Hello,
I was hoping to gain some guidance regarding options I could pursue to secure a temporary work permit for eligibility to work in Canada. I'm mostly interested in working in BC.
I am a US citizen who graduated from a Canadian Institution and the work I do would be in IT. I received my degree in 2015, but unfortunately, I didn't apply for an open work permit upon graduation. I've now gone past the 90 days limit to be eligible for a post-graduate open work permit, so it appears that I cannot pursue that option unless I go back to school (unless there's an alternative I don't know about).
One of the options I found most applicable to me is that since I am a U.S. citizen and my degree is in IT, the work I do qualifies as a 'Professional' under the list of NAFTA exempt positions. Having this background seems to make it easier for the employer because they will not have to do a Labour Impact Assessment. Instead, they will need to walk through the CIC's employer portal and dispense an 'Offer of Employment' number for me to bring to a port of entry to present to a border agent for my work-permit. However, it seems like I can only qualify for a work-permit IF I have a job offer lined up from a potential employer and they are willing to go through the CIC's Employer Portal to provide me with an 'Offer of Employment' number. This complicates things a little for me as most employers are shied away upon hearing my ineligibility to work in Canada and having to go extra steps in order to employ me.
I was wondering if there are any other options I can explore. Is there another avenue to secure a work permit without having a job offer from an employer? I'm open to hearing any other possible options available to me and I greatly appreciate everyone's help. Would love to hear from anyone who have had similar experiences and how it turned out.
Thank you!
I was hoping to gain some guidance regarding options I could pursue to secure a temporary work permit for eligibility to work in Canada. I'm mostly interested in working in BC.
I am a US citizen who graduated from a Canadian Institution and the work I do would be in IT. I received my degree in 2015, but unfortunately, I didn't apply for an open work permit upon graduation. I've now gone past the 90 days limit to be eligible for a post-graduate open work permit, so it appears that I cannot pursue that option unless I go back to school (unless there's an alternative I don't know about).
One of the options I found most applicable to me is that since I am a U.S. citizen and my degree is in IT, the work I do qualifies as a 'Professional' under the list of NAFTA exempt positions. Having this background seems to make it easier for the employer because they will not have to do a Labour Impact Assessment. Instead, they will need to walk through the CIC's employer portal and dispense an 'Offer of Employment' number for me to bring to a port of entry to present to a border agent for my work-permit. However, it seems like I can only qualify for a work-permit IF I have a job offer lined up from a potential employer and they are willing to go through the CIC's Employer Portal to provide me with an 'Offer of Employment' number. This complicates things a little for me as most employers are shied away upon hearing my ineligibility to work in Canada and having to go extra steps in order to employ me.
I was wondering if there are any other options I can explore. Is there another avenue to secure a work permit without having a job offer from an employer? I'm open to hearing any other possible options available to me and I greatly appreciate everyone's help. Would love to hear from anyone who have had similar experiences and how it turned out.
Thank you!
