Andy_331

Hi all,

I am coming over to Canada on a BUNAC visa on Saturday (11th Oct). I have a job organised with my current employer from the UK. I am planning to apply for permanent residency as soon as I begin work through the PNP.

I am just wondering if there is anything to prevent me from returning to the UK (at say Christmas) or going down to the States to meet up with friends for a couple of weeks whilst waiting for my PNP/PR application to be processes?

I would really appreciate any help/advice at all.

Thanks

Judy in Calgary

Hello, Andy, and welcome to the BE forum.

The working holiday visa that you get through BUNAC allows multiple entries to Canada. So, yes, you can pop home to the UK for Christmas, visit friends in the USA, or whatever.
x

Andy_331

Hi Judy- Thanks very much for your response and advice. I am aware that I can leave and re enter Canada with the BUNAC visa, but I was asking more from a PNP/PR perspective i.e. I will be applying for PR through a PNP when I get to Canada. Once my application has been submitted, is there anything to stop me (or is it advisable) not to leave Canada before PR has been either granted/denied?

Many thanks again

lof

what counts for re-entry is your bunac visa. as long as that is valid the chance of being denied entry at poe is pretty small, isn't it?

usually you can apply for a standard work permit once you've been nominated as a provincial nominee. with a confirmation lettre from your provincial pnp-office you don't need a lmo for that (i posted about r204(c), which outlines that in cic's foreign worker manual, before). this wp would enable you to continue working for your employer after your one year bunac visa runs out and while you are waiting for your pr-application to be processed.

as for leaving canada while your pr application is processed, if my experience counts for anything:
i got nominated by bcpnp mid february 2007, sent my pr-application to cic buffalo early march 2007 (file transfer to seattle later end of march), spent the whole month of may 2007 in europe to tie up loose ends, went for medicals as soon as i was back in canada (early june 2007) and got ppr in september 2007.
the only "problem" in the whole process in relation to leaving the country was that the medical request had the post stamp of the day i flew to europe, so that lettre was waiting for me for three or four weeks. but who am i to complain about having "lost" a couple of weeks in processing time?

jhorsfield30

Bunac is pretty good on the re-entry option, anyone done a non-student then a student option?
jon

Monkey Puzzle

We had non-student BUNAC visas when we arrived in November 2006. Ours stated very clearly on them "does not permit re-entry" which caused a bit of concern when we got them. However, BUNAC confirmed that it was fine to leave the country and re-enter during their validity.

We did this when we went home for a visit with no problems.

(We were so lucky with the timing of our BUNAC visas as we were nearly 35 when we used them. I believe they have now lowered the age limit to 30 ...we'd be deemed too over the hill now! Phew..)

We applied for TWPs in plenty of time before the BUNAC visa ran out. However, it took forever for them to be processed in Vegreville. Whilst waiting, we had to leave the country and were really worried about re-entry ...we were advised by CIC that we had "no status" as the BUNAC visas were out of date without new TWPs being issued in time and that our re-entry (or not) would "depend on the official on the day"!! (They really said that.)

Landing at Vancouver airport was nerve wracking but the first-line official just waved us through! Arrgh! We then had to decide ..get our bags and come home to Vancouver Island sharpish (in the hope the visas would one day appear from Vegreville) or join the line up at the immigration office in the airport and try to get our visas there and then. I was for doing the former but was persuaded otherwise! Anyway, after a long wait (and fabulous people watching) we got our TWPs issued at the airport, after explaining that we'd applied and had been waiting. We also had a tonne of paperwork regarding the application with us as evidence.

We were so relieved. The whole thing is such a minefield and I firmly believe that your experience can be so different depending on the individual official you happen to get. Isn't that awful? It shouldn't be that way but I'm sure it is. Hope for a nice young rookie who isn't jaded and fed up yet if you're ever in a similar situation!

Whatever your situation, if you are concerned about re-entry, make sure you have ALL your documentation with you along with dates of application, etc. I'm sure knowing vaguely what you're talking about is a real help!