Uk to Canada Immigration advice

[LukeD]

My girlfriend and I have had a long distance relationship for two years. We have spent time visiting each other, but have not lived together. I am in the UK and she is in Canada. We have been trying to work out a way for us to live together in Canada as soon as possible. We've gone over various options (work permits, visas) and have found the information online to be confusing at best.

What we know so far:

I don't qualify as a "skilled worker" because I do not possess a degree.

Obtaining a work permit as an "unskilled worker" seems highly unlikely.

The holiday visas have reached their yearly quota.

A year of co-habitation is needed for us to qualify for a common law visa.

I would like to attend college and have looked into that as an option, however I am unable to obtain a loan to study abroad. Student loans are not offered for that purpose in my country. I'm looking into scholarships. But financing school internationally is expensive, so this may not even be a realistic option.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions for us, would be appreciated!

Thanks
Luke

 

[scylla]

If you get married she can sponsor you immediately.

 

[amikety]

You can qualify for living together for one year (common-law) on visitor status. It doesn't matter where in the world you are, just as long as you're together. If you can afford to quit your job and visit Canada for a year, you could file as CL. Same if she can quit her job for a year or if you take turns visiting (6 months in one country, six months in the other.)

Downside, of course, is you have to be able to afford it.

If you were to come to Canada as a visitor, you can look for work - but you cannot start working before you get a work permit. You're correct - it's difficult to get unskilled work permits and the process to get the LMO (approval to hire a foreign worker) just got harder. Still, depending on the area and your skill set, there's always a possibility (nothing's impossible, right?).

Other options are to wait until IEC visas are open again and try to apply if you're still eligible OR marriage. Yeah, they tell you not to marry for immigraiton purposes, then they kind of paint you into a corner where marriage is the best solution for your problem. If you're in a relationship that would lead to marriage eventually anyway and you're marrying so you can be together (not just to come to Canada) then it's fine. Basically, you can marry to be with a legitimate spouse. What CIC really means is don't get into a fake marriage solely to immigrate with no intentions of having a real relationship with your spouse.

 

[LukeD]

If you get married she can sponsor you immediately.

The government website lists that the sponsorship processing time is 12 months, so that means if we got married we would then have to wait 12 months.
And I couldn't get a work permit for 1 year, then my GF needs a certain amount in her account plus certain earnings per year. (which she doesn't)

 

[LukeD]

You can qualify for living together for one year (common-law) on visitor status. It doesn't matter where in the world you are, just as long as you're together. If you can afford to quit your job and visit Canada for a year, you could file as CL. Same if she can quit her job for a year or if you take turns visiting (6 months in one country, six months in the other.)

Downside, of course, is you have to be able to afford it.

If you were to come to Canada as a visitor, you can look for work - but you cannot start working before you get a work permit. You're correct - it's difficult to get unskilled work permits and the process to get the LMO (approval to hire a foreign worker) just got harder. Still, depending on the area and your skill set, there's always a possibility (nothing's impossible, right?).

Other options are to wait until IEC visas are open again and try to apply if you're still eligible OR marriage. Yeah, they tell you not to marry for immigraiton purposes, then they kind of paint you into a corner where marriage is the best solution for your problem. If you're in a relationship that would lead to marriage eventually anyway and you're marrying so you can be together (not just to come to Canada) then it's fine. Basically, you can marry to be with a legitimate spouse. What CIC really means is don't get into a fake marriage solely to immigrate with no intentions of having a real relationship with your spouse.

We were looking at he common law visa, and me living off of my savings for 1 year. but then we realized that the process time is listed as twelve months for sponsorship, that means i cannot work for at least another year after i submit my forms. I couldn't live off my savings for more than one year, without work.
Can i apply to the IEC Visa from within the country? and are there any other options for me to work in Canada, other than the IEC and an unskilled work permit through the LMO.

Thanks
Luke

 

[amikety]

The government website lists that the sponsorship processing time is 12 months, so that means if we got married we would then have to wait 12 months.
And I couldn't get a work permit for 1 year, then my GF needs a certain amount in her account plus certain earnings per year. (which she doesn't)

There is no time you must wait to sponsor a spouse after marriage. The processing times for London was 9 months last I checked, with most people getting through in less than 7 months. It's one of the fastest offices.

There is no income requirements for a spouse. She can have two pennies and a donkey and still sponsor you, as long as she can show she can support herself and you without social assistance (welfare). This can include your ability to work once you land.

 

[amikety]

We were looking at he common law visa, and me living off of my savings for 1 year. but then we realized that the process time is listed as twelve months for sponsorship, that means i cannot work for at least another year after i submit my forms. I couldn't live off my savings for more than one year, without work.
Can i apply to the IEC Visa from within the country? and are there any other options for me to work in Canada, other than the IEC and an unskilled work permit through the LMO.

Thanks
Luke

IEC visa requirements vary by country, but I think the UK does allow you to apply while outside the UK. You would have to check your country's requirements to be sure.

But, read my other response as some of what you're thinking isn't accurate.

 

[LukeD]

There is no time you must wait to sponsor a spouse after marriage. The processing times for London was 9 months last I checked, with most people getting through in less than 7 months. It's one of the fastest offices.

There is no income requirements for a spouse. She can have two pennies and a donkey and still sponsor you, as long as she can show she can support herself and you without social assistance (welfare). This can include your ability to work once you land.

By no wait time to sponsor a spouse, do you mean I can live in Canada immediately and apply for an open work permit?

This website seems to indicate that step 1 takes 30 days and that step 2 takes 12 months to be processed.

cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-fc.asp

 

[amikety]

By no wait time to sponsor a spouse, do you mean I can live in Canada immediately and apply for an open work permit?

This website seems to indicate that step 1 takes 30 days and that step 2 takes 12 months to be processed.

cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-fc.asp

No, I mean your spouse can sponsor you immediately after marriage/gathering the application. There is no open work permit option if you apply through the London VO. Not sure where you are getting 12 months. I checked CIC's processing times (because they do update). London has risen from 9 months to 10 months, but definitely not 12. These aren't set in stone anyway. Those are averages for the 80% fastest applicants.

 

[Leon]

You can only get an open work permit if you apply inland. In that case, you would send the request for open permit with your application package and you would get it after about 6 months. However, since you can apply outland through London and have your PR itself in a little over 6 months, that might be even better.

You can look into IEC but I wouldn't be surprised that all the visas for this year are already gone. It will open again in the end of the year or beginning of next.

 

[Dubrider]

My girlfriend and I have had a long distance relationship for two years. We have spent time visiting each other, but have not lived together. I am in the UK and she is in Canada. We have been trying to work out a way for us to live together in Canada as soon as possible. We've gone over various options (work permits, visas) and have found the information online to be confusing at best.

What we know so far:

I don't qualify as a "skilled worker" because I do not possess a degree.

Obtaining a work permit as an "unskilled worker" seems highly unlikely.

The holiday visas have reached their yearly quota.

A year of co-habitation is needed for us to qualify for a common law visa.

I would like to attend college and have looked into that as an option, however I am unable to obtain a loan to study abroad. Student loans are not offered for that purpose in my country. I'm looking into scholarships. But financing school internationally is expensive, so this may not even be a realistic option.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions for us, would be appreciated!

Thanks
Luke

I went through a very similar situation.

I'm from the UK and went to Australia for two years, within the first year I met my girlfriend who is from Canada. After the two years we decided to head to Canada, I applied for and got an IEC Work Permit and worked here for a year. I work in hospitality, I possess no degree but I found a job in my industry.

When my IEC expired I applied through the SINP http://www.saskimmigrationcanada.ca/sinp after receiving a promotion from my work. I was under the impression that you needed a degre of some description to apply under a PNP program but was later told this wasn't the case. I had to leave Canada for a little while to obtain a work permit through the PNP program and came back to Canada and began my PR application.

You can apply under a PNP program for many different fields of employment. You can even apply under the SINP for a cleaner, as long as you can prove you have experience in it. My advice would be to scour the PNP program in the province you'd be moving to while you're applying for jobs via a job website in the province you'd me moving to.

While you're doing this the IEC program will come around again in January (I waited two years for the IEC program because I missed it the first time around) get the IEC and if you haven't already started, find a stream in which you can migrate. It all takes time and once an application is in for Residency and with a federal department you can apply for as many work permits as you want.

TL;DR

Apply for everything you can while waiting for the IEC program, the only guarantee is the IEC, so long as you are quick enough to get it.
Then begin your PR application. I wouldn't recommend the Marriage rout, it's a bad foundation for a marriage

 

[LukeD]

After reading more about it, I think the IEC is the best option. Also, applying for whatever I can in the mean time, like you said.
We feel more positive about the whole thing. Thanks for all the responses, they were helpful.