Tourist Visa to Work Visa

[JustR]

My friend was here in Canada on a Visa for a year (don't know the type/name) and was eligible to work. He was able to get a job but ended up leaving the job and did not extend his visa. He went to the states for a week to visit friends and came back into Canada on a travel permit for 6 months

He's been interviewing for jobs at some startups here and believes that if he gets hired they can just sponsor him and he will be able to change his travel visa to a work visa? Will that work and what is that process like?

I believe the employer has to file something with the government which can take awhile but he's making it sound like it's quite easy and simple to do

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[scylla]

My friend was here in Canada on a Visa for a year (don't know the type/name) and was eligible to work. He was able to get a job but ended up leaving the job and did not extend his visa. He went to the states for a week to visit friends and came back into Canada on a travel permit for 6 months

He's been interviewing for jobs at some startups here and believes that if he gets hired they can just sponsor him and he will be able to change his travel visa to a work visa? Will that work and what is that process like?

I believe the employer has to file something with the government which can take awhile but he's making it sound like it's quite easy and simple to do

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

The employer will need to obtain an approved LMIA in order for your friend to apply for a closed work permit. The LMIA process is long (count on 3-6 months) and expensive with no guarantee of approval at the end. As a first step, the employer must advertise the job for at least a month through three LMIA-approved advertising streams to prove no Canadian could be found for the role.

 

[scylla]

Info here:

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/foreign-workers/median-wage/high/requirements.html

 

[JustR]

Thanks that's some of the same info I found online but wanted to be sure. I think the company has advertised the job for more than a month.

The startup company knows about his situation and have brought him back for additional interviews. It seems like they are interested in hiring him. I just don't want him to get his hopes up because he seems to think he will get a work visa easily whereas I think it's more complicated than that

I just can't see why they would bring him back for an additional interview and waste their own time if they didn't think they could sponsor him. Could it be that the company themselves doesn't know what the process will be like to hiring a foreign worker? Does the type of job he is applying for play role in this?

 

[JustR]

Info here:

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/foreign-workers/median-wage/high/requirements.html

Thanks for the link! Appreciate it

 

[scylla]

Thanks that's some of the same info I found online but wanted to be sure. I think the company has advertised the job for more than a month.

The startup company knows about his situation and have brought him back for additional interviews. It seems like they are interested in hiring him. I just don't want him to get his hopes up because he seems to think he will get a work visa easily whereas I think it's more complicated than that

I just can't see why they would bring him back for an additional interview and waste their own time if they didn't think they could sponsor him. Could it be that the company themselves doesn't know what the process will be like to hiring a foreign worker? Does the type of job he is applying for play role in this?

Absolutely possible the company has no idea what the LMIA process involves. In fact, probably safe to assume they don't know anything about LMIAs. The LMIA process is very involved and expensive - the majority of employers aren't typically willing to do it once they understand how it works. Did he tell specifically tell these employers that he's not authorized to work in Canada at this time?

Just because they've advertised for a month doesn't mean they've done it according to the LMIA requirements (most likely they haven't and would have to advertise all over again).

 

[JustR]

Absolutely possible the company has no idea what the LMIA process involves. In fact, probably safe to assume they don't know anything about LMIAs. The LMIA process is very involved and expensive - the majority of employers aren't typically willing to do it once they understand how it works. Did he tell specifically tell these employers that he's not authorized to work in Canada at this time?

Just because they've advertised for a month doesn't mean they've done it according to the LMIA requirements (most likely they haven't and would have to advertise all over again).

I don't remember the specifics. I know he told them that he will need to be sponsored so I assumed they would know he's on a tourist visa of some sort. I would have thought the company would have done research on it before bringing him back for additional interviews. I will tell him to ask them about it when he's meeting with them this week.

His tourist visa is for 6 months I'm pretty sure and will expire this Fall. From what I've read and from what you've told me it seems like it will be REALLY hard for him to get a work permit during this time? And will the fact that he essentially did a border run to get a 6 month travel visa after his initial Visa expired hurt his chances in the application process? Thank you for your insight