JayCaulls

Morning & afternoon all!

So I am planning to move & work in Canada to be with my partner (Canadian Citizen by Birth), who I have already visited & want to start a life away from the UK. I will be moving in with her in Northumberland County, Ontario, so a place to live is already sorted & planned.I have a question now & potentially a number of questions later and apologise in advance as looking back at what I've typed in this thread before posting it does look like I want my hand held. But, I just to make sure I'm doing things in the right order, legally & efficiently for the moving & applying process. Plus with so much information & programs it's extremely intimidating, even after staring for a few days!

First, a little bit of info about myself which I feel will effect what types of programs & services I can apply for:

- I am British, born & lived in all my life
- 32 Years old, which after reading a little on the "Moving to Canada at 18 Years Old" thread means I cannot do the IEC (18-30 y.o)
- After looking at the Express Entry, do not identify as a skilled worker. (Most of my work experience is in retail/hospitality with no higher than a Supervisor Role 5+ years ago)
- Have applied for a transfer within my company, that has sales offices in Toronto, but unlikely to have it granted as I work in Factory Production
- Education, no university degrees & only a BTEC for Music Practice which I do not think will get me very far when applying for anything
- As stated above I have already been to Canada for 16 days as a Visitor, I don't know if this can help me on any applications.

So my main question is about when I should ideally apply for a work permit & if there are any recommended programs I should look into with my info above should my work's transfer not happen (very likely)? I will take anything that can give me an income & am aware that my only options may be low & medium-skilled jobs.
My plan is to move over at the end of April & start work June. I have the funds to pay and survive a few months & know that I can be in Canada 6 Months as a visitor. If everything goes well we do plan to get married plus I will want to apply for Permanent Residency as soon as I can.

If I have missed any important information then please let me know! Thank you for reading!

christmasoompa

Hi, welcome to BE.

No problem at all, that's what BE is for.

Correct, unless by any chance you have Irish citizenship (or could get it via an Irish grandparent etc)?

A supervisory role would normally qualify as skilled. Have you checked your CRS score?

Sorry to say, but that doesn't sound as though it would qualify you for an intra-company transfer work permit anyway, even if your company were prepared to move you. So it would be quite complex for them to get you a visa. You can see details of the ICT route here - https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Intra...ransfer-Canada

No, afraid not.

I think you're missing a step. For a 'normal' work permit, you need a job offer and sponsoring employer, you can't just apply for the work permit without that. The employer must first apply for something called a LMIA, this costs them $1000 and takes around 3-4 months usually, for it they must prove that they have advertised the job across Canada and been unable to find a Canadian wiling, or able, to do the job. So it's not just a case of taking any job, you'll need to prove that you have more experience/relevant skills than any Canadians that apply for it, so it will have to be something you have already done. You simply won't get a LMIA granted for a job that you don't have experience of.

Sorry to be blunt, but there's no way that timescale will happen.

Note it's 'up to' 6 months, you may well be given less. You'll need to convince a border officer you are a genuine visitor, so if you do visit again make sure you have proof of ties to the UK etc, and don't be surprised if you are given less than 6 months entry, especially with a Canadian girlfriend.

One thing you've not mentioned above when looking at visa options is a spousal based visa? You mentioned marriage, but that may be your only route to a visa from what you've said, so could be worth looking at if you feel ready to get married sooner than later?

If marriage isn't an option, then check your CRS score for Express Entry, and have a look at your NOC code (and any NOC codes for previous jobs), and we'll see if we can help you figure out a way over.

​​​​​​​Good luck.

JayCaulls

That's a no unfortunately.

I haven't yet and can look at checking that now, I take it that's this one? (Can't post links) cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/crs-tool.asp

I knew there was a step I missed, is there a way I can find a list or site with jobs that are open for those looking for immigration? As $1000 I should imagine is an amount very few will be willing to part with.

Will look into & discuss this with her if all else fails.

Thank you for the honesty & help with the questions!

christmasoompa

Yep, that's it. In all honesty, you're not likely to score enough (would need to be approx 460 or more) without a degree, but it's worth checking.

You'd be surprised, over 100k LMIA's are applied for most years, but obviously they're usually for those with specialist skills. Employers generally won't go through the hassle and pay, when they can easily find a Canadian to do the job. There's no list that I'm aware of, Job Bank is the government job listing service (employers must advertise the job on here to qualify for a LMIA), so you could have a look on there - https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/home

HTH.

JayCaulls

Assuming I get the top tier scores on the CELPIP-G or IELTS (I'm assuming I would have to take this test) language tests & "ii. In the last 10 years, how many total years of foreign skilled work experience do you have?" means UK work exp as a Supervisor at a restaurant (3 Years or More over the last 10 years), my score is at most 280 - If NOC of Job Offer is Level C or D.

I'm finding the majority of the offers saying

"Only apply to this job if:

• You are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.
• You have a valid Canadian work permit."

Silly question, but would the 2nd option would mean I still cannot apply for the job even as part of me trying to get said valid Canadian work permit?

christmasoompa

OK, so EE isn't an option for now.

Yes, it means they won't sponsor so you'd need to be work authorised already.

Can you look up your exact NOC code, for your current job and any others you've done in the past few years as well?

JayCaulls

Previous Jobs
Retail Salespersons - 6421
Food Service Supervisor - 6311

Current Job
I calibrate & configure Flow Meters in a Factory to record & read mass & density levels currently. The closest I could find is possibly... Assemblers and inspectors, electrical appliance, apparatus & equipment manufacturing -9524

However, not a qualified electrician at all, and a lot of the jobs within that NOC look like it's required (Do not need the qualification for my current job)

Thank you so much for your help so far

christmasoompa

OK. And does it have to be Ontario? Or would she consider moving elsewhere in Canada?

JayCaulls

Unfortunately anywhere apart from Ontario is out of the question due to keeping within distance to her own family.

christmasoompa

Ah, that's a shame. Would you by any chance have the funds for studying in Canada? That would get you over there so you could live together, and you could work part-time if you were on a study permit.

If not, I think your only option realistically would be to visit regularly, job hunt each time you go there just on the off chance you'll find an employer prepared to sponsor you (have a good read of the Job Hunting section of the Wiki for tips), and then hopefully you can get married and apply for spouse sponsorship down the line (if you can't get a work permit before then).

Best of luck.

JayCaulls

That's... An interesting route, and one I've never ever thought of, quickly googled and saw $20k per year so I don't know if I could last more than 2 years on that, haha!

Would this be the Temporary Work Permit route? For instance an "Employer-Specific Work Permit" should I get a job offer, which if I'm correct in seeing will give me around 6 months a time?

christmasoompa

2 years would be long enough to get you PR though (via spousal sponsorship), you do have to show living costs as well to get the visa ($10k a year IIRC), so factor that in.

Yes, it would be a temp work permit but 6 months would be very unusual. They’re usually for 1-3 years. And yes, you’d need a job offer and LMIA to get one.

HTH.