'm not the type of person who can sit around for six months waiting for a permit. It would drive me insane.

Thanks again for your help.

EMG

ESarge

Righty then. First off, good for you! Yay for love!

Options:
1. Working Holiday Work Permit. The one for Ireland is open up to age 35 but is all full up for this year. http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/mission...nes_IR-eng.asp.
So, you could wait until January. (Note that the most common version mentioned around here is the UK one called BUNAC - it's open up to age 31 but otherwise is the same thing).
2. You're a plumber! Yay! You're on the list of 38 occupations that can apply for Federal Skilled Worker without a job offer. This process takes maybe 6 months but time can vary.
3. You could try and get a job over here and get a work permit for it. This would normally be fairly fast (although a piece of required paperwork to show that no Canadian could do the job (LMO) is taking longer and longer to get). It's also difficult to achieve because employers generally want to meet you and I'd expect plumbers to be a little less in demand now that the construction industry is having a bit of a downturn.
4. You could do option 3 and get Provincial Nomination. You still need a job offer and to get your employer to do some paperwork. Tis a different route and would probably be faster still than option 3. (BC did mine in 3 weeks and I could have gotten a work permit then if I'd needed it).
5. Get married and do overseas spousal sponsorship. This is the fastest way to get PR. Expect 4-6 months.
6. Go to some other country and live together for a year. Document everything you do together and then do spousal sponsorship as for 5.

Tell us how it goes.

christmasoompa

Prepare to be driven insane then! Nothing in immigration land happens quickly I'm afraid, even if you got a job offer tomorrow then it will probably take 6 months for you to get the TWP with all the paperwork & LMO to be sorted.

But best of luck, you're luckier than most as you do have a trade that's in demand, so hopefully you'll be in Canada very soon.

EMG

Hi

Thanks again for the advice its much appreciated.
Aye i understand that Immigration can be slow and tricky.
I've been looking into getting my trade recognised by the revel ant
bodies ie, the Red Seal for skilled trades.
They say love conquers all so crossed and all that.

Thanks Again

EMG

sheadboy

me and my wife started as a long distance relationship. BUT our applicationwas easy because we had already been living together and married in England for a few years before we applied.

Good Luck, but your best bet would obviously be to marry and go down the spousal route. I know in the UK your girlfriend would be eligible for a 6 months temporary visa, but she wouldn't be able to work.

be sure though to keep e-mails, photos and travel stamps from every time you meet up. it is essential for your application.