Not sure where to start
 

Hi there
I'm new to this have been looking at moving to Alberta to be with my girlfriend who is a Canadian citizen I have been looking into emigrating for about a month now have spoken with a few Immigration lawyer's.(not payed any fees) I was looking at coming over on a work permit for 12-24 months and then applying for PR but the lawyers said I was to old (I'm 32) to do that.a couple lawyers have said I almost have enough points to go down another pr/visa route but not sure where to start
Thanks in advance for your help

Re: Not sure where to start
 

Have you tried the Immigration Questionnaire?
You may be eligible for Express Entry?

Re: Not sure where to start
 

Immigration questionnaire???
Where can I find this?

Re: Not sure where to start
 

Re: Not sure where to start
 

Cool thanks I'll take a look

Re: Not sure where to start
 

Hi, and welcome to BE.

You're not too old to get a work permit (any age can get one), you're just too old for an IEC visa, which is a Working Holiday Visa for those aged 30 and under. So if you can get a job offer and LMIA, a 'normal' work permit would be fine, although depending on what you do, it may be tricky to convince an employer to sponsor you and to get the LMIA.

'Almost' enough? That's not going to work then, you either have enough or you don't - have a look at the link above, and if it says you're eligible for Express Entry then that's the points based system so you'll need to check your point score.

But start with the link above, let us know what it says and hopefully we can help you figure it out.

Best of luck.

Re: Not sure where to start
 

I took a look at the link above and went to the link to find out if I'm eligible but the 2nd question is the language test I haven't done a language test yet so says I'm not eligible

On the other hand I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that my girlfriends dad has got me a job that will sponsor me they are looking into what they need to do to sponsor me at the moment so waiting to hear back from them

Re: Not sure where to start
 

Have you lived with your girlfriend for at least 12 months continuously and can prove it?

If so, you could go down the 'spousal sponsorship' route.

Re: Not sure where to start
 

But do the eligibility questionnaire as if you have taken the test - you can assume maximum points for now, as a native English speaker (with a bit of practising you should get that). So what does it say now?

As mentioned above, they need to apply for a LMIA for you. For this they have to prove that they have advertised the job across Canada at prevailing wage, and been unable to find a Canadian willing, or able, to do the job. The LMIA will cost your potential employer $1000 and takes anywhere between 2 weeks and 4 months to give you a rough idea. If you have the skills/experience they are looking for, and they genuinely have advertised the job and can't find a Canadian to do it, then that's a good option for you if you're not eligible for PR. Once you've got the written job offer, and the LMIA, you can then get a temporary work permit.

HTH a bit.

Re: Not sure where to start
 

That's actually a really good point, I'd assumed that the OP is in the UK and the gf is in Canada, but on re-reading the post it's not clear who is where. Would be soooo much easier if they do qualify for that route!

Re: Not sure where to start
 

Hi sorry been a bit busy the last couple days
Firstly I'm in the UK and my girlfriend is in Canada and unfortunately we have not lived together for 12 months
Secondly I did the test again the English test scores at max (on IELTS) and it says I'm eligible

Re: Not sure where to start
 

Eligible for what? To enter the pool? How many FSW points do you have (this number is probably between 50-75), and how many CRS points? (this is probably between 350 and 500)?

Re: Not sure where to start
 

It says (Based on your answers you appear to be eligible for express entry
Didn't say anything about fsw points though

Re: Not sure where to start
 

Fsw points calculator at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/apply-factors.asp - you probably have over 67 needed to get into the pool

Crs calculator at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/crs-tool.asp - you probably need 440ish to stand a decent chance of being drawn out, though this has gone as low as the 420s

Re: Not sure where to start
 

Fsw 73
CRS 403