Permanent Residency FAQ

MarkJD · 26-03-2015 11:53pm

Hey Folks,

Probably gonna ask this of Circular Flexing and COYVB as im also currently in BC so they may be able to answer best but welcome any other tips and advise.

So... Myself and my wife both got the 2 year IEC work visa and arrived here in Canada on 29th July 2014. I myself got a transfer with the company i work for. Iv been with them a total of 5 years (4.3 years previously in Ireland). At the time they had allocated budget and approved to have me sponsored on a work permit. After discussing with the work permit people (Emigra was chosen) it was decided that the IEC work visa we had was much better than anything they could provide as it offered flexibility to work in most industries and not being tied to one employer etc. It was also advised that the budget that was allocated could be used as part of the PR process and that i should reach back out after the initial 6 months to get the process going.

So i reached back out mid Feb there and looked to kick the process of only to find out the company i work for has moved to another immigration firm and all they have provided me with so far is a link to the CIC website with info on the Express Entry and after reviewing that im a bit lost. Basically there was a tool to check and see if we were eligible but obviously failed that after teh second question because we haven't done any language tests or anything. After reading the last few pages it seems that there may be some other options to go through to eventually get PR. I think ill be in a position to push back some costs on my company and request any permits or sponsorships that will be required but im not sure what i should be asking for.

The EE process seems to be more of a self process and hope you are one of the diamonds in the rough. Or is the EE the only way to do it now but having the LMIA or PNP gives you a much better chance of getting the PR? I have a feeling that i can reach out to the job and tell them what i need and they will get it. But what is the approach i should take? Am i still going to have to take a language test and other stuff regardless? Appreciate this is a long post so thanks for reading / helping.

davwain · 27-03-2015 5:20pm

circular flexing wrote: »

No it doesn't. IEC permits are not extendable and do not carry any implied status whatsoever.

In order to get a new work permit, you would need to get an LMIA. You could then use the LMIA to get a temp work permit while waiting for the PR to be completed. You would need to get an LMIA anyway, as at the moment, the points are such that only those with LMIA are being invited to apply.

I admit that some countries count the time spent there, on work and/or study permits, towards getting permanent residency. Starting this fall, my brother will be studying in the US, and may choose to live there permanently. At least he speaks English, which should help him, in applying for a local Green Card, should he choose to base himself stateside permanently. At least 2 of my relatives moved permanently to the US despite being born in Canada.

Adventure · 28-03-2015 10:26am

MarkJD wrote: »

Hey Folks,

Probably gonna ask this of Circular Flexing and COYVB as im also currently in BC so they may be able to answer best but welcome any other tips and advise.

So... Myself and my wife both got the 2 year IEC work visa and arrived here in Canada on 29th July 2014. I myself got a transfer with the company i work for. Iv been with them a total of 5 years (4.3 years previously in Ireland). At the time they had allocated budget and approved to have me sponsored on a work permit. After discussing with the work permit people (Emigra was chosen) it was decided that the IEC work visa we had was much better than anything they could provide as it offered flexibility to work in most industries and not being tied to one employer etc. It was also advised that the budget that was allocated could be used as part of the PR process and that i should reach back out after the initial 6 months to get the process going.

So i reached back out mid Feb there and looked to kick the process of only to find out the company i work for has moved to another immigration firm and all they have provided me with so far is a link to the CIC website with info on the Express Entry and after reviewing that im a bit lost. Basically there was a tool to check and see if we were eligible but obviously failed that after teh second question because we haven't done any language tests or anything. After reading the last few pages it seems that there may be some other options to go through to eventually get PR. I think ill be in a position to push back some costs on my company and request any permits or sponsorships that will be required but im not sure what i should be asking for.

The EE process seems to be more of a self process and hope you are one of the diamonds in the rough. Or is the EE the only way to do it now but having the LMIA or PNP gives you a much better chance of getting the PR? I have a feeling that i can reach out to the job and tell them what i need and they will get it. But what is the approach i should take? Am i still going to have to take a language test and other stuff regardless? Appreciate this is a long post so thanks for reading / helping.

EE is the only way to apply for PR now:
1. Do IELTS exam
2. Get a permaent job offer letter
3. Get a positive LMIA or a PNP nomination
4. Apply through Canadian Experience Class in EE or Federal Skilled Worker if your job meets criteria.
5. In meantime you can use LMIA/ PNP to get a temporary work permit while waiting for the PR to go through

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 24-06-2015 5:52pm

We received your application for permanent residence on February 26, 2014.
We started processing your application on May 29, 2015.
Medical results have been received.
A decision has been made on your application. The office will contact you concerning this decision.

They finally updated my CIC application status a week after sending me an email telling me they'd be in touch to schedule my landing interview. So huzzah! The double confirmation I wanted just to be sure!

Make21 · 24-06-2015 7:58pm

Hello all!

I have had a look through this thread an I am still a little confused so if anyone has time to reply to this query I'd be very appreciative!

I am in Canada on the 2 years IEC Visa, it expires in October this year

I have a job and have had it for just over 1 year.

I wish to extend my stay and my company is happy to sponsor me to do so.

What, in your opinion, is my best option?

I believe I can submit a LMIA and possibly extend my work permit for another 2 years, is this correct?

I see talk of PR and the Express Entry, is this something I should consider?

Destination province is Alberta and I work in Ecommerce, I fall into the 0 NOC category.

Thanks for any advice - COYVB your posts were VERY helpful to me when I first applied for the IEC so I am delighted to see things are working out well for you!

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 24-06-2015 9:32pm

You cannot extend an IEC, however you could get a new temporary resident visa and work permit should your company be willing to do a LMIA for you as far as I know. You also have the option of applying for permanent residency via Canadian Experience Class, assuming you have desirable qualifications and work experience, and you company doesn't mind the paperwork to back up your application.

Being in a NOC 0 category is a very good start, as you shouldn't have any major issues getting a positive LMIA there, while you're also exempt from the 4 year temporary worker maximum

Note that the above may have changed with the last round of amendments they made to immigration, but if they have I'm sure someone else can correct them.

I'd also recommend giving the CIC a call. Your mileage may vary depending on who you speak to, but I've never found them to be anything other than brilliant in terms of giving me advice

circular flexing · 24-06-2015 9:40pm

Make21 wrote: »

I believe I can submit a LMIA and possibly extend my work permit for another 2 years, is this correct?

I see talk of PR and the Express Entry, is this something I should consider?

You employer can submit an application for an LMIA. It will cost them $1000 and they have to prove that no Canadians can do the job.

http://www.esdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/foreign_workers/higher_skilled/permanent/index.shtml

The number of LMIAs issues has fallen by 75% since they tightened up the criteria last year so it's not as sure as it used to be.

You should definitely consider EE under CEC or FSW. However, without the LMIA (or a provincial nomination), you are unlikely to have enough points to be selected (depending on age, education etc..).

Faith · 24-06-2015 11:50pm

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker wrote: »

They finally updated my CIC application status a week after sending me an email telling me they'd be in touch to schedule my landing interview. So huzzah! The double confirmation I wanted just to be sure!

It took them 15 months to start processing your application?! Wow, that's slower than I expected!

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 25-06-2015 1:28am

Faith wrote: »

It took them 15 months to start processing your application?! Wow, that's slower than I expected!

Got the email they were processing it in February, the May date is the day they requested my medical stuff, so I think that's slightly wrong. Took less than 30 days from requesting the medical to make a decision though. It says on the site that's another 10 months or so

Muahahaha · 25-06-2015 2:16pm

Does anyone know approx costs for being successful at gaining PR by doing it yourself? Just got quoted approx €5k by a visa company here !

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 25-06-2015 3:52pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Does anyone know approx costs for being successful at gaining PR by doing it yourself? Just got quoted approx €5k by a visa company here !

It cost me $1,540 total, including open work permit, processing fees and right to permanent residency fee, but mine was Spousal Sponsorship

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 25-06-2015 4:44pm

Just got my letter. I become a permanent resident this day next week!

Crann na Beatha · 25-06-2015 6:47pm

This post has been deleted.

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 25-06-2015 7:12pm

JT26 wrote: »

If your spouse sponsors you can you work if your company willing to give you a work permit?

If your spouse sponsors you you don't need a company to get you a work permit, unless you mean while the sponsorship is waiting to be processed? Basically the process is:

1) You're in Canada on a valid visa and work permit (IEC does not count for this as far as I know)
2) You do the sponsorship application and apply for an open work permit at the same time (cost of $1040)
3) Immediately, you've got implied acceptance, so it doesn't matter how long the process takes, you're allowed to stay and work in Canada on the exact terms you had on your current work permit
4) Once processing starts, they'll look after the open work permit first. You'll get this, and it's valid for 2 years. You can work for any company in Canada, and come and go as you please
5) Next you'll get a mail that they're processing your sponsorship application, followed by a request to go do a medical consisting of very basic checkup, blood test for HIV and syphilis and a chest X-Ray (cost of $90). Unless you've got something that's a danger to the Canadian public, you cannot fail the medical under spousal sponsorship, whereas you CAN under all other permanent residency applications (eg if you're overweight and considered a potential drain on the health system)
6) After the medical paperwork has been submitted (the doctor who did mine did all the filing herself), you'll get an email that your processing has completed and your nearest CIC centre will be in touch regarding an interview to finalize the process.
7) You'll get another mail about a week after that telling you where and when your landing interview is (this is the point I got to today)
8) Next is your landing interview, which isn't an interview at all. You and your spouse go along with 2 forms of ID each and proof of address, and you bring 2 permanent residency spec photos (they send you the info for that), and you get your PR approved there and then. Many landing centres also sort out your new SIN card there too, since you no longer start with a 9, and get a 5 instead
9) You're officially a permanent resident of Canada, but you have to wait about 6-8 weeks for your PR card to arrive in the mail

The alternative is that if you DON'T have a valid visa and work permit, you can apply but you cannot work while the application is being processed unless a company successfully gets an LMIA for you. Based on my experience from an inland application, you'll be waiting about a year for your open work permit to arrive at the end of the first phase. You cannot work in the country before that without due process being followed (a successful LMIA).

Another way is to apply from overseas. That used to be a lot faster, but apparently it's slowed down a lot now. The procedure is the same, once you're approved in principal you'll get your open work permit and can enter the country and work

Crann na Beatha · 25-06-2015 7:56pm

This post has been deleted.

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 25-06-2015 9:05pm

Whole thing costs about $1195 (I got tuat wrong twice earlier lol earlier and can't edit) as far as I can remember. That's for the sponsorship application, right to permanent residence fee and open work permit fee. You've to add on $90 for your medical down the line too though

The paperwork is really straightforward and should only take a day to get filled out, though you'll also need a garda cert on top of that so factor that into your time.

Apply for that now if you're planning on submitting the application in the next 3 months and save a bit of time

circular flexing · 25-06-2015 11:31pm

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker wrote: »

If your spouse sponsors

Spouse or common law partner

you you don't need a company to get you a work permit, unless you mean while the sponsorship is waiting to be processed? Basically the process is:

1) You're in Canada on a valid visa and work permit (IEC does not count for this as far as I know)

Why would IEC not count? The only thing with IEC is you do not benefit from implied status, but aside from that it's the same as any other work permit.

Another way is to apply from overseas. That used to be a lot faster, but apparently it's slowed down a lot now. The procedure is the same, once you're approved in principal you'll get your open work permit and can enter the country and work

You cannot get a work permit if you apply outland, it's only available if you apply inland, even after AIP.

There's a good wiki maintained on British Expats about spousal sponsorship.

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Spousal_Sponsorship-Canada

circular flexing · 26-06-2015 1:03am

Faith wrote: »

It took them 15 months to start processing your application?! Wow, that's slower than I expected!

That's for spousal sponsorship. From reading other forums it looks like they are processing Express Entry applications in about 4-5 months.

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 26-06-2015 1:10am

circular flexing wrote: »

Why would IEC not count? The only thing with IEC is you do not benefit from implied status, but aside from that it's the same as any other work permit.

Yeah I worded that quite poorly. Waiting times are currently listing as 25 months between phase 1 and phase 2, an IEC lasts 24 months. If you're on one and your application is in line with the projections, you will be unable to work or stay under your current terms of temporary residency.

Say you're on an IEC with 4 months left, I didn't want to give the impression that applying for PR will fix anything - you're not going to be able to work once that visa expires, and if you don't change your status to visitor before expiration, you're technically in breach of your visa terms which could cause further issues.

circular flexing wrote: »

Spouse or common law partner

Again, true, but he asked the question of if your spouse sponsors you, so I was just replying to that, rather than making any kind of blanket statement about all sponsorship types.

circular flexing wrote: »

You cannot get a work permit if you apply outland, it's only available if you apply inland, even after AIP.

That I did not know! For some reason I had assumed they were one in the same. Good thing I didn't go outland then :P

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 26-06-2015 1:11am

circular flexing wrote: »

That's for spousal sponsorship

And that was with a bit of queue skipping. Current processing times listed on the CIC site are 15 months just for initial assessment and an additional 10 months for background checks, medicals etc.

Tiddlypeeps · 26-06-2015 10:08am

I'm going through the express entry process at the moment. Almost ready to submit the application, just waiting on the education assessment to come back any day now. The application doesn't mention anything about garda assessment or medical checks, will I need to get these at some point? And if yes at what point are they usually needed?

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 26-06-2015 1:01pm

I've got no experience with the EE side of things, it came in long after I set the ball rolling on my own application, but if it's anything like the more traditional routes, you'll need both as part of clearance for entry.

On the medical side of things you need to tick to boxes; 1) you won't place excessive strain on Canada's healthcare systems (eg you've got an existing condition that is likely to require non-standard treatments down the line or can lead to more serious conditions, or your overall health is poor), and 2) you haven't got anything that could be a danger to the Canadian public (eg TB, ebola, HIV etc.). If you're healthy it's really nothing to worry about, but you have to have your medical done (if it's definitely needed) by a CIC approved physician, so you're pretty much boxed in there in terms of price and availability. I don't know for sure that it's needed, but I'd be surprised if they'd take the risk of handing over PR to someone without getting some kind of medical screening done first - not that everything they do makes sense.

The Garda cert may not be needed, it's possible they do the security checking themselves for EE, bypassing the need for the cert.

It's worth giving the CIC a call to find out for sure on both fronts, because it can take a few weeks to get that back from the Gardai, and the medical could have a waiting list. If you do, be sure to post whatever they say here for anyone else in the same boat though

circular flexing · 26-06-2015 3:53pm

Tiddlypeeps wrote: »

I'm going through the express entry process at the moment. Almost ready to submit the application, just waiting on the education assessment to come back any day now. The application doesn't mention anything about garda assessment or medical checks, will I need to get these at some point? And if yes at what point are they usually needed?

You will need to submit a Garda check at some stage during the process - it' probably best to apply for it now because it will take a few weeks to come back.

Tiddlypeeps · 26-06-2015 3:58pm

I did a bit more digging on the website and found out I will need both medical and Garada check. It doesn't say at what point they will be requested tho. I probably will put in for the Garda check now and leave off the medical check till it's requested.

How does one go about applying for a Garda check?

seachto7 · 02-07-2015 1:02pm

Anyone doing the EE from Ireland?

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 02-07-2015 6:55pm

I'm officially a permanent resident of Canada as of 15 minutes ago!

The landing "interview" consisted of being asked to confirm my address and that I hadn't been charged with any crimes here or abroad, before being issues my paperwork and new SIN.

Whole thing took 10 minutes

Tiddlypeeps · 08-07-2015 11:14am

Finally making progress on my express entry application. I found it hard to find info on what the process looks like so I'm posting about it here in case anyone else is as lost as I was.

I've applied from Ireland as a couple both with 6+ years experience in a sought after field having never lived or worked in Canada, with no relatives living there either.

You first need to create an express entry profile on myCIC. Once you fill in all your details (you need a language test and an educational assessment at this point) and hit apply it takes a couple of minutes to come back to you with a preliminary yay or nay. At this point it only filters out people who are outright ineligible, people who don't have a language assessment or don't hit the minimum requirements for a federal skilled worker etc. I filled it out slightly wrong the first time and when it comes back as ineligible it's clear as mud about why it failed.

Once I filled it out right it got back within a few minutes with a score for my profile and instructions to apply for job bank, which is kind of a state run recruitment website. Creating an account on job bank was pretty straight forward.

CIC got back to me a few minutes after completing the job bank profile saying I'm now in the pool of applicants. It warns that you should have any needed documents like police certs ready for when they issue you an invitation. Once you are selected from the pool you have 60 days to submit the official application with all relevant documentation.

You can also update your profile at any point if something changes and it'll update your score accordingly.

I've scored 443, the lowest they have accepted in previous rounds is 453. I didn't want to have to secure a job before being accepted but there is a good chance I might have to. I think a valid job offer adds about 600 points, so if you meet the minimum eligibility criteria and you have a job offer then you are pretty much guaranteed a place.

Make21 · 08-07-2015 11:26am

circular flexing wrote: »

You employer can submit an application for an LMIA. It will cost them $1000 and they have to prove that no Canadians can do the job.

The number of LMIAs issues has fallen by 75% since they tightened up the criteria last year so it's not as sure as it used to be.

You should definitely consider EE under CEC or FSW. However, without the LMIA (or a provincial nomination), you are unlikely to have enough points to be selected (depending on age, education etc..).

Thanks for this!

I really only want to stay an additional two years though - do you still think I should do the EE or just run with a LMIA type approach?

According to the CIC site a person can stay a maximum of 4 years on work permit. I have used 2 years so I technically should be "allowed" another 2 years (The IEC permit that is expiring in October) - my question is: What is the best way to get those additional 2 years?

My company will sponsor my for extension (and probably PR if I asked) - but I dont really want to ask them to commit to a PR sponsorship if I am not seriously thinking of taking up residency in the long term.

Any and all advice appreciated!

Thanks lads - you do a great job in here helping everyone out,

Fair play to you!

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 08-07-2015 12:06pm

If you work in a noc type 0 occupation there's no limit on how long you can stay

Make21 · 08-07-2015 12:26pm

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker wrote: »

If you work in a noc type 0 occupation there's no limit on how long you can stay

OK thanks for that, BUT I think the main point here is that I do NOT want to go down the PR route if I can avoid it.

I see no point wasting my companies time or taking up a PR spot that someone else would be glad of when I only intend staying for 2 more years.

I have to say, even the application process itself is very unclear on the CIC site.

I should have known it would be poorly explained considering how bad it was the time I applied for the IEC!

Permanent Residency FAQ

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