Have job offer in Canada but Visa not through yet.

[Lucinda182]

Hi All, I am an Australian citizen and I have a job lined up at a ski resort in BC Canada. I leave in a week but my visa is still in the processing stage. I don't have a return flight to Australia as I'm planning to move on to tour Europe after the snow season.
My question is: will I be allowed into Canada at my point of entry (Vancouver) without the visa finalised and without a return airfare? I have the application number and the confirmation that the application has been received, plus the confirmation of employment. Am worried I will be refused entry. Please advise, many thanks

 

[jaybakerca]

Without your appropriate papers they won't issue you with a work permit at the port of entry.

You could still come to canada but you would have to wait for it to come through and then once it does, go to a flagpole/border crossing with all your information and they should be able to issue you with your work permit.

Not 100% sure though, someone else could probably confirm.

 

[Lucinda182]

Thanks jaybakerca, do I just enter Canada as a visitor then? Then go to border with docs? What about the temp worker visa I've applied for online here in Australia?

 

[scylla]

Your employer has obtain an approved LMIA - correct?

 

[Lucinda182]

Hi scylla, how do I find that out? And does that make a difference? I have a letter of offer of employment and then a contract to work for the season. I then applied for a temporary worker visa online with CIC. I have a provisional acceptance note from CIC but it stated that I now have to wait for my application to be processed. From what I understand I can enter Canada as a visitor, then wait for CIC to approve application for TWV. I then go to border/flagpole to have the work visa processed. Have I got that right?

 

[scylla]

In order to be approved for a temporary work permit, you need an approved LMIA from your employer (an LMIA effectively gives your employer permission to hire you). A job offer letter isn't enough. So yes, it very much makes a difference. You would know you have an LMIA because your employer would have provided this approval to you to submit along with your work permit application.

Are you sure you're applying for a regular temporary permit rather than a specialized work permit like a working holiday visa / IEC?