Immigrating to Canada from UK/Poland - young person.

[SomeGeorge]

Hi everyone, as stated in the subject name, I would like to receive some guidance and information about the whole process.

About myself:
Age: 22 (this year)
Education: 6 years of Primary School (Polish), 3 Years of Secondary School (2 Polish, 1 English), 1 Year of College (English), total of 10 years.
Work Experience (Not sure if relevant): First and only job - Retail Assistant, promoted to store manager after a year.
Employment Time: 22 months.
English: Nearly perfect.
French: None.
Current Citizenship: Polish

Where do I start?
What do I need to qualify for a visa?
Should I get more education?
Should I get a British passport?

I can travel to Canada for 3 months as a tourist. I was thinking that'd be a realistic amount of time to find an employer who's willing to deal with all the paperwork and hire me.
I just started my research 2 days ago, so forgive me for any useless information or any stupid ideas, it's just that I finally realized what my dream is and I am not going to rest until I achieve it.

Thank you for any help.

 

[scylla]

Three months may not be a realistic timeline for finding an employer. Many / most employers aren't interested in hiring foreign workers due to the amount of time and money it takes - and the uncertainty of whether the application will be approved. I would budget 6 months to find job and then an additional 4-6 months for the application process.

In order to hire you, an employer must first advertise the job for at least a month to prove no Canadian could be found for the role. The employer then pays a $1,000 fee and submits an LMIA application for processing (the LMIA gives the employer approval to hire you). Processing for the LMIA will likely take 2-4 months. If the LMIA is approved (not all are), you can then apply for a work permit.

 

[SomeGeorge]

I still need some kind of a Visa to stay in there for any longer than 90 days so that right there is the problem. Money and preparing for a year without a job isn't the problem as I earn quite a bit.

 

[scylla]

I still need some kind of a Visa to stay in there for any longer than 90 days so that right there is the problem. Money and preparing for a year without a job isn't the problem as I earn quite a bit.

You can apply to extend your visit from within Canada. When you arrived in Canada the first time, make sure you have a return ticket and don't look like you're trying to move here - otherwise you could be refused entry.

 

[Mbgirlfriend]

Look into IEC visa. I am not sure what the rules are for people with a polish passport but it is possible to get a IEC visa with a UK passport.

There are a limited amount of IEC visa's released for each country every year and they are usually gone pretty fast. So look into if and when they are available to people with polish passports. I know the UK ones will be released very soon for this year so I am sure you would not have enough time to get the UK passport on time for this years release.

The IEC visa is usually a one year (some places are two year) working holiday visa. It allows you to live and work in Canada for that year. You can usually do two of these visas in your life time. Once you have worked for over a year in Canada then usually you will qualify for some kind of stream for PR. Some people will move to a particular Province and get a Provincial Nominee Certificate that will then help them to get PR. Every province has different guide lines for PNP. So you can look into each province and decide what one you would be most likely to qualify under. You may also qualify to apply under CEC through the new Express Entry System after you have a year of work experience in Canada.

So I hope this helps. Be prepared to have to do things one step at a time and you will have to do a lot of research into every stage. It could take a few years just for you to get to where you are even ready to apply for PR. So it depends on how much time and effort you are willing to put into your dream of living here in Canada.

 

[SomeGeorge]

Thank you!

 

[SomeGeorge]

I keep reading about the Work Permit whenever I select different categories, visas and the IEC, it's always mentioned, but never stated "you must obtain a Work Permit in order to come to Canada".

Do I have to have the WP for the IEC 2015?
Do I have to have a job offer in order to apply for a WP or do I just apply for it, obtain it and then look for an employer?
What happens if I get a job offer while being here in the UK and I do not poses any type of visas or work permit?

 

[scylla]

Yes - you need a work permit to participate in IEC. The IEC is in fact a type of work permit. Note that CIC hasn't opened up the UK IECs for 2015 yet. When they do, you can expect them to be snapped up in 30 minutes or less. The program is very popular and there is a cap on the number of IECs handed out each year.

You do not need a job offer to apply for IEC - but you do need a job offer and an approved LMIA from your employer to qualify for a regular work permit.

If you get a job offer while in the UK and want to work under a regular work permit (rather than an IEC), then your employer needs to obtain an approved LMIA - you can then come to Canada and obtain a work permit at the border.

 

[SomeGeorge]

Could I come to Canada without the WP and look for an employer while in there (under the IEC)?
I'm not going all or nothing on the IEC but it does seem like the easiest way to get into Canada.

You also previously stated that I could apply for a longer stay permit if I traveled to Canada as a tourist, what exactly do you mean? What is the permit called?

I'm sorry for asking so many questions about every single details but I am quite new to all this, plus it's difficult to learn everything from other websites as under each category you are redirected to other guides and steps, therefore it's easy to get lost.

 

[scylla]

Again, the IEC is a type work permit. Yes - you can come to Canada under the IEC work permit and look for a job. You don't need a job ahead of time.

If you come to Canada as a tourist on your passport, you can apply for an extension to your visit once you are in Canada: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/extend-stay.asp

 

[SomeGeorge]

You're being extremely helpful, thank you very much, it means a lot to me.

You said that the realistic timeline to find an employer while coming to Canada on a tourist visa/no visa at all is about a year.
How much money would I need? Just rough specifics, $10000 enough or should I gather more?

Also the part of Canada I'd like to get inside of is Yukon (just throwing it out there, in case it could be way harder for some reason).

 

[scylla]

The timeline I gave you for finding a job applies if you don't have an IEC and your employer needs to obtain an LMIA in order for you to get a work permit. If you have an IEC, no LMIA is required and it is much (much) easier to find an employer.

Whether $10K is enough or not to cover a year of expenses depends on where you plan to live in Canada.

I can't tell you anything about the job market in the Yukon - however the cost of living there is very high because it's so remote.