Hi everybody,
As this is my first message, let me introduce myself. I am Thomas, 29, from Holland. In December 2010, while I was on holiday in Vancouver, I met my Canadian girlfriend. Not long after I returned home, we decided we wanted to be together. My girlfriend applied for a WHP Visa and since June 1st 2011, she is living with me in Holland. After living here for 3 months, we decided we want to move back to Vancouver together. Studying will be easier for my girlfriend back home (she still wants to get her degree), and I'll have it a lot easier building a life in Vancouver than it is for her here. I'm fluent in English, have a Bachelor's degree in Communications and 5 years of working experience in the marketing field as a communications consultant and a marketing project manager.
We've been over all the options and papers, and decided that we want to do our application without a representative. The information on the cic website seems very clear, and with a little help from fora like this, I hope we can successfully apply for my PR.
In this post, I'll state our plan, ask questions and post our experiences. I hope that I can get some feedback on the plan and the questions that I have. Also, I hope that people who are in the same situation can benefit from my posts.
As follows:
- I am currently getting everything ready to apply for a WHP Visa as soon as the applications open in November/December. In March 2012, me and my girlfriend will fly to Vancouver. My father in-law owns some property in Vancouver and will let us stay there until we find something of ourselves. My girlfriends starts her study mid April (that is the reason we are going in March and are not waiting until we live together for a year in June). In the meantime, we will both go job hunting, and after we find a job, get a nice apartment and prepare our application.
-June the 1st, we'll officially live together for a year, and therefore we are eligible to apply for a PR in the common-law class (inland processing)
-Looking at the current processing times, it'll take about 19 months for our application to come through (fase 1, 10 months, fase 2 9 months). That means that we need a solution for me to stay and work in Canada between the time my WHP Visa ends and the time I become a PR. That is about 9/10 months. This is the part I'm unsure about and seems the most out of my hands.
-I have a couple of options. First of all, I'll apply for extension of status in January/February. I can only apply for a different type of TRV (I'll be 31, so not eligible for another WHP), which means I'll have to apply for a separate Working Permit. Therefore, my employer must get a Labour market opinion. I can only hope my employer wants to do that. If not, I'm in trouble, because I can't work.
-After I find a job, I can also apply for the BC Nominee Program, because my profession is on the list. Also, an uncertain route.
This is our story so far. The questions I have at this point are:
- Do I have other options for then 10 months in between the end of my WHP Visa and my PR? How difficult is it to get a Labour market opinion?
- I'm uncertain about the medical exam. It says in the guide that you must send your medical examination with your application. On another page, it says you don't have to send it, but have to wait for instructions. What to do?
I hope my post is clear and someone can give me feedback on my plan and my questions.
Thanks in advance!!!
As this is my first message, let me introduce myself. I am Thomas, 29, from Holland. In December 2010, while I was on holiday in Vancouver, I met my Canadian girlfriend. Not long after I returned home, we decided we wanted to be together. My girlfriend applied for a WHP Visa and since June 1st 2011, she is living with me in Holland. After living here for 3 months, we decided we want to move back to Vancouver together. Studying will be easier for my girlfriend back home (she still wants to get her degree), and I'll have it a lot easier building a life in Vancouver than it is for her here. I'm fluent in English, have a Bachelor's degree in Communications and 5 years of working experience in the marketing field as a communications consultant and a marketing project manager.
We've been over all the options and papers, and decided that we want to do our application without a representative. The information on the cic website seems very clear, and with a little help from fora like this, I hope we can successfully apply for my PR.
In this post, I'll state our plan, ask questions and post our experiences. I hope that I can get some feedback on the plan and the questions that I have. Also, I hope that people who are in the same situation can benefit from my posts.
As follows:
- I am currently getting everything ready to apply for a WHP Visa as soon as the applications open in November/December. In March 2012, me and my girlfriend will fly to Vancouver. My father in-law owns some property in Vancouver and will let us stay there until we find something of ourselves. My girlfriends starts her study mid April (that is the reason we are going in March and are not waiting until we live together for a year in June). In the meantime, we will both go job hunting, and after we find a job, get a nice apartment and prepare our application.
-June the 1st, we'll officially live together for a year, and therefore we are eligible to apply for a PR in the common-law class (inland processing)
-Looking at the current processing times, it'll take about 19 months for our application to come through (fase 1, 10 months, fase 2 9 months). That means that we need a solution for me to stay and work in Canada between the time my WHP Visa ends and the time I become a PR. That is about 9/10 months. This is the part I'm unsure about and seems the most out of my hands.
-I have a couple of options. First of all, I'll apply for extension of status in January/February. I can only apply for a different type of TRV (I'll be 31, so not eligible for another WHP), which means I'll have to apply for a separate Working Permit. Therefore, my employer must get a Labour market opinion. I can only hope my employer wants to do that. If not, I'm in trouble, because I can't work.
-After I find a job, I can also apply for the BC Nominee Program, because my profession is on the list. Also, an uncertain route.
This is our story so far. The questions I have at this point are:
- Do I have other options for then 10 months in between the end of my WHP Visa and my PR? How difficult is it to get a Labour market opinion?
- I'm uncertain about the medical exam. It says in the guide that you must send your medical examination with your application. On another page, it says you don't have to send it, but have to wait for instructions. What to do?
I hope my post is clear and someone can give me feedback on my plan and my questions.
Thanks in advance!!!
However, CIC has renamed the 'Working Holiday Program' to 'International Experience Canada' (IEC). This site should be helpful http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/germany-allemagne/youth-jeunesse/netherlands-pays_bas.aspx?lang=eng&view=d