Originally Posted by stizzyb

Hey Lenny,

Mine was sent to London on the 15th too so hopefully we'll both hear soon! I actually work in advertising as well so will be applying to as many agencies as possible when I head to Canada. Did you just send your CV in directly or did you apply through recruitment consultants? Any advice would be a huge help!

Thanks

Originally Posted by mattieuk

I'm the same date too. I'm going to begin expecting it from early next week onwards.

Originally Posted by conjonway

Received my Letter of Introduction today (8th March)

For anyone who wants to know about the time frame:

1st February - Application sent to Paris
4th February - Embassy in France confirms application was received
4th February (later that day) - Conditional acceptance
4th February (later-er that day) - IEC participation fee transferred to France
7th February - Received receipt of payment
8th February - Application sent to London
8th March - Letter of Introduction received

And my situation:
In Canada (Toronto) on a BUNAC working holiday visa (began Apr 28th 2010, expires Apr 27th 2011). Applied from within Canada.

There doesn't seem to be much logic to the order in which people are getting their LOI after their applications get sent to London, so I'd only use the above as a rough time frame!

I'll be around to help answer any questions anyone else might have now I'm one of the lucky ones!

Is a very exciting day, there's a very excited girlfriend here (Canadian - we'd been dating long distance for 3 years up until last April!) who is very glad I don't have to disappear back to the UK again!

Next big hurdle: common-law sponsorship!




I'm working at a job in Toronto which I don't intend to leave, and I put it on my application. My visa expires Apr 27th. Received my LOI today, so you won't have any trouble.



I would only check between 9-5GMT, which meant I only checked from when I woke up to 12noon (EST) :P

Originally Posted by The Lost Paddy

Hi guys!

Just wondering, what are peoples thoughts on going IEC visa to PR? Are many of you thinking along these lines? Any success/failure stories of taking this route in the past? Is it a more viable option now that a second year is possible?

Cheers,
TLP

Originally Posted by mattieuk

If you can find a reason to get PR, it is more viable. You'd have to find a Canadian spouse, or get employed with someone who can get a LMO for you - so just the mere fact you may be in Canada for two years, rather than one, won't help you in that regard.

Originally Posted by The Lost Paddy

Thanks for the reply!

What I'm hoping is that with my work experience, and qualifications I can convince an employer to assist with the LMO, I'm in sales/marketing so realise that sort of qualification is hardly in huge demand, a BA in marketing is about as welcome as thrush in most countries but I'm hoping I can charm someone into helping me go for PR!

I'm just wondering if many have tried this, gone down the one year route then tried for the LMO, what their story is, success rates etc, etc. I guess I'm just looking for some positive stories before I take the jump!

Originally Posted by rubberduckofdeath

With an LMO, a potential employer needs to prove to the Canadian government that they could not find a Canadian to do the job. Unless you're in a niche position or very skilled in some way, you'll find it very, very difficult.

That said, good luck!

Originally Posted by The Lost Paddy

That's unfortunate! I had hoped that the process to PR would be a little easier than that!

It's a bit of a risk going for the 2 years now and just hoping for it, that said, nothing ventured...I guess I'll just have to risk it!

Originally Posted by kamshaft

hi,

ive had my application initialy accepted and have an email from the embassy of france, so i need to sedn the payment. The problem is im in canada on the 2010 bunac program so my account is in england and i cant transfer the money over. So could i transfer the money from my brothers account or dose it have to come from mine??

Thanks

Originally Posted by mattieuk

Yuo can always go for the two years, and hope you shack up with a lovely Canadian who will sponsor you.

LMO's aren't impossible, but from what I've read, it does depend a lot on how much your employer likes you, and how much effort they want to put into trying to get a positive LMO for you.

Originally Posted by conjonway

My employer was willing to apply for an LMO for me. In my opinion, it was easier to ask her because I work for a very small company where I know everyone very well. That personal touch helped. It would be harder to convince an employer in a big company, especially if they get lots of applicants all the time anyway.

Originally Posted by mattieuk

Yuo can always go for the two years, and hope you shack up with a lovely Canadian who will sponsor you.

LMO's aren't impossible, but from what I've read, it does depend a lot on how much your employer likes you, and how much effort they want to put into trying to get a positive LMO for you.

Originally Posted by conjonway

If you're in Canada you can still transfer it from there if you have a Canadian bank account. That's not a problem at all, just follow the instructions on your conditional acceptance email.

If you're saying that you don't have the funds at all, and need someone else to do it:

The proof of payment must mention your first and last names, your date of birth and your identification number (ID), as indicated on your Download Certificate. It must also be legible, clearly showing the date of the transaction and the number of the account to which the transfer was made.

In my opinion, this means you could get someone else to pay for you, as long as you manage to get all of your own information, as above, onto the bank transfer. Then make sure that information is clear when you upload your Proof of Payment to IEC.



My employer was willing to apply for an LMO for me. In my opinion, it was easier to ask her because I work for a very small company where I know everyone very well. That personal touch helped. It would be harder to convince an employer in a big company, especially if they get lots of applicants all the time anyway.