UK Tourist Visa Extension

[nicknick]

Morning all

Sorry if this has been answered already, although I have spent quite a while trawling the forums to try and save everyone some time. However ....

I'm from the UK and moving out to Vancouver in mid November 2011. I applied for the Federal Skilled Workers VISA in July 2011.

However because this VISA can take 10+ months to process, I may be in the Vancouver without my FSW VISA finished being processed yet, after my 6 month tourist VISA runs out. I was just wondering about the extension to my tourist VISA after those 60 days.

I've travelled a lot and I know in some countries I can leave the country (literally for a couple of hours) and re-enter and I get a new 6 months VISA, however I think (from some research) that Canada are a little more savvy than some other countries and this wouldn't be allowed. Is there a minimum amount of time I have to leave the country to get a new 6 months tourist VISA, or is it something along the lines of 6 months in one year (basically meaning 6 months out of Canada before I can get another 6 months)?

Finally just another question, if for some reason my FSW VISA gets denied, and I'm coming up to the end of the tourist VISA, I would be looking to get sponsored through a job. With the inherent times in processing and finding a job, would getting the extension be a problem or would it just be the normal process?

Thanks a lot in advance, much appreciated

 

[nicknick]

Bumpety bump bump. Sorry just cant find the answers elsewhere

 

[scylla]

I'll try to help with a few things...

First of all, you won't be able to "move" to Canada until you are approved as a PR. Before then, you are only allowed to come as a visitor. Be careful about the language you use and how you act when entering Canada before you get PR. If you say you're coming here to move before you're allowed to, this can sometimes lead to problems at immigration (i.e. being denied entry into the country).

If you want to extend your stay in Canada after your six months have run out, your best bet will probably be to apply for an extension to your visit from within Canada. If you leave and try to re-enter to reset the clock - it's difficult to say what will happen since it's up to the immigration officer you see when you try to return. You could be granted another six month - or you could be refused (or only granted a shorter visit) if the immigration official believes you've been spending too much time in Canada and have been acting more as a resident than a visitor.

If your FSW application falls through for some reason and you decide to apply with a job offer instead, to the best of my knowledge, you'll still be waiting a number of months.