Extend work visa for short period - French worker in Vancouver

[Coton]

Hi,

I'm currently living in Vancouver with my girlfriend (not common law, although we've been living together for more than a year) since September 2014.
I managed to get a work permit for a year last year in may, arrived in Canada and started working in September. I got the visa through EIC with the coop program, although my employer hired me right away and I never really was in coop, but that program allowed me to be exempt of LMIA.

My visa ends on the 19th of may 2015 and I thought I could extend it by using the "avantage significatif francophone" program, which allowed french speaking workers to be exempt of LMIA when going in other provinces than Quebec. This program was shut down last September and I just heard about it.

That leaves me in a pretty desperate situation considering that I have 3 weeks before my visa ends and I need to stay in Canada until August.
Applying for a normal work visa with LMIA is not really an option considering that I work in a really small graphic design agency and it's not worth it for them to cough the 1000 bucks they charge for it, to keep me 3 more months.

I've read about the implicit status and in the worst case scenario I'll apply for a visitor status but I really need to make some money to survive this summer.

Is there any other visa or program that I don't know of that could allow me to stay just a bit longer? Or that would take enough time to process to give me the few next months in implicit status?

Thanks

 

[scylla]

Unfortunately there really isn't any other option - you really do need an approved LMIA. Even if your company was willing to go through with the LMIA process, it takes months and there's no way they would have one before May 19th. You can certainly convert your status to visitor - however you'll have to stop working as soon as your current work permit expires.

 

[Coton]

Ok that's not really reassuring.

There really is no other way to apply for a work permit, even something that I'd be sure to get denied, to get the implicit status for a couple months?

 

[scylla]

You're here on an IEC (working holiday visa) - correct?

If so, then unfortunately there's no implied status with this class of visas since they cannot be extended (IECs are a special class of work visa that don't fall under the same rules as other work permits). So even if you submitted a work permit before your IEC expired and even if you had an approved LMIA - you still wouldn't have implied status and any work after the expiry of your IEC will be illegal work.

Do you qualify for another IEC? If so, you could apply for a second IEC right now. You would still have to stop working if your new IEC isn't approved before your current IEC expires - but this might shorten the time you have to be without work.

 

[Coton]

I'm not actually on a work holiday visa, but still on an EIC. I applied through the coop program, which you need an employer to get.

I just looked it up and I qualify for a young professional visa through IEC. Considering I had a legitimate work permit and it's also the case with the young professional visa, do I qualify for implied status during the time they process my application?

 

[scylla]

I'm not actually on a work holiday visa, but still on an EIC. I applied through the coop program, which you need an employer to get.

I just looked it up and I qualify for a young professional visa through IEC. Considering I had a legitimate work permit and it's also the case with the young professional visa, do I qualify for implied status during the time they process my application?

No - you won't get implied status. These types of visas can't be extended and therefore don't apply for implied status. But again, if you apply for the new work permit soon - hopefully you won't be waiting too long between the expiry of your old and the start of your new.