My company has an office in Toronto and there are many employees that live throughout Canada. My spouse (Elementary schoolteacher) and I are planning to move to B.C. soon. How can my company help me? Currently planning on an express visa but would eventually like to get permanent residency.
Company sponsorship/help?
- Thread starter lal66
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Ask your company if they are willing to go through the LMIA-exempt process for inter company transfer. They will show that you are the only person who has the technical knowledge to do the job from their Toronto office. The LMIA may state that you must work out of that office and not remotely because then no reason you need to come to Canada. If you get LMIA exemption then apply for a closed work permit.
Since you are moving to BC then why do you need company help? How is spouse moving?
Since you are moving to BC then why do you need company help? How is spouse moving?
What do you mean by "express visa"? If you are referring to Express Entry, this is an immigration program and it will give you PR. It's not a temporary visa.
Let me rephrase:
My wife and I are planning on moving to B.C. from Oregon, USA. My company has an office in Toronto. We are not moving to Toronto. I’m trying to gather information in this forum on the best route to permanent residency for my wife and I. I’m new to this and am looking for help. I’ve filled out some forms online and have done much research on my own, but looking for human feedback. Hope that helps clarify, thanks!
My wife and I are planning on moving to B.C. from Oregon, USA. My company has an office in Toronto. We are not moving to Toronto. I’m trying to gather information in this forum on the best route to permanent residency for my wife and I. I’m new to this and am looking for help. I’ve filled out some forms online and have done much research on my own, but looking for human feedback. Hope that helps clarify, thanks!
So you want to come to Canada as temporary workers. If your company has an office in Toronto then your employer looks into inter-company transfer but your LMIA should state that you work out of that office in Ontario. Then you apply for a closed work permit. Depending on your NOC and salary, your spouse may be eligible for open work permit.
The whole point of an ICT is that your employer they doesn’t have person with your technical knowledge in their Canadian office. The LMIA may say that you must work out of that office so you want residency in Ontarion. If you don’t want to move to the Toronto area then look research Express Entry and BC PNP programs, which will require a job offer with a BC based employer.
I would recommend that you start by researching the Express Entry program which is a popular points based program. You will want to calculate how many points you have to assess your chances of being selected. You can find information about this program here: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/works.html
There's really no short cut to extensive reading and research if immigrating is a priority for you, apart from hiring a lawyer to do the work for you.
Just to highlight what was said above, if your company has offices in Ontario that won't help you at all with a move to BC. You or your spouse would need to find a BC employer willing to give you a job offer and likely go through the LMIA process. Or alternatively, you would need to score enough points through an immigration program like Express Entry to immigrate without the support of a job offer. I would really encourage you to calculate your points to understand where you stand. You want a score well north of 500.
You should probably remove the word `move to B.C. soon' from your plan, since that may not be realistic. You and your wife may be able to `visit' Canada and while here try to start the process of becoming a PR (if you find the right path), but...you cannot actually move until you become a PR or obtain a work permit, somehow.
Having said that, unless your employer is willing to go through the LMIA process, which is slow and costly, you may have to find a way to get your PR through a different stream, as mentioned. It would not be cost effective to hire a lawyer unless/until you figure out how you will be applying for PR.
Good luck!