Moving to Canada to work with no education past high school

[Ayinka]

I'm the girlfriend in question; figured I'd throw a little bit more information out here in case it may help any.

I do have health issues, chronic bronchitis being a major one. I usually wind up in the hospital between 3-6 times a year because of this. Not only this, but I suffer from chemical imbalances that require medical attention/doctor's visits multiple times per year.

Although I am not completely sure on the validity of this statement, I've read online before that if you come to America with a known, preexisting medical condition, it is harder (if not impossible) to obtain health insurance. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong-- I'd actually love to have that clarified if at all possible.

If he were to come to Canada, he already has a definite place to stay if he has issues obtaining employment for the first year of his residency. This is also a huge benefit, I believe. My family is welcoming him with open arms and if he is unable to work for the first while and cannot afford to live with me in my apartment, my parents are more than happy to have him stay with them while everything boils over. In saying that, I'm not too sure if there would be any legal issues with this? If we were to get married and if I were to sponsor him, can we live in separate residences? This may sound like a dumb question, but I am (embarrassingly) uneducated when it comes to the legalities of immigration.

What MY perfect plan would be, would be for him to first come to visit me AT LEAST once (preferably more than once), and for him to make the decision on whether or not he truly wants to make the move and become a citizen. After this, and after we verify that this will work out, I'd be honored to legally marry him and sponsor him as my husband.

If someone is able to clarify anything in this post for me, it'd be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi there,

First, I'd recommend you get familiar with all of your options, this link http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp will give you a rundown of the different ways people immigrate to Canada. Those of us of have been dealing with immigration for a while know how tedious it can be and we'll gladly help but you need to a have general understanding of the system.

Ways to immigrate to Canada:

Skilled workers and professionals
For people who want to settle and work in Canada (outside of Quebec)

Quebec-selected skilled workers
For people selected by the Quebec government to settle and work in Quebec

Canadian Experience Class
For people who have recent Canadian work experience or have graduated and recently worked in Canada

Investors, entrepreneurs and self-employed people
For people who want to start a business in Canada

Provincial nominees
One of Canada’s provinces or territories can nominate you to settle and work there

Sponsoring your family
How to sponsor a family member to join you here if you are a permanent resident or a Canadian citizen



Based on the information you provided, your ONLY option is through family sponsorhip. Is your boyfriend interested in going to school? if that's the case, he could apply for a student visa and move that way so you guys can have time to think about getting married while he's in Canada and change his immigration status afterwards. Immigrating to the US for you would require the same things...it's just a bit of a more complicated and longer process.

Hope this helps...good luck.

 

[moochops]

Does the IEC not apply for american citizens???

IEC is a working holiday visa I know is available to those under 30 from the UK, Australian / New Zealanders etc have this too - so I would check if there is this type of visa for Americans.

If there is this option then it would solve a lot of things - you could come here and work, live with your girlfriend and then apply as common law after a year.

If this info is wrong I apologise but it might just be a solution if such a stream were available?

 

[scylla]

Does the IEC not apply for american citizens???

IEC is a working holiday visa I know is available to those under 30 from the UK, Australian / New Zealanders etc have this too - so I would check if there is this type of visa for Americans.

If there is this option then it would solve a lot of things - you could come here and work, live with your girlfriend and then apply as common law after a year.

If this info is wrong I apologise but it might just be a solution if such a stream were available?

No - American citizens do not qualify for IEC. See the list of qualifying countries here:

http://www.international.gc.ca/experience/intro_incoming-intro_entrant.aspx?view=d

 

[moochops]

Thanks for the clarification, thats unfortunate for the op

 

[hclarke]

Things just got a lot more complicated, I know this might not be related to the topic at all, but can anyone offer any type of advice?

My boyfriend who is living in Austin, TX is about to become homeless and I feel completely helpless. Is there any way we could speed up the process aside from getting married immediately and having him come up and apply? If he comes to visit, how long can he stay? Is it up to 90 days? Would he be able to come and stay with me while we gather up money to find housing for him back in Austin until we are married?

I feel so helpless and that I can do nothing. Does he have any other options IN Austin? What are his choices, where could he go? The fact that he has no license at the moment deeply effects the situation as he needs to live somewhere he can walk to and from work to.

The only thing I can really think of right now is to have him vacation in Canada for the maximum amount of time (which I would like some clarification of if possible-- I believe it's 90 days) and hope to gather some money for him to find a place to live and a new job by the time his vacation ends.

This entire situation is so bleak and it's getting very hard to stay on track, but both of us want this more than anything and we really, really want all the help we could possibly get.

Thanks so much if you took the time to read this.

 

[YorkFactory]

Have you ever actually met one another in person? If he shows up in Canada, never having met you face-to-face before, and then you turn around and immediately get married and apply for him to immigrate, that's going to raise so many red flags that it might not be a bona fide relationship.

Americans are generally admissible to visit for up to 180 days, but the length of a visit can be shortened at the discretion of a CBSA officer. If he's admitted to Canada, he can apply to extend his stay (there are other threads about doing this). Note that even if he has a visitor visa or visitor record, re-entry to Canada is not guaranteed if he travels to the U.S. and back. If he does not have enough money to support himself while in Canada, or strong ties to the United States, he may not be allowed to enter Canada.

 

[scylla]

He should investigate what resources are available in Austin to help him.

As YorkFactorty has pointed out, without strong ties to the US and sufficient funds to support himself in Canada as a visitor, there's no guarantee he would even be allowed into the country.

Also, even if he does come here, keep in mind that getting a job is much easier said than done. First he would have to find an employer. Then that employer would have to complete something called a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) to request approval to hire him. As part of the process, the employer would have to prove that he advertised the job and was unable to find a Canadian to hire or train for the role. IF the LMO is approved (not all are - especially for low/un-skilled work), then your boyfriend could apply for a work permit. This entire process takes months and many employers aren't even willing to look at hiring foreign workers because of the paperwork involved and because there's no guarantee they will be given approval to hire that person.

 

[uskyoot]

I am a Canadian Citizen living in the US with a green card. I have seen good and bad in both countrries and I cant wait to get back to Canada. My husband is aUS citizen who has been to Canada once and cant wait to retire there. I asked him why he liked Canada so much and he told me it was because of the way it "feels" People are not so agitated. There are reasons why the cost of living is low in many of the States. As mentioned, a major factor is minimum wage. As well, with the economy so bad right now employers are taking advantage of workers in many ways. There are not the same labor laws for protection.

And yes, Health care is a nightmare. If you are fortunate enough to be able to afford it there are many restrictions on coverage, co pays, anual deductables (ours is 1500.00) meaning we have to pay the first 1500 every year (thats 1500 each) If you have any lapse in coverage they will deny any pre exsisting conditions and keep in mind most companies will not insure you until you have a social security number.....Yes taxes are high in canada but I would rather pay extra every paycheck and know that I can take my child (or myself) to the Doctor without worring about if I have enough money. My daughter lives here to and was thrown from a horse. She has no medical as her husband is self employed and they cant afford the 1,000/mth premium. She has a bill for 216,000. Hope this helps with the health care questions.

Remember, there is alot more to living somewhere than money.....We often think of Canada and the US being very similar but there are many cultural differences, particularly in the South, that we never think of in Canada.
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[Pippin]

This is a complicated situation and it is going to take time for things to turn out the way you want them to. Some issues have already been raised and I repeat them here to be constructive as you have to find the answers yourselves. I wish you both luck and good health as you work toward your goals.
VO may want to know what ties the boyfriend has in the US? Present occupation and duration of employment? Address? Family? Social connections? Travel history? Finances to support himself as a visitor? Finances of person he is coming to visit. Reason for visit to Canada? Likelihood to return to US?
Relationship of 3 years. Question asked and not answered whether the couple have ever met or if the whole time has been "long distance"? How would this appear to immigration if marriage were to take place?
23 is young, but over past three years, what effort has been made to improve work situation, get training? How are things going to be any different in Canada? If unable to support self in US, how realistic is it to come to Canada and meet LMO/Work Permit requirements then get a job that would support TWO people while girl friend is a student?

 

[opeolu festus]

pls I need an enlightment on this, I am single from nigeria want to work and live in canada with no university certificates only high school certificate but can operate hiab truck. how may I go about the proccessing?4

 

[scylla]

pls I need an enlightment on this, I am single from nigeria want to work and live in canada with no university certificates only high school certificate but can operate hiab truck. how may I go about the proccessing?4

You'll have to investigate if you qualify to come to Canada and how.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp