[rjessome]

I was directed to this site by one of my clients in Ireland. I started reading through and saw that some of you really need some correct information about immigration rules and procedures for Canada. I'm a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant and thought I would start this thread to answer some questions. I read the forum rules and will abide by their rules about not selling services or advertising my company. However, that leaves me at a disadvantage because I cannot give you my name so that you can verify my credentials. It's a pickle. However, everything I will tell you will be backed up by the Canadian laws governing Immigration programs. Information is also available on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website located at www.cic.gc.ca so you can verify for yourself every piece of advice I give.

Really, I just want to volunteer to answer questions about the process of immigrating to Canada. The rules are tricky and the red tape is vast. I know most of you are interested in jobs. So let me start by giving you some good Canadian websites.

www.jobbank.gc.ca
www.monster.ca
www.hcareers.ca
www.workopolis.com
www.cooljobscanada.com


These are reputable job websites that are free to job seekers. Craig's List and Kijiji are also popular but because they are free posting sites for employers without any real oversight, there are PLENTY of scams on them. So BE CAREFUL. DO NOT send anyone money to find you a job! That is illegal in Canada.

So ask away. I'll try to come into this forum at least once a day to answer questions.

[NoelAPM]

Hey, If you get a chance can you advise on the post i made recently?

Found here; http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2056568969

[rjessome]

Originally Posted by NoelAPM

Hey, If you get a chance can you advise on the post i made recently?

Found here; http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2056568969

Hi,

You have two questions.

1. Do you send the fee payment with the application?
NO. When applying for the IEC program through the Canadian High Commission in London, there are 2 steps to the process. First, you must be accepted into the IEC program. If you receive an email of acceptance, THEN you pay the application fee. The email will contain the instructions.
The good news is that this fee will be refunded if your work permit application is not approved. The instruction guide you were reading was for the 2nd set of documents that you only submit AFTER you have been accepted into the program.

2. What proof should you provide to show you have legal status in Australia?
As I am unfamiliar with Australian immigration procedures I can only compare it to what would be appropriate for Canada. When you arrived in AUS, did you receive a work permit or a special visa or stamp in your passport that indicated your status under the Working Holiday Visa program? If yes, a copy of any document or stamp pertaining to this is what you should include to prove your legal status in AUS.

I hope that helps.

rjessome

[NoelAPM]

Thank you. Much appreciated!

Required Documents

Set 1 – to be reviewed by the IEC section
Set 2 – to be reviewed by the Visa Section
The Application Package that you send to The High Commission of Canada to the UK in London consists of two sets of documents that have to be submitted together.

It does say you submit them together tho..

[rjessome]

Originally Posted by NoelAPM

Thank you. Much appreciated!

Required Documents

Set 1 – to be reviewed by the IEC section
Set 2 – to be reviewed by the Visa Section
The Application Package that you send to The High Commission of Canada to the UK in London consists of two sets of documents that have to be submitted together.

It does say you submit them together tho..

Yes, you are right. So much for my first answer! I have to be honest, IEC is something I normally encourage applicants to do themselves, without hiring me. It's pretty straight forward and easy. 99% of my work is the more complicated stuff of permanent residency and dealing with inadmissibility issues.

But I was right about the fee. You only pay it after you receive the email that you've been accepted.

The IEC charges a Participation Fee of $150 CDN (about £90), but you will now pay this fee by electronic bank transfer to the Government of Canada only after you have been notified by email that your application has been accepted.

[NoelAPM]

Yea it is straight forward. But the website Definitely has conflicting info.

Thanks for your time. Hopefully ill be arranging Permanent residency with you in the near future.

[rjessome]

Originally Posted by NoelAPM

Yea it is straight forward. But the website Definitely has conflicting info.

Thanks for your time. Hopefully ill be arranging Permanent residency with you in the near future.

I know it's confusing sometimes. I spend a great deal of time at the beginning of every application just educating clients about what this stuff means. The language is ambiguous and their intentions are not always clear.

You're welcome. Good luck in Canada. I hope you like it here!

And just a final piece of advice. Pay attention to the skill level of any job you get here. The higher the skill level, the more options available to apply for permanent residency to Canada. There are also several different provincial programs available depending upon which province you settle in. And the best opportunities are available in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan at the moment.

[123bar56]

hi travelling to canada 1st of June however i may not have my working visa on time.Is flagpoling the best way to get around this ie enter canada on a holiday visa and once you receive working visa cross boarder into USA then come immediately back thus activating your working visa.Is this method accepted or can it cause you some trouble.thanks in advance

[Niamh84]

Hi really appreciate you giving the time to give advice so I dont want to ask too many questions. Myself and my boyfriend are currently in Toronto and applying for second year IEC. But we want to apply for permanent residency in the near future. Ive been looking at both the skilled worker visa and provincial nominee programme. We are both working in administrative jobs. Is it going to be mandatory to get sponsored by an employer for either programme? Are you then locked into that particular job? Im hoping if one of us can get sponsored the other can apply as common law partner. Thanks in advance. I know its probably a detailed question.

[token101]

What are the odds of getting an LMO in Canada once the IEC expires if you don't have a trade but a degree only? Is it a lot of hassle/expense for employers involved? From what I can gather, most of the 'professional' type jobs are based in Toronto, there seems to no jobs for marketing/business jobs in Calgary/Edmonton/Ottawa or even Saskatoon.

Thanks for answering the questions, no harm in a bit of free advertising if you're giving something for nothing either

[rjessome]

Originally Posted by 123bar56

hi travelling to canada 1st of June however i may not have my working visa on time.Is flagpoling the best way to get around this ie enter canada on a holiday visa and once you receive working visa cross boarder into USA then come immediately back thus activating your working visa.Is this method accepted or can it cause you some trouble.thanks in advance

Are you applying in the IEC program or for a regular work permit? In either case, yes, "flagpoling" should work for you. The only danger would be if you had an outstanding warrant in the US because they will look you up on their system. I'm assuming that's not going to be an issue. Just ensure you have the proper documents with you for your program when you flagpole.

The safest bet (and I like to be cautious) is to wait until you have the necessary approvals before entering Canada at all. When you enter as a visitor at the port of entry to Canada, the officer admitting you will ask about your intentions regarding your stay in Canada. If you advise them that you are waiting for approval of some type of work permit, they may limit your visitor permit giving you a time limit to get it done. You can't lie to them because they have access to the same system as the overseas missions and can see that you have an application in process. If you do lie to them they could determine that you have misrepresented yourself and then bar you from entering Canada for up to two years, putting you back on plane home. That's pretty extreme but it would be easier if you just had all of your documents with you at the time of your first entry.

Hope that helps.

rjessome

[krudler]

when going throught the IEC, do you have to have the 2500 dollars in your bank account at the time you apply or just once you're accepted?

[conall.doherty]

How long does it usually take from sending off your forms to getting your visa, assuming no problems along the way?

When you get to the stage of payment does that mean your application has been accepted and you will get the visa? My friend has a prior misdemeanour on his criminal record so we are delaying booking flights until we get at least provisionally accepted. Lastly, does a minor criminal record affect your chances much?

thanks very much for taking the time to answer questions

[rjessome]

Originally Posted by Niamh84

Hi really appreciate you giving the time to give advice so I dont want to ask too many questions. Myself and my boyfriend are currently in Toronto and applying for second year IEC. But we want to apply for permanent residency in the near future. Ive been looking at both the skilled worker visa and provincial nominee programme. We are both working in administrative jobs. Is it going to be mandatory to get sponsored by an employer for either programme? Are you then locked into that particular job? Im hoping if one of us can get sponsored the other can apply as common law partner. Thanks in advance. I know its probably a detailed question.

Hi. Your situation does require a detailed response and full assessment. However, I will try to answer as best I can using the general rules. The provincial nominee program DOES require the support of the employer. However, I would be concerned about exactly what positions you are working in as you only describe them as administrative. To be eligible for a PNP (provincial nominee program) your job must be in a skill level 0, A or B as defined by Service Canada's skills Matrix. These generally mean jobs requiring technical/academic education (degree or trade) or training or must be in a supervisory/management role. You also must have a minimum of two years experience in the same position to be eligible to apply in the PNP. The purpose of the PNPs in various provinces is so that the regional government can have a say in the immigration mix, supporting the permanent residence of applicants who bring needed skills and experience. In the General or Strategic Occupation streams the application requires employer support. So YES, the person sponsored by the employer would be required to stay with that employer at least until they become a permanent resident of Canada.

Some provinces have programs that accept people working in lower skilled positions. BUT you would need to be working in those provinces for a minimum amount of time before being eligible to apply. Each program is different because it depends on the needs of that particular province. Google any provinces name along with "Provincial Nominee Program" and you can read about the requirements of each. The beauty of the PNPs is that you are able to extend your work permits to remain working in Canada until permanent residence is approved. That means you bypass Service Canada and the labour market opinion (LMO) process. It's also a direct path to permanent residence and the assessment factors at the federal level are different from that of a regular skilled worker. The downside is they are BIG applications that can be expensive depending upon whether a province charges an application fee and the work required to complete a solid application.

Other options may also be available under the Federal Skilled Worker program but it depends on your backgrounds and whether or not an employer is willing to offer a permanent position in a SKILLED position. A points assessment is involved with a minimum passmark. However, this program does NOT allow you to extend your work permits to remain in Canada until processing is complete. The employer would have to go through the LMO process with Service Canada. And that does tie you to one employer as well.

If permanent residence to Canada is the goal you must do some strategic planning. PNP is wonderful. Really, it is the BEST way to apply if it is available to you. Yes, you may have to commit to an employer for a couple of years BUT you have to look at the end goal. My advice would be to research various PNPs. You may even have to move to a province that has better programs. But keep the end goal in mind.

Hope that helps.

rjessome

[rjessome]

Originally Posted by token101

What are the odds of getting an LMO in Canada once the IEC expires if you don't have a trade but a degree only? Is it a lot of hassle/expense for employers involved? From what I can gather, most of the 'professional' type jobs are based in Toronto, there seems to no jobs for marketing/business jobs in Calgary/Edmonton/Ottawa or even Saskatoon.

Thanks for answering the questions, no harm in a bit of free advertising if you're giving something for nothing either

Hi. This is a question I get asked all the time. But put the focus on yourself, your skills and abilities. The wonderful thing about IEC is it gives you a chance to PROVE your worth to employers. It's an open permit so you are free to find a job and employer that suits you. You are also free to be promoted and moved around within a company. Employers are often intimidated by the LMO process especially for untested workers. BUT what I see is that once they "fall in love" with an employee who has shown their worth, they will bend over backwards to keep them, including doing LMOs, PNPs, etc. So look at it like YOUR opportunity to show them how valuable you are to their business. No company wants to lose a key employee.

All the professional jobs are NOT in Toronto! While it is Canada's largest city it is by no means the only place to find professional employment! Cities all across Canada employ professionals and there are plenty of opportunities in ANY Canadian city. Think about it. All companies, no matter what their end product or service, require skilled administrative, financial and sales management. Sorry but I get really annoyed when I hear people say "all the jobs are in Toronto". Cities like Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, etc. ALSO need professionals.

Hope that helps.

rjessome