temporary visa

[smithakj]

My Husband has got a temporary work permit visa (valid for 4 years)and has started to do his fellowship from Ottawa University from this month . I would like to join him with my children(minors) this year (by end of Dec) . I would like know to whether i can apply for a dependent visa , if not which other criteria is applicable for me? Where can i apply for the visa online? I also plan to do my higher studies in Canada , if so can I change my dependent visa to students visa once i reach Canada?If i apply for a temporary visa for us is it possible for my children to do schooling in Canada with a temporary visa?Would it be advisable to do upfront medical checkup for me and my children. Please help me out with this topic asap

 

[fkl]

I suppose this fellowship is at least at a post graduate level that is classed as skilled position and exempted from LMO.

If that is true, you are eligible for a SOWP and your children 6+ for open study permit and younger ones are eligible for full stay trvs.

You will have to add enough details of your husband's fellowship to prove it is LMO exempted but still skilled and hence all of you are eligible as dependents.

You can apply on cic website online under the category of work permit (open work permit for yourself), study permit (open) for school going 6+ or trvs which ever is applicable. However, applying online still means that your application will be processed normally at the embassy which caters your country of residence and processing time for the same would apply.

Yes you can apply for study visa from inside Canada once you are here. But have to go through full application process which requires a confirmed admission offer.

Children who are under 6 and go to Canada on trv can start schools once they reach the age needed if their parents are on work permits.
Children who are over 6 and get open study permit can go to school any way.

If you try looking like you need a temporary VISIT visa (for a short time instead of full validity of your husband's permit), it usually has lesser chances of approval since the intention of visiting husband for a short time is already questionable. You most likely intend to live with him for as long as he is there not just to visit right?

Note, i did not mention "temporary VISIT visa earlier for younger children". The trv they get is still trv but has different rules i.e. on a normal trv for VISIT you cannot stay for more than six months max. This trv for kids is valid for as long as parents. Also the normal VISIT trv does not require medicals, but the other one does, provided you live in a country where medicals are a requirement of CIC.

You can do upfront medicals, but it is max valid for a year and often it is a pain to get CIC to correlated medicals done already with when they send you MR. It might save a bit of time though. So that is up to you. Also this is often dependent upon each CIC embassy's local practices - so it's harder to generalize.

 

[smithakj]

I suppose this fellowship is at least at a post graduate level that is classed as skilled position and exempted from LMO.

If that is true, you are eligible for a SOWP and your children 6+ for open study permit and younger ones are eligible for full stay trvs.

You will have to add enough details of your husband's fellowship to prove it is LMO exempted but still skilled and hence all of you are eligible as dependents.

You can apply on cic website online under the category of work permit (open work permit for yourself), study permit (open) for school going 6+ or trvs which ever is applicable. However, applying online still means that your application will be processed normally at the embassy which caters your country of residence and processing time for the same would apply.

Yes you can apply for study visa from inside Canada once you are here. But have to go through full application process which requires a confirmed admission offer.

Children who are under 6 and go to Canada on trv can start schools once they reach the age needed if their parents are on work permits.
Children who are over 6 and get open study permit can go to school any way.

If you try looking like you need a temporary VISIT visa (for a short time instead of full validity of your husband's permit), it usually has lesser chances of approval since the intention of visiting husband for a short time is already questionable. You most likely intend to live with him for as long as he is there not just to visit right?

Note, i did not mention "temporary VISIT visa earlier for younger children". The trv they get is still trv but has different rules i.e. on a normal trv for VISIT you cannot stay for more than six months max. This trv for kids is valid for as long as parents. Also the normal VISIT trv does not require medicals, but the other one does, provided you live in a country where medicals are a requirement of CIC.

You can do upfront medicals, but it is max valid for a year and often it is a pain to get CIC to correlated medicals done already with when they send you MR. It might save a bit of time though. So that is up to you. Also this is often dependent upon each CIC embassy's local practices - so it's harder to generalize.

My husband is a doctor who is doing his fellowship , where he is does his studies along with a stipend payment . I guess this is why his visa is a work permit rather than a students visa . Applying for an open work permit for me would require a job offer, rt? I intend to live with him as long as he is in Canada . I happened to come across forums which suggest spouse of similar case to apply for a temporary visa or a SOWP . How long would a temporary visa/ SOWP visa be valid? Which one is faster in getting processed ?Which one would you advise?

 

[fkl]

My husband is a doctor who is doing his fellowship , where he is does his studies along with a stipend payment . I guess this is why his visa is a work permit rather than a students visa . Applying for an open work permit for me would require a job offer, rt? I intend to live with him as long as he is in Canada . I happened to come across forums which suggest spouse of similar case to apply for a temporary visa or a SOWP . How long would a temporary visa/ SOWP visa be valid? Which one is faster in getting processed ?Which one would you advise?

Sure - you said it was already a work permit. So no question of a student visa. However, there are different categories of wp. Skilled are (NOC 0, A or B) and others are semi or low skilled. Low skilled ones are not allowed to bring in dependents on open work permit or trvs. Skilled ones are. I am not sure you meant a medical doctor or a PhD one, but most likely in both cases it is considered as a skilled job and hence you are eligible.

Open work permit is by definition "Open" and does not require a job offer. You just write "Not applicable" in the employer details of the forms. It is commonly referred to as Spousal Open work permit.

a SOWP or even a trv issued to a spouse for living with her husband is valid for as long as his work permit.
Processing time in either case would be that of work permit. Even if you only apply for trv, it will still not be considered a visitor trv and hence would take the same length of time.
I would always advise SOWP, it is more honest representation of your situation and intention and in my opinion has better chances of success, even if you do not intend to work. Besides when you have the opportunity, why not have the right to work in Canada for the entire length of your stay?

Lastly, his compensation must be enough to cover cost of living for a family. It is listed some where on CIC, but i think it is more like 12k for principal applicant and then 6k for each additional dependent for a year. So if you have two kids it should be at least (12 + (6x3)) = 32k per annum. This is practically quite a low figure and i believe it should at least be 10-15k better than that for a Canadian National medium annual income.

 

[smithakj]

Sure - you said it was already a work permit. So no question of a student visa. However, there are different categories of wp. Skilled are (NOC 0, A or B) and others are semi or low skilled. Low skilled ones are not allowed to bring in dependents on open work permit or trvs. Skilled ones are. I am not sure you meant a medical doctor or a PhD one, but most likely in both cases it is considered as a skilled job and hence you are eligible.

Open work permit is by definition "Open" and does not require a job offer. You just write "Not applicable" in the employer details of the forms. It is commonly referred to as Spousal Open work permit.

a SOWP or even a trv issued to a spouse for living with her husband is valid for as long as his work permit.
Processing time in either case would be that of work permit. Even if you only apply for trv, it will still not be considered a visitor trv and hence would take the same length of time.
I would always advise SOWP, it is more honest representation of your situation and intention and in my opinion has better chances of success, even if you do not intend to work. Besides when you have the opportunity, why not have the right to work in Canada for the entire length of your stay?

Lastly, his compensation must be enough to cover cost of living for a family. It is listed some where on CIC, but i think it is more like 12k for principal applicant and then 6k for each additional dependent for a year. So if you have two kids it should be at least (12 + (6x3)) = 32k per annum. This is practically quite a low figure and i believe it should at least be 10-15k better than that for a Canadian National medium annual income.

Thank you for helping me out . But i would like to where exactly can i apply for the visa online(portal) . Is work permit under TRV same as SOWP?

 

[fkl]

You are most welcome.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/my_application/apply_online.asp

No, there are 3 categories normally of temporary resident visa types, each with its own process and details.

Study, work or trv application.

You have to choose work (whether it is regular closed work permit, SOWP etc.)

For kids choose either study (for open study permit if over 6) or choose trv.

Please understand that even if you apply for work permit, if you are not from a visa exempt country, you still need a visa to enter Canada. Work permit is approval to work, visa is stamped on passport and is for travelling to and from Canada. So a work permit application by default includes a trv application. If approved, trv is stamped on passport along with stating the type of trv (worker, student or visitor) along with which you receive an approval letter for work permit (called Letter of introduction). The actual work permit is issued at the port of entry (airport).

 

[smithakj]

You are most welcome.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/my_application/apply_online.asp

No, there are 3 categories normally of temporary resident visa types, each with its own process and details.

Study, work or trv application.

You have to choose work (whether it is regular closed work permit, SOWP etc.)

For kids choose either study (for open study permit if over 6) or choose trv.

Please understand that even if you apply for work permit, if you are not from a visa exempt country, you still need a visa to enter Canada. Work permit is approval to work, visa is stamped on passport and is for travelling to and from Canada. So a work permit application by default includes a trv application. If approved, trv is stamped on passport along with stating the type of trv (worker, student or visitor) along with which you receive an approval letter for work permit (called Letter of introduction). The actual work permit is issued at the port of entry (airport).

My kid would be 4 by next year , so i would have to put her to school . Should i be choosing TRV for her , with which she can join a school , as she hasn't completed 6 years?Who would be issuing me a letter for work permit(Letter of introduction) ?

 

[fkl]

My kid would be 4 by next year , so i would have to put her to school . Should i be choosing TRV for her , with which she can join a school , as she hasn't completed 6 years?Who would be issuing me a letter for work permit(Letter of introduction) ?

So for a 4 year old, you should apply for a trv. You would quote your husband's annual salary as "Available funds for her stay" in the forms and purpose of visit as "accompanying parents". She would undergo medicals like yourself and would get a trv for as long as you (parents) stay in Canada.

In Canada the standard age for school is 6. Before that it is preschool or day care. She would automatically be eligible for school when she turns 6 without any study permit or any thing. They would just ask for his passport, visa and father's work permit and visa.

You can of course choose to send her to pre school or day care before that (right now after landing). But registration for that is a separate procedure and it is not completely free. A government sponsored day care costs (even for a Canadian citizen) 7 CAD per day. And you have to register and wait for at least a few months to get that. Private day care costs 35 to 40 CAD per day.

When CIC (local embassy) sends approval for work permit, it basically has two things. One is trv stamped on passport for travelling and the other thing is "Letter of introduction". It is simple letter saying "your application to work/study in Canada has been approved". Note that letter of introduction is only for study or work. So for the child, there would only be a trv stamped on passport for the same validity as your and your husband's.

Hope that helps.

 

[smithakj]

So for a 4 year old, you should apply for a trv. You would quote your husband's annual salary as "Available funds for her stay" in the forms and purpose of visit as "accompanying parents". She would undergo medicals like yourself and would get a trv for as long as you (parents) stay in Canada.

In Canada the standard age for school is 6. Before that it is preschool or day care. She would automatically be eligible for school when she turns 6 without any study permit or any thing. They would just ask for his passport, visa and father's work permit and visa.

You can of course choose to send her to pre school or day care before that (right now after landing). But registration for that is a separate procedure and it is not completely free. A government sponsored day care costs (even for a Canadian citizen) 7 CAD per day. And you have to register and wait for at least a few months to get that. Private day care costs 35 to 40 CAD per day.

When CIC (local embassy) sends approval for work permit, it basically has two things. One is trv stamped on passport for travelling and the other thing is "Letter of introduction". It is simple letter saying "your application to work/study in Canada has been approved". Note that letter of introduction is only for study or work. So for the child, there would only be a trv stamped on passport for the same validity as your and your husband's.

Hope that helps.

Can you help me with the docs i would need to produce and carry if we are to apply for SOWP and TRV. My husband has an account and a GC key with the portal . Should each applicant have different accounts or can we use his account to apply?

 

[fkl]

Can you help me with the docs i would need to produce and carry if we are to apply for SOWP and TRV. My husband has an account and a GC key with the portal . Should each applicant have different accounts or can we use his account to apply?

I can tell you some general requirements and docs to carry when the time comes and whenever possible for me. You can keep asking specific questions and i can tell you what's needed.

I haven't personally filled online application (since when i applied for my family, we did that together and it was a paper based application) so my knowledge of its some details might not be detailed enough. But generally people can apply from a single account when they apply TOGETHER. Since your husband already did and is through now, i believe you need to create an account for yourself, since you will be an individual applicant now. However, your child can be included in your single account application.

 

[smithakj]

Thank you

 

[smithakj]

I'm a Software engineer and have 6+ years experience in my field . Now i plan to move to Ottawa. Is it possible to find a job from management side with my IT experience as i need a change in my job profile . Is it mandatory to complete a MBA to find a similar job?

 

[smithakj]

Shudn't i be applying Temporary resident visa for my minor child using the IMM5257E.PDF? If so what would i be filling in the employment section (as it mandatory) to validate? Or should be I applying using some other PDF for my minor kids ?

 

[fkl]

Yes you use the same form. You can still write current month's date and Not applicable in employment section (i did that for my younger kids). Or if it is a school going child, you can write his school details instead.

It is hard to say that outright about changing jobs to management. It is always dependent upon availability of a management role plus the company's faith in a person to carry that on well.

6 years is far less for industry here. I have much more and there are people in my company who have been in software development for 15 or more years. Management is a different track, not exactly a consequence of staying technical for x years.

Having said all that, changing job profile is simply not possible when moving to Canada. You move here on a work permit and should ideally get a job in the domain you have been working in previously. You might be able to do that a few years latter, but not right away.

 

[smithakj]

Yes you use the same form. You can still write current month's date and Not applicable in employment section (i did that for my younger kids). Or if it is a school going child, you can write his school details instead.

You mean for the yet to go school child , i can fill as to when she would be doing her schooling or current date under date section and what other details of hers schooling should i fill in employment section ?And for the younger one , i just need to fill current date and N/A in the employment section