in canada (Quebec) on work permit, want to become resident...

[bri79]

**please advise if I have placed this into the wrong forum**

If someone can give insight on where to start and the steps to take, that would be great. it is very difficult to get through to anyone at Service Canada.

The scenario is the following: bf is a citizen in the POS, had become a resident of USA many years ago (when a child), them held a study permit for Canada to attend university (NS). He now currently resides and works with a work permit in Quebec.

Before his work permit expires, he would like to apply to be a Canadian resident. He currently still holds employment with his employer, and is expecting to continue when his residence goes through.

What steps to take to follow through on this procedure? And anyone has any experience from POS would be helpful maybe? how long did the procedure take?

I'm sure I have forgotten to mention some info, but really not sure what direction to head in and how to go about all of this.

 

[scylla]

He would need to qualify and apply through the Quebec skilled worker program:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/quebec/apply-how.asp

 

[s2t2]

Hi,
Not sure what you mean by POS.

But basically to get Permanent Resident in Quebec, its a two step process, you need a CSQ first from Quebec, then after getting the CSQ you have to apply for the Permanent Residence to Canadian Immigration.
There are two main streams of CSQ:

1. Regular CSQ
Long lengthy process which can take around one year, has an annual cap on the number of applicants. Once the cap is reached, they don't accept anymore applications. They have points for everything (experience, language skills, education etc.). If the total points scored by an applicant crosses a certain threshold, they are issued the CSQ. You need documentation to prove anything you are claiming points for.

2. PEQ-CSQ
This is a fast track version of CSQ. CSQ is usually issued within a few weeks (I got my CSQ in two weeks through the PEQ program).
It further has two sub-streams:
i) Quebec graduate. To qualify for this you need to have graduated from a Quebec university
ii) Worker. To qualify for this you need to have experience of one year.
In addition to both of those, one major requirement of PEQ-CSQ is higher intermediate knowledge of French.
PEQ-CSQ is a simplified process of getting CSQ, just need to prove you have the French skills and either graduated from a university in Quebec or have one year experience, and you'll get a CSQ in a couple of weeks.

Then after getting the CSQ, you can apply for the Permanent Residence to the Canadian Immigration under the Quebec Skilled Worker program.
That process usually takes about one year.

I would suggest to start by going to the Immigration Quebec website and the Canadian Immigration(CIC) website.
Do proper research to find out for which program you qualify and then apply for that.
You can always call the Immigration Quebec helpline or the CIC helpline for any questions, whenever I've called them they've been pretty helpful.
Also be careful about the Work permit. You should start the process soon enough so that you become permanent resident before the Work Permit expires. In case you don't have enough time left on your Work Permit, you need to find out a way of extending your work permit so it can last until the PR process completes and you get Permanent Residence.

Good luck!