Living in Canada, Working abroad

[baffeled]

Hello,

I'm having a hard time finding an answer so any help here is appreciated.

I have a fairly unique employment situation where I travel constantly overseas for work, because of this the people I work for don't care where I base myself. Currently I fly back to Australia in-between jobs but after spending some time in Canada at the start of this year I would like to now base myself in Canada in-between jobs for maybe a couple of years. What I'm wondering is this, if I keep coming back to Canada after jobs (perhaps around 6 to 10 times a year) will I keep getting tourist visas? I can prove I have more than enough money and wont need to work in Canada. Also I can prove my work is all overseas from Canada.

Or is there some sort of visa where I can live in Canada but not work in Canada, just earn my money overseas, still get paid out of Australia but keep coming back to Canada to spend it?

Any help would be great.

 

[scylla]

There is no clear cut solution or answer to your situation.

Unfortunately there is no temporary visa that will allow you to live in Canada but not work in Canada. Having permanent residency in Canada would allow you to live here - but the process of obtaining PR status is quite involved (if you even qualify to apply).

You can come into Canada as a tourist without a visa since you are visa exempt, however entry is never guaranteed. As a tourist, you are allowed to visit Canada only - not live here. If at any point immigration believes you are spending too much time in Canada and/or living here rather than just visiting, there's always a chance you could be denied entry.

 

[baffeled]

Thank you for your reply Scylla,

Would you (or anyone else who reads this) know if the multiple entry visa would suit my situation?

And if any one knows someone who has over a couple of years moved in and out of Canada quite frequently and if they did/did not keep getting allowed back into the country?

I would have thought someone with quite a high disposable income constantly coming to Canada and spending money would be something Canada would encourage? It is putting money into the country after all...


Thanks.

 

[scylla]

Having a multiple entry visa still doesn't guarantee entry into Canada. The same rules still apply. If immigration officials feel you are spending too much time here and effectively "living" here, they can deny entry - even if you hold a valid multiple entry visa. Also, it's difficult to say if you would be approved for a multiple entry visa or not since you are visa exempt (I don't have any experience in this area). CIC might tell you to just visit using your passport.

To answer your questions about being denied entry - yes, we do see cases here where people have been denied entry into Canada for behaving like residents rather than visitors. A good friend of mine came within an inch of being refused entry for this very reason last year (she was married to a Canadian, was spending a lot of time in Canada and traveling in and out, but hadn't submitted the paperwork to get PR status through marriage yet). She was literally told "you are spending too much time in Canada and you're not allowed to do that". The only reason she was allowed into Canada was because she was able to provide hard proof that she and her husband were working to submit the PR application to give her resident status in Canada. However she was told that if she didn't have the paperwork submitted by the next time she entered Canada, she would be refused entry.

Your question about disposable income and spending money in Canada makes perfect sense. The answer is that Canada (like most other countries) welcomes those who come on vacation. However if you plan to make Canada your home base, you need to obtain an official status (work permit, permanent residency status, etc.) that allows you to live here. It's pretty much the same in any other country. We have wealthy Canadians who like to summer in Florida and there are restrictions on how long they are allowed to stay as well.

 

[baffeled]

Thought that might have been the case,

Thank you very much for the replies and help Scylla, very much appreciated!