Howler

Hi all,

I have been offerd a job in Calgary, and my future employer has said the he will help in any way with the immigration prosess. Does anyone have any advice on what is the best thing to do? Is it possible for an employer to sponsor me in anyway?

Andrew Miller

It depends what you mean by sponsoring.

Employer may help you get for work permit by giving you job offer approved by HRSDC (Labour Market Opinion).

Employer may help you gain extra points for your immigration visa application by providing you with HRSDC approved (Arranged Employment Opinion) job offer.

Employer may help you qualify for immigration visa under Alberta's Provincial Nominee Program by applying for and obtaining a PNP Selection Certificate for you.

But employer cannot sponsor you for immigration directly in any way.

iaink

Get them to hire a qualified immigration lawyer or consultant with a view to getting you a work permit. This is the quickest way for them to get you working here, and gives you a chance to try the country on for a while before deciding on a permanent (and potentially expensive) move.

Often jobs fall through while waiting and waiting and waiting for permanent residency applications to be processed, so a work permit application is probably the best deal for both you and your prospective employer. PNP may be a quicker option than federal, but I think the work permit is the fastest route, and could have you here in a couple of months or less.

If they dont want to hire a professional to handle the details then it can still be done yourself, but the company needs to deal with HRDC as described by Andrew.

Good Luck.