emabee

My Fiance has just been made redundant from his job here so we're thinking it could be the perfect opportunity for a complete change! There are lots of jobs available for his trade in Canada but we are wondering how long the visa would take? Also, would we need to be married before I could come too? We are getting married anyway so could move it forward?

I have read that it can take up to two years but I'm worried that he won't get the same job here in the mean time and then they will frown upon him doing something different for the next two years?

Grateful for any advice, thanks x

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

Figure about a year to eighteen months, hopefully at the lower end of that scale but you never can tell!

You'd either need to be married, or to be his 'common-law spouse' to go on his visa application - the latter means if you've lived together for a year or more.

Which occupation would he be applying under? You'll need to get cracking, particularly if it's one of the ones that are likely to be popular, as the program opened on 4th May and there are a limited number of places (only 300 applications for each occupation).

So if you want to go ahead, get his IELTS booked and start gathering paperwork asap!

Best of luck.

emabee

Hi, he's a Printer. We are common law as we have lived together for 6 years but we would be married before we came anyway.

I have filled in the quiz on the Candian immigration website and if I answer yes to having a job offer it tells us we are eligible but if we answer no then we are not eligible. All the jobs I have found say that you must have a Visa before applying though. How can I apply for jobs if I have a 12-18 month wait?!

orly

Quoted time is 21 months (assuming you're British). Subject to change at any given moment of course

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/informa...fed.asp#europe

christmasoompa

Ah, I see, so he's not on the list of eligible 'occupations in demand' that would mean you could apply as a Skilled Worker without a job offer.

So really, you're looking at getting a job offer and LMO, and then going over on a TWP. Once you're in Canada you would apply for PR.

Have a look at the job hunting section of the Wiki and all of the info on LMO's/TWP's.

Good luck.

emabee

I don't understand......Printing is a skilled trade? He knows others who have applied and got printing jobs in Canada. What does LMO and TWP mean? Can we come over on a temporary working visa for a year to try it out? Are we more likely to get permanent residency if we're already in Canada?

christmasoompa

Printing may be a skilled trade (I've no idea), but it's not on the list of eligible occupations for the Federal Skilled Worker program, which is the visa route you mentioned. See the list here - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigra...pand=jobs#jobs

So if you wanted to apply as Skilled Workers, you'd need a job offer approved by HRSDC, you can't apply without being in Canada working on a TWP. Only those with jobs on the list above can apply from outside Canada without a job offer.

For info on LMO's and TWP's, please have a look at the Wiki (which also has an article on abbreviations if you're not sure what any of these terms mean).

There are numerous other visa routes to Canada though, not just the FSW, so have a good read of the Wiki to figure out your options.

Hope that helps a bit.

emabee

Thanks for your help, it's all so confusing. I really don't know where to start...........

christmasoompa

Grab a cuppa, and start reading the Wiki. I know it's a lot to take in at the mo, but it will become clearer I promise!

Once you've had a read and figured out your likely visa route, shout with any questions and somebody will always try and help.

Waggle

Hi, from experiences of others recently getting visas I think the actual FSW application times are coming in around the 12 to 18 month mark from when you first apply at CIO.

As others have said, printing is not on the in-demand list and therefore it's not possible to apply without a job offer.

To apply WITH a job offer, which of course is still possible, CIC are no longer supporting AOE (Arranged Employment Offer) whereby the employer makes an offer and then waits for you to get you residency before you start work.

The only option now is LMO/TWP - which is where you get a job offer, then get this approved by the HRDSC (LMO = Labour Market Opinion), then when you have the positive LMO you can apply for a TWP (Temporary Work Permit). You then start working in Canada and apply for residency whilst working under this TWP.

This means if you want to go this route you kinda have to move to Canada right away once the job offer is a done deal.

I know quite a few people who have gone this route and it's definitely doable, the hard part is probably convincing the employer to go to the hassle of securing the LMO rather than just hiring an already Canada citizen/permanent resident. They have to demonstrate to the government that they had advertised the position for at least 2 weesk in the past 3 months without finding a suitable Canadian to fill the post, and demonstrate that they are paying at least average wages for the position.


Also the job offer has to be for Skills 0, A or B to be eligible (job offers for skill sets C,D and E are not eligible).

But since you don't have any NOC cap to fall under (that only applies to applicants without a job offer) you are kind of on your own timer. So take your time, do the research etc

If you decide it's definitely what you want then maybe best to try to arrange a holiday to Canada, during which you can try to get as many job interviews as possible.

Best of luck!

Wayne.

Siouxie

Not quite right. There is also the PNP route. For BC, for instance, with a permanent full time job offer in a skilled role it is possible to obtain Provincial Nomination (provided the company meets the requirements) and once that is approved you can get a work permit with no LMO requirement. Some Provinces require you to have worked in the Province, others do not even require a job offer.

You can read more here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigra.../apply-who.asp

More information about job availability here: http://www.workingincanada.gc.ca/rep...woman#job_opps

misskatpaw

Hi,

Having been through the experience of starting off where you are, asking my first similar question on this forum in 2007, 5 years later, we moved to BC.

My best piece of advice is to book yourselves a road trip/recce, for as long as you can afford, explore, discover and most importatly, network.
If you want any further help, feel free to send me a PM.
Cheers, katie