Residency and work permits
 

Hi
We are looking to move to Victoria in Canada. My wife is Canadian. We originally planned to move last summer but we were advised that the work permit rules had changed and that I wouldn't be able to get a work permit until my residency was secured. We were advised to stay in the UK apply for spousal sponsorship outland from the UK so I could work once we moved to Canada. We applied for the spousal programme in December 2023 and we are facing a long wait for it to be processed (12 months).
However I have done more reading and it appears it is actually now easier for a spouse of a Canadian citizen to get a temporary visa and work permit (new rules announced in May 2023 a new open work permit for spousal applicants in Canada). Is this the case and if so can we move to Canada and apply via the inland spousal programme?

Re: Residency and work permits
 

Not sure who advised you, but they seem to be confused. Inland spousal applicants have been able to get a work permit for many years (since 2016/2017ish IIRC), it's outland applicants that were added to that in May 2023. So you don't need to start a new inland application to take advantage of that (and in fact, that really wouldn't be advised - it's a risky strategy unless you're already in Canada on another status such a a study or work permit).

So you can just move once you've got Sponsor Approval (if not already received) under Dual Intent and you can apply for a work permit. Just be aware that the work permit can take 4-5 months to receive, so do factor in not being able to work for that long.

HTH, good luck.