PR or Work Permit?

[astute1199]

My common-law spouse and I have been staying together in Canada while we prepare to apply for permanent residency. I am a Canadian citizen and she is a Turkish citizen. She current has a Visitor's Visa which is valid until Dec. 31, 2017.

However, she recently received a job offer from my employer, and we don't know how to proceed. My employer is very unfamiliar with the process of hiring a foreign worker in the country on a Visitor Visa, so they don't know how to proceed either.

Should we move forward with our PR application (including an OWP) or should we look into getting her a Work Visa? Which process is likely to be faster? We still want to make her a permanent resident, however getting her employment and income is also very important at the moment.

Any advice or knowledge would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[scylla]

OWP will be faster and easier. To get the OWP, you'll need to submit a complete inland spousal sponsorship application and include an OWP. The OWP will be approved around 4 months after the completed application is submitted.

Otherwise her employer needs to obtain an approved LMIA before she can apply for a closed work permit. The LMIA process is long (4-6 months) and expensive for the employer with no guarantee of approval.

 

[canuck78]

Just to be clear you need to have lived together for 12 months in a row and have the documentation to prove it.