Renewing visitors visa and finding work in Canada

[parahsalin]

Hello,

I am a 24 y/o female, US citizen. My boyfriend lives in Ontario. I am currently visiting him on a month 4 out of 6 of my visitors visa.

I would like to stay in Canada.

A little background about me. I am a nurse from the US. I have looked into becoming a nurse in Ontario, and submitted all of the necessary paperwork, I should be eligible to write for canadian nursing boards come May.

Problem is, my visitors visa expires in April, and I would like to stay. What are my options? Can I get a temporary foreign workers permit in the meantime and work? Does anyone have any experience with this? How do I go about getting a place to hire me?

What about leaving Canada for a few days and returning? Does that reset the 6 months?

Any advice would be welcome.

Thank you!!!

 

[scylla]

The best way to extend your stay in Canada is to apply for an extension from within Canada here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/extend-stay.asp Yes, you can try exiting Canada and re-entering. However there's always some risk that you may not be allowed back in or only granted a short visit (e.g. few weeks). Applying for an extension to your visit from within Canada seem to have the highest chance of a positive result.

In order to qualify for a work permit to work in Canada, you will first need to find an employer who is willing to offer you a full time job. Note that this is often quite difficult since many employers aren't willing to go through the trouble it takes to hire a foreign workers. If the job you find qualifies under NAFTA, then you can apply for a work permit with just the job offer. If the job you find does not qualify under NAFTA, then as a next step, your employer will need to obtain an approved LMIA. To obtain an approved LMIA, your employer will first have to advertise the job for a month to prove no Canadian could be found for the role. Then your employer will pay a $1K fee and submit the LMIA application for processing (which takes around 2-4 months). If the LMIA is approved (not all are), you then qualify for a work permit.

There is really no secret or short-cut to finding someone who will hire a foreign worker. You just have to keep applying and hope you get luckly.

 

[parahsalin]

Thank you.

What is the risk of me simply overstaying my visitors visa by a few months before getting my nursing stuff in order?

 

[scylla]

Thank you.

What is the risk of me simply overstaying my visitors visa by a few months before getting my nursing stuff in order?

- Trouble returning to Canada once you leave
- Trouble getting a work permit approved