Gem11

Hi,

My fiance lives in England and is trying to immigrate to Canada, he requires a letter of offer to obtain a work visa. So far he hasn't had any luck with getting a job offer. My question is should we let immigrations know we are engaged on his application? Would this make it easier or harder and what is the correct way to go about it? I am a Canadian Citizen and have been living and working full time in Alberta for the past 6 years.

Also can anyone recommend a reliable Immigration Agency?

Really appreciate any help we can get.

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

So he's in a LMO exempt category, and only requires the job offer and not the LMO too? What does he do and (apologies for the personal question), how old is he?

His application for what?

Unfortunately, being engaged has no bearing in the eyes of CIC, if you're married or have lived together for a year or more than you can sponsor him for PR, but being engaged doesn't make any difference to any visa application.

HTH, good luck.

Gem11

Thank you for your reply

Work Visa application and he's 45
He would come under FSW NOC 2233, 9417, 7231

christmasoompa

OK, so he does need a Labour Market Opinion? None of those are LMO exempt, so a job offer letter isn't going to be enough, he needs the LMO as well. Info here - http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Labour...Opinion-Canada

You asked about mentioning having a Canadian fiancée on the work visa application, but it would be rare for a UK citizen to need to fill that form in - most just get their Temp Work Permit at the border when they arrive. In any event, it won't make any difference to his TWP application.

That's a shame that he's not aged 30 or under, I was thinking of the Working Holiday visa which would get him over without needing a job offer, but never mind.

Which of those NOCs is the most suitable? It's just that one of them would qualify him for the Federal Skilled Trade Program, but if there is another NOC that is more suitable for his job and the duties he does, CIC won't accept his application.

If he can't find a job offer and LMO, then is marrying now an option, then you could bring him over as your spouse?

Gem11

Application for work permit. It sounds like we've been misinformed We were told that he coud apply for jobs and as long as the were found or approved on the Canadian Job Bank that a job offer was all that was required along with the Work permit application.

christmasoompa

I'm afraid you have been misinformed. Unless the job falls in to a few LMO exempt categories (here - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/apply-who-permit.asp), then he won't get a TWP without a LMO.

It's well worth him keeping trying though, get him to read the Job Hunting section of the Wiki so that he can Canadianize his resume, and get tips and hints on how to go about finding that all important job offer. When is he next visiting you? The best way to get a job offer and find an employer prepared to apply for the LMO is to knock on doors, so he could use that time to job hunt too.

Failing that, when's the wedding? Once you're married you can sponsor him for PR which is the quickest/easiest route to PR.

Best of luck.

Gem11

Thank you. Is there an immigration agency that you could recommend?

christmasoompa

There are a few that are regularly recommended on the forums, have a search and hopefully you'll find their names.

But if you're going down the TWP route, then an immigration consultant definitely isn't necessary - they can't help with the job hunt side of things anyway (illegal in most of Canada for them to do so for a fee), the LMO has to be done by the employer and is free to apply for (so no point in paying for help with that as it's nothing to do with you), and the TWP is usually just obtained at the airport when the Temp Foreign Worker arrives.

If you need help when applying for PR, then hopefully the forum can help - shout with any questions, as lots on here have been through spousal sponsorship and will be more than happy to give you the help you need.

Unless your fiancé has got complicated circumstances (criminal record, custody issues with kids, medical problems etc), then really there's no need to hire a consultant unless it's just for peace of mind.

But as said above, if you do want to hire one to help with the PR application, then a forum search should give you some names to start with.

Best of luck.