QA Tester, Vancouver

[Edward Ciurea]

I would have an employee and a work contract before arriving in Canada - I will have been working as a QA Tester for EA Games Bucharest for a year by then - so maybe it's enough for the early stages of my move.

And by marketing I'm referring to PR, publishing, communication etc. I can't really name these job titles clearly due to the fact that English isn't my first language and I don't know how all of them translate from Romanian to English. But I hope you understand what I'm basically talking about.

 

[scylla]

Having a Canadian employer and work contract won't be enough. Your employer will also have to obtain an approved LMIA and you will need to obtain an approved work permit before you can come here.

You need a visa of some kind to enter Canada. If you try to "move" to Canada on a visitor visa with plans to later turn this into a work permit - you risk being denied entry into Canada (potentially even being banned) for not being a genuine tourist and having plans to remain in Canada long term.

You need to secure a work permit in advance of coming to Canada. And in order to qualify to apply for a work permit, you need both a full time job offer AND an approved LMIA from your employer. To obtain an approved LMIA your employer will have to advertise the job for at least a month to prove no Canadian could be found for the role - and then pay a $1,000 fee for the LMIA application to be process. Processing typically takes a number of months and there's no guarantee of approval.

 

[Edward Ciurea]

Jesus, that's a whole new set of complications. I had no idea it would be that difficult to get all the legal stuff out of the way...

 

[Jalex23]

Jesus, that's a whole new set of complications. I had no idea it would be that difficult to get all the legal stuff out of the way...

And is EA Bucharest going to help you with all this? I have known people in EA Stockholm which have tried to make the move to Canada with no success as EA is not a company that helps their employees move abroad. The "the most I can do for you is to offer a job over there" implies that all the immigration stuff should be done by you with absolutely no help from them (no LMIA, no fees).

EA faces the problem that LOTS of people want to work for them and plenty of resources are available in Canada already, how can they prove that bringing someone from abroad is needed? Maybe a senior guy with super rare experience.... maybe...

 

[scylla]

And is EA Bucharest going to help you with all this? I have known people in EA Stockholm which have tried to make the move to Canada with no success as EA is not a company that helps their employees move abroad. The "the most I can do for you is to offer a job over there" implies that all the immigration stuff should be done by you with absolutely no help from them (no LMIA, no fees).

Agreed. And to add to that - you cannot get an LMIA on your own. An LMIA is only something your employer can obtain. So if you're going to go the temporary work permit route - you need to find an employer willing to go through the LMIA process. Note that both your profession and your girlfriends profession are ones where there are plenty of Canadians to fill rolls and therefore getting an approved LMIA will be extremely difficult. This is why I originally suggested going the immigration route instead.

 

[Edward Ciurea]

Well yes, I would be taking care of all the required documentation and EA would only have to approve my transfer from Bucharest to Vancouver.

But still, I'll look into the immigration route as you suggested.

 

[scylla]

Well yes, I would be taking care of all the required documentation and EA would only have to approve my transfer from Bucharest to Vancouver.

You can try to do this one of two ways - either way requires EA's involvement (beyond approving a transfer) if you want any chance of succeeding.

The first is the LMIA + closed work permit route. EA would have to obtain the LMIA - you can't do this.

The second is the Intra Company Transfer route (ICT). This doesn't require an LMIA - however it does require EA to prove that you have specialized knowledge which they cannot find in Canada and this is why they need to move you to take this role. Note that CIC has recently become a great deal stricter regarding the "specialized knowledge" requirement and we've seen quite a few refusals recently on this forum.

Regardless - if all EA is willing to do is approve the transfer, it's not going to work out and you should look for a different employer who is willing to provide you with a job in Canada AND also do the additional paperwork required for you to qualify for a work permit.

 

[Edward Ciurea]

Ok then. Thanks a lot to all of you who took the time to point me in the right direction. Hopefully I'll someday be able to buy you a round of beers in Canada for the help!

EDIT: I think I may have some specialized knowledge that they may not find easily in Canada as a Romanian language assistant for their video games. I know they employed some foreigners in their Bucharest office to work on the FIFA 2014 project for some eastern languages and they are still there, even though that particular project has ended.
Do you think that would qualify?

 

[Jalex23]

EDIT: I think I may have some specialized knowledge that they may not find easily in Canada as a Romanian language assistant for their video games. I know they employed some foreigners in their Bucharest office to work on the FIFA 2014 project for some eastern languages and they are still there, even though that particular project has ended.
Do you think that would qualify?

No.

Language is not a specialized knowledge (unless it is extremely rare, for example Latin, Nahuatl, Aramaic, etc.) Usually when it is considered a specialized knowledge it should be a primary tool for work, for example literature lectures on the specific language.

There are plenty of romanians around (personally I know 5) in the IT sector. So as you can see that skill is not scarce.

 

[scylla]

Agreed. Tons of Romanians here - lots in the IT sector and also project management. Not rare at all...