My Plan
 

Hi there,

Firstly, I'd just like to say what a brilliant forum, I wish I'd found it months ago!

I'm looking for some views and opinions on the following;

Me (23 yrs old and a British Citizen) and my girlfriend (Canadian citizen) are looking to move to Canada. We leaving the UK at the end of the month to go travelling for a few months and then finish our travels in Ottawa (where my gf is from and where her parents are). I plan to use my time in Ottawa as a visitior to find employment. I graduated from uni just over a year ago with a degree in Civil Engineering. I have worked for the past year in the Civ Eng field.

From the info on wiki i have come to the following conclusions;

I cannot provide documentation to prove i have been with gf for over 12months and BUNAC applications start in Dec when i'm out of the country travelling therefore i feel my only option is to apply for a TWP.

To apply for a TWP I need to find a job in Ottawa, get my employer to apply to the HRSDC for an LMO for me.

On returning to the UK I use my job offer and LMO along with fees to apply to the CIC in London for a TWP.

Could anyone confirm if I'm correct with the above and do you see any holes in my plan?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Re: My Plan
 

Sounds like a sensible plan. You're right about needing to show you have lived together for 12 months if you wanted to go the common-law partner sponsorship route.

If you travel to Canada to look for work you wouldnt necessarily have to go back to the UK to wait for your TWP - you could stay in Canada as a visitor for up to 6 months if your GF or her family were willing to put you up while you dont have a TWP and therefore no job and no money :)

Re: My Plan
 

Thanks for the reply NSpaul. Do I not need to return to the UK to apply for TWP? I think I will be returning to Scotland anyway to earn some money while I apply as the travelling will take up most if not all my savings.

I have a couple more questions if that's ok.

The wiki mentions that the job you are applying for must be advertised for 3 months in order to get LMO (or 7 days if occupation is under pressure). So would there be no point in sending out resumes and phoning companies in the off chance that they have some going? My current company in Scotland doesn't necessarily advertise for engineers. They continually recruit. If someone phones up or sends in a resume that is liked then they will probably get an interview and possibly a job offer. So how would this situation work in terms of getting an LMO?

Also if i received a job offer and the company applied for an LMO. According to the wiki it could take 2-3 months to get the LMO. What's the chances of the LMO not being given? I ask because it would suck if I returned to the UK to work while waiting for the LMO and then it wasn't given, meaning I would have to go back over to look for another job. Then the same situation again. Is it a risk that you just need to take?

Re: My Plan
 

You may not want to dismiss the BUNAC option entirely. I think TWP route would work for you (depending on your skills, etc). But just in case, plan it so that if TWP doesnt work, you can apply for BUNAC and not lose that opportunity.

Ray

Re: My Plan
 

well why dont u try Bunac and see if Canada will be for you and as you there will had a proper look at companies and where u really want to be.. check pm???

Re: My Plan
 

I don't think you'll have much luck getting a TWP - how is an employer going to get a LMO if you've had so little work experience??

Get a BUNAC visa, then build your common-law case. Look into converting your BUNAC visa into a TWP as a back up plan to tide you over when BUNAC expires

Re: My Plan
 

Thanks for the replies guys.

As I go travelling in a couple of weeks and won't be in the UK come Dec when applications open I cant apply for the BUNAC visa this year. I could apply when I finish my travels (April 09). I can't see a closing date for applications, I guess its when all the places are full? If so I reckon they would go fast leaving the next time I could apply being Dec 09?

If above is true then I may as well look for a job when I arrive in Canada (March 09) and try and go down the TWP route. If I have no luck, as Rob states will be difficult with my limited expericence, then i guess i will need to wait til Dec 09 for BUNAC.

ps bflava I will check my pms after this post. Need 3 posts before can access pms.

Re: My Plan
 

you apply for bunac online,

ok so your out the country and technically thats not allowed but plenty of people do it and dont get caught. You dont have to send off the main application straight anyway so..
I would personally if i was you apply in Dec from any computer gaining you a spot.
Wait till you come home before sending off the proper application as youll need police checks and stuff.
Go out, join your girlfriend have a great time, find a job and apply for pr withing the year with a permanent job offer, hey presto

Karen

Re: My Plan
 

Hi Mark!

From what I can gather yes, the BUNAC Visa's are taken up pretty quickly - within about a month of the opening date so the likelihood is that you would be away for that period.

However, BUNAC have been known to 'reopen' the application process for a brief period of time - I guess if they still have some Visa's available or people drop out or something - they did this this year - if I remember rightly it was around about 21/07/08 literally just for a few days - I was lucky enough to get in on this and have just got all the documents together and sent it off today so should get it withing 4 - 6 weeks!

The best thing to do is to subscribe to the BUNAC mailing list and check your emails regularly - that's how I found out about it.

The other thing you could consider is that some people on here have said that you do not necessarily have to be in the UK for the whole BUNAC Application process, as long as you are not in Canada. Check this thread (hope this works):

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=542113

Good luck! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Re: My Plan
 

Spot on

Re: My Plan
 

U dont have to apply for the visa straightaway, I guess people are confused with this.

Buanc opens for registeration in DEC for work canada, so all you have to do is once is open register and secure your place( pay the fee which might be £85) and secure yr place as bunac will then send u a welcome pack and an application for to apply for the visa then. You can apply for the visa at anytime but it has to be done atleast 6 weeks b4 Dec 2010 as u will have up to 31/01/2010 to enter n activate.

so secure it when it opens and u can go on your travels and when u back in April apply for the visa?

I hope this is clear,

why dont you call BUNAC and they will explain?

Re: My Plan
 

exactly what i meant,

Karen

Re: My Plan
 

Regarding the issuing of an LMO and the length of time the employer has been advertising the position for, you might want to post a question specifically about that to get some more opinions. My own experience (though this was for a Provincial Nominee application not an LMO but the rules are similar) was that this was interpreted fairly loosely. My employer showed that they had been advertising a position of their own website and said the ad had been there for 3 months (but didnt really provide any actual proof of when the ad was first published) and that satisfied the requirement.

The chances of getting an LMO normally depend on the type of job (its harder to get if its a job where its obvious to anyone that plenty of people locally could fill it) and the salary being offered (if the salary is too low to attract a Canadian it will be turned down).

Re: My Plan
 

Guys,

Thanks for all the help and info. I will now be going down the BUNAC route, just need to be quick off the mark in Dec:)

Ps littletwinkle, just noticed your location is Ayr. That's my hometown! Small world.