michaelmegatron

hey guys i was wondering if some more of the more clued up people on immigration to canada could help me with something - i wanted to move with my family to canada, but realise that it might just be easier to live and work there myself and after years slowly apply to bring my family over -

I think i might be able to get a confirmed job offer from a company in Alberta, and i wanted to ask -

1. if i accept the job offer, how do i go about actually using this job offer a a way to live and work in canada - i have my aunt's sister who lives in calgary and can put me up, for a little while till i work and get my own flat.

2. i have been done in 2003 for bilking, which is driving off without paying for petrol - i served 80 hours community service, and i was told that after 3 years its wiped off your record.

3. in 2007 i was taken to a police station and put in a cell for 2 hours for common assault, i didnt go court or serve time, but they took my fingerprints and let me go.

my question is rather than go through the skilled workers route, can i accept this job offer, and go based upon that, and how long can i stay in canada, and whilst im there how do i go about applying for permenent residence?

sorry for the 101 questions but any help would be greatly appreciated

michaelmegatron

sorry also, based on my run-ins with the police would they be classed as a criminal record, although i have never been to prison, and did serve community service which wipes off after 3 years

michaelmegatron

anyone? any thoughts?

marclouis

I belive that convictions are "spent" after 5 years. not 3.
And that any conviction which required any kind of custody, including community service is seen as serious which requires you to apply for a "pardon" before you are "admissible" to Canada.
and that CIC take a dim view of repeat offenders.

I recently had to apply for a pardon for a single less serious offence from 8 years ago.

I think you will have no choice but to speak to an immigration lawyer.

Judy in Calgary

If you're under 30, you can get a 12-month working holiday visa through BUNAC. That would allow you to accept any job, with any employer, in any part of Canada.

If you can't get to Canada through BUNAC, you need to get a temporary work permit (TWP). In order to be able to apply for a TWP, the prospective employer first has to apply for a Labour Market Opinion (LMO). An LMO will be forthcoming if the prospective employer can demonstrate that he/she has recruited across Canada, and has been unable to attract a qualified Canadian resident to the position. Depending on what kind of work you do, it may be possible to get LMO / TWP in Calgary, as there are labour shortages here.

TWPs are granted relatively quickly, within months (occasionally even within weeks).

Applications for permanent residence (PR) via the skilled worker route are taking around 5 years these days. However, if you're already in Canada on a TWP, you can get upgraded to PR in a year or less.

Read the Wiki article called Idiot's Guide to Canadian Immigration.

I don't see the merits of living in Canada for years before your family joins you. If you wait years they may not even be eligible to join you any more. Quite aside from that, a long separation can play merry hell with a marriage. Also, you'd be incurring living expenses on both sides of the pond. The costs of that can add up. If you come to Canada, it should be possible to bring your family with you, if not immediately, at least within weeks or months.

I didn't know the answer to your criminal record question, but I see that marclouis has answered it.

For future reference, it's better to stick to one topic per thread and to give each thread a title that is relevant to the topic. That attracts the greatest number of useful answers.

Hope that helps.

mclauchlan35

Hi

Maybe get a copy of your police check see whats on it and then ask a Immigration consultant or lawyer advice, you could ask Andrew Miller on here or maybe do a search for previous posts.


Danny

michaelmegatron

thanks guys