PGWP Expiring - Haven't completed hours of work. What are my options. HELP!

[canadianstruggle]

Good Night All,

I'm in quite a tricky situation. In 2012 I continued my Bsc in IT and successfully completed it in April 2014 in Toronto. I received my 3 year PGWP in May 2015. At that time I decided to go back home for the summer and I returned to Canada in September. I wasn't sure if IT was what I wanted to do, so I moved to Alberta to work in the Oil and Gas Industry.

My timing couldn't be worst. That same month oil prices started to dip and all the jobs dried up by the end of the year. I started working in March 2015 part time in an oil refinery up in Ft.Mac. Some months I would work 1-2 weeks, 12-14 hr shift, other months no work. Trust me, I have been trying to get full time work in NOC classes in A or B but was unsuccessful. It's been a struggle for the last 2 years.

Fast forward to Dec 2016, I landed another part time job on an oil rig with a rotation of 21 days on and 7 days off at 14 hrs a day in Alberta. I should have 4-5 months work on that rig. I also landed a full time job in Toronto as a Jr. Web Designer, but they wouldn't do a LMIA for me. The nature of the job doesn't require me to work there and I can do the job from anywhere. I will be starting both jobs at the beginning of January 2017. Hopefully I can juggle both jobs for at least 5 months.

OK, my question - I applied under the express entry and I'm at 435 without the one year work experience. With it, I cross 500 points. My PGWP is expiring in May 2017 and I wouldn't have enough hours worked, if its only 30hrs a week they take. I will be short a few hundred.

Please let me know what options there are for me. I know I can't extend my work permit. So what am I to do? Time is running out. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[scylla]

You'll need to find an employer who is willing to offer you a full time job and who can also obtain an approved LMIA. You can then apply for a closed work permit tied to that specific employer.

 

[Nick1987]

I really understand you and I'm stressed at this time as well, though I got my ITA and LMIA. But my wage is so low as a hotel supervisor. Really worried my application be refused at the end..... I have university degree but I feel it's too difficult to land a NOC A job.

 

[Nick1987]

If you want LMIA, I suggest you working in the food and accommodation business. I'm pretty sure that most of the high-tech companies won't do LMIA for students. CEC do not say that your work should match your major. I graduated with BENg on 2015

 

[Nick1987]

you could also try FSW if you worked as an NOC A job in Canada and then back to your home country continue working. it's not hard for the people who have a canadian degree to satisfy 67 points in the FSW. But make sure that you must get an LMIA from a Canadian company in order to be eligible for FSW.

Good Luck!

 

[canadianstruggle]

Thanks Guys, I will try to get the LMIA. Hopefully it all works out...

 

[canadianstruggle]

How hard is it to get a LMIA for an IT job?

 

[jes_ON]

Fast forward to Dec 2016, I landed another part time job on an oil rig with a rotation of 21 days on and 7 days off at 14 hrs a day in Alberta. I should have 4-5 months work on that rig.

Some employers refer to "casual" work as "part-time" but if you work full-time hours, as far as IRCC is concerned, it is full-time. Given your schedule and hours, this would be considered full-time.

I also landed a full time job in Toronto as a Jr. Web Designer, but they wouldn't do a LMIA for me. The nature of the job doesn't require me to work there and I can do the job from anywhere. I will be starting both jobs at the beginning of January 2017. Hopefully I can juggle both jobs for at least 5 months.

That's fine, but hopefully you realize that doing two jobs at the same time still only counts as one full-time job, since you can get "credit" for a maximum of 30 hours (full time) per week. In other words, if you work two full-time jobs simultaneously for 8 weeks, it still only counts as 8 weeks, not 16. But congrats on getting the work!

OK, my question - I applied under the express entry and I'm at 435 without the one year work experience. With it, I cross 500 points. My PGWP is expiring in May 2017 and I wouldn't have enough hours worked, if its only 30hrs a week they take. I will be short a few hundred.

Please let me know what options there are for me. I know I can't extend my work permit. So what am I to do? Time is running out. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

You will need an LMIA for a TWP, or look into the IEC programs for your country, perhaps you can get a work permit that way.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/iec/eligibility.asp

Or, a provincial nomination could get you enough points for EE...

 

[canadianstruggle]

Thanks for the replies Jes, My country unfortunately isn't on the list for IEC and getting a LMIA looks like wouldn't happen. Yes i'm a casual worker. I have worked with a similar company in the past but it was 2 week on and 2 off at 84 hrs per week. Would the 2 weeks off be counted towards my PR hrs or no? With these jobs no one works more than 21 days straight.

Two more questions,

1) if I put one year work exp a month before my work permit expires and get the ITA and apply for a Bridge work permit. When they are in the final stages of check which may be in august 2017, would they check my work hrs from when I applied or include my hrs from my bridge permit?

2) Say I got rejected in August, I would have completed my 1 year Canadian work experience. Would I be able to reapply and use the hours on my bridge work permit for my new application?

 

[Gregor.Samsa]

Thanks for the replies Jes, My country unfortunately isn't on the list for IEC and getting a LMIA looks like wouldn't happen. Yes i'm a casual worker. I have worked with a similar company in the past but it was 2 week on and 2 off at 84 hrs per week. Would the 2 weeks off be counted towards my PR hrs or no? With these jobs no one works more than 21 days straight.

Two more questions,

1) if I put one year work exp a month before my work permit expires and get the ITA and apply for a Bridge work permit. When they are in the final stages of check which may be in august 2017, would they check my work hrs from when I applied or include my hrs from my bridge permit?

2) Say I got rejected in August, I would have completed my 1 year Canadian work experience. Would I be able to reapply and use the hours on my bridge work permit for my new application?

1. You should meet the one year full time requirement (or partial time equivalent) when ITA is received, otherwise your application will be rejected.
Of course CIC will check your working hours at the time ITA is received

2. If PR applicarion is rejected due to misrepresentation in your worked hours could be a serious issue, be sure to don't make this mistake in your application.

If your BOWP is returned as incomplete your status will expire at the time your PGWP expires, any posterior work will be ilegal because implied status is not applicable, so more problems.

If your BOWP is rejected you will have implied status until then and can use the worked time for future application.



You should consider all the implications of getting ITA without meeting a full year work experience, it could be better refusing the ITA (unless score was good enough without the "fake" experience year)



Ad said two simultaneous full time works won't help you, increasing your stress, consider to focus in the IT job with more options to continue on it until PGWP expires.

If you can get 1 year experience before PGWP expires but not before get ITA your best shot is applying for changing status to visitor, apply for PR as soon you get ITA, if you have some savings for 3-6 months PR processing time

 

[canadianstruggle]

Thank you Gregor. I will wait until I accumulate my hours worked. Hopefully its before May.

I have another question: Can I gain work experience for a contract job for a Jr. Web Designer lived in Alberta but worked in Toronto? For eg. Since I don't have to be at the company in person. So basically I worked from home. I worked for 4 and a half months doing this in 2016 when things were slow. Let me know if these hrs and weeks can be added to my work experience.

Thank you

 

[jes_ON]

I have worked with a similar company in the past but it was 2 week on and 2 off at 84 hrs per week. Would the 2 weeks off be counted towards my PR hrs or no? With these jobs no one works more than 21 days straight.

If "two weeks on @ 84 hours per week / two weeks off " is the norm for full time employees in your industry, then you would (probably) be considered employed for the entire 4-week period (Those of us who work 5 days a week don't have to deduct weekends from our length of employment, right?). I think it could depend a bit on how it is worded in your letters of employment.

Two more questions,

1) if I put one year work exp a month before my work permit expires and get the ITA and apply for a Bridge work permit. When they are in the final stages of check which may be in august 2017, would they check my work hrs from when I applied or include my hrs from my bridge permit?

Your work experience is calculated or "locked in" at the time of the ITA. No work experience accumulated after the ITA is received can be added to the application.

2) Say I got rejected in August, I would have completed my 1 year Canadian work experience. Would I be able to reapply and use the hours on my bridge work permit for my new application?

Work experience acquired on a BOWP is authorized. However, it's not clear why (or how) you would apply without one year of Canadian work experience...?

 

[jes_ON]

I have another question: Can I gain work experience for a contract job for a Jr. Web Designer lived in Alberta but worked in Toronto? For eg. Since I don't have to be at the company in person. So basically I worked from home. I worked for 4 and a half months doing this in 2016 when things were slow. Let me know if these hrs and weeks can be added to my work experience.

Are you an "employee" of the company, or a self-employed contractor? Self-employment experience cannot be used for Canadian experience.

 

[scylla]

Are you an "employee" of the company, or a self-employed contractor? Self-employment experience cannot be used for Canadian experience.

OP is self employed based on the info provided in another thread.