Hi everyone,
Apologies if this is a topic which has been covered elsewhere. I was looking through the other threads and couldn't find anywhere that seemed to deal with my particular situations.
I am from the UK and have been living in Vancouver since September 2011 on an IEC visa. For the last 5 months I have been an intern at a startup marketing company who have now agreed to take me on as an employee - my specific role is that of an Online Communities Manager, becoming Communities Director once we take on other staff who will take over community management for our clients. My role will include (eventually) training interns and new staff members. I have recently applied for a second IEC visa which would allow me to stay here and work until September 2013 - I am looking into how I can remain in the country beyond that date.
The Marketing company I am working for is a very recent start-up. The business has only been formally registered for a couple of months and only myself, the two founders and one or two commission based salespeople will be working there to begin with. I am not sure if the number of employees in a given company affects applications for temporary work permits - since (based on what I have read regarding processing times) I should not need to apply for a temporary work permit until around this time next year the company should have additional employees by then. I am aware that BC has laws regarding applications for Permanent Residency that require any company based in Metro Vancouver to have at least five employees but I was unsure if this affected applications for temporary work permits as well.
Essentially I want to know if I stand a good chance of being approved for a temporary work permit to stay in the country beyond September 2013. Factors I think might effect the decision are:
1) My education - I have a masters degree in journalism which I believe the Human Resources Office Canada acknowledges relates to the job I do (marketing). I will also have a year of experience working with the company. I understand that my job would have to be publicly advertised in order to qualify for a LMO - could requirements including a masters degree in a relevant field and at least 1 years experience in a similar role be written into the application?
2) The size and age of the company - since the company will only have been registered for around 1 year and will likely have relatively few employees I anticipate that this could be an issue. I did not know if it would be possible to argue that removing me from my position after September 2013 would be very damaging to the company because of its small size - there would not other staff members available to take on my role.
3) My role in training new staff and interns - I understand that the immigration offices look favorably on candidates who are helping to train or share skills with residents. My role is to include teaching community management to new employees.
Also, I would appreciate any advice as to when I should begin applying for an LMO and the work permit itself.
If anyone has been through a similar experience or has any useful information on it I would appreciate hearing back from you.
Thanks,
Alan
Apologies if this is a topic which has been covered elsewhere. I was looking through the other threads and couldn't find anywhere that seemed to deal with my particular situations.
I am from the UK and have been living in Vancouver since September 2011 on an IEC visa. For the last 5 months I have been an intern at a startup marketing company who have now agreed to take me on as an employee - my specific role is that of an Online Communities Manager, becoming Communities Director once we take on other staff who will take over community management for our clients. My role will include (eventually) training interns and new staff members. I have recently applied for a second IEC visa which would allow me to stay here and work until September 2013 - I am looking into how I can remain in the country beyond that date.
The Marketing company I am working for is a very recent start-up. The business has only been formally registered for a couple of months and only myself, the two founders and one or two commission based salespeople will be working there to begin with. I am not sure if the number of employees in a given company affects applications for temporary work permits - since (based on what I have read regarding processing times) I should not need to apply for a temporary work permit until around this time next year the company should have additional employees by then. I am aware that BC has laws regarding applications for Permanent Residency that require any company based in Metro Vancouver to have at least five employees but I was unsure if this affected applications for temporary work permits as well.
Essentially I want to know if I stand a good chance of being approved for a temporary work permit to stay in the country beyond September 2013. Factors I think might effect the decision are:
1) My education - I have a masters degree in journalism which I believe the Human Resources Office Canada acknowledges relates to the job I do (marketing). I will also have a year of experience working with the company. I understand that my job would have to be publicly advertised in order to qualify for a LMO - could requirements including a masters degree in a relevant field and at least 1 years experience in a similar role be written into the application?
2) The size and age of the company - since the company will only have been registered for around 1 year and will likely have relatively few employees I anticipate that this could be an issue. I did not know if it would be possible to argue that removing me from my position after September 2013 would be very damaging to the company because of its small size - there would not other staff members available to take on my role.
3) My role in training new staff and interns - I understand that the immigration offices look favorably on candidates who are helping to train or share skills with residents. My role is to include teaching community management to new employees.
Also, I would appreciate any advice as to when I should begin applying for an LMO and the work permit itself.
If anyone has been through a similar experience or has any useful information on it I would appreciate hearing back from you.
Thanks,
Alan