Immigrating to Canada

[gloreen]

Hi Guys,

Need advice. I am an Indian and gonna get married to a Sri Lankan in 6 mths. We plan to move to Canada and eventually settle there. I need suggestion on few questions

1) Is it logical to apply for the visa after i get married or can we just go ahead and open our file?
2) we both are unskilled workers, he is in a shipping/logistics company and I work for food & beverage. This rules out the possibility of applying for the immigrant visa right?
3) I have my cousin and her family staying in Canada since couple of years and they have a PR. Would it be easier to go through them?
4) If we want to go on a visit visa can we start working immediately or are there procedures? Also whats the possibility of converting the visit visa to a permanent one?

Would be really glad if i could be helped on the above topics so i could take a decision.

thanks Guys!

Cheers

 

[scylla]

1) Probably easier to get married first.
2) It's much more difficult to immigrate as unskilled workers. Canada's immigration system is primarily geared towards skilled workers, investors, entrepreneurs, etc.
3) Depends what province they live in.
4) You can't work on a visit visa - that's illegal. If you want to work in Canada before immigrating, you'll need a work permit. To obtain a work permit, you will first have to find an employer who is willing to hire you. That employer will then have to apply for something called an LMO and prove that he advertised the job and was unable to find a Canadian to hire for the position. If the LMO is approved (note that it is fairly difficult to obtain an LMO for unskilled work), you can then apply for a work permit. If the work permit is approved, you can then come to Canada and start working. So your first step is to find an employer (be careful of agencies who promise jobs in exchange for money - the vast majority of these are scams).

 

[OhCanadiana]

1) Probably easier to get married first.
2) It's much more difficult to immigrate as unskilled workers. Canada's immigration system is primarily geared towards skilled workers, investors, entrepreneurs, etc.
3) Depends what province they live in.
4) You can't work on a visit visa - that's illegal. If you want to work in Canada before immigrating, you'll need a work permit. To obtain a work permit, you will first have to find an employer who is willing to hire you. That employer will then have to apply for something called an LMO and prove that he advertised the job and was unable to find a Canadian to hire for the position. If the LMO is approved (note that it is fairly difficult to obtain an LMO for unskilled work), you can then apply for a work permit. If the work permit is approved, you can then come to Canada and start working. So your first step is to find an employer (be careful of agencies who promise jobs in exchange for money - the vast majority of these are scams).

The only thing I would add is that if you want to look at the detailed options you have, take a look at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/index.asp where you can see the various options you have.

 

[derbydonkey]

We immigrated on Work Permits by purchasing a Bed and Breakfast business. Subsequently, (it's much easier when you're here), we applied for Permanent Residency through the Province (much faster than Federal) and are now settled as residents. Took about 2 to 3 years.