voluntary work while waiting for PR

[mapleleaf2014]

Hi, is it ok to work on a voluntary basis in Canada, without any payment while waiting for residency, or is that also a no go?
Thanks.

 

[CanadianWifey89]

Hi, is it ok to work on a voluntary basis in Canada, without any payment while waiting for residency, or is that also a no go?
Thanks.

This is based on an episode of border security..they told the guy he could volunteer (but must not be receiving pay of any kind) and it can only be at each location for a specified period of time. Hopefully someone else can chime in

 

[chakrab]

one can volunteer as long as it is not taking away work from a resident.

 

[mapleleaf2014]

This is based on an episode of border security..they told the guy he could volunteer (but must not be receiving pay of any kind) and it can only be at each location for a specified period of time. Hopefully someone else can chime in

ok thanks. that is good news. do you know what the time limit is?

 

[tarina]

I am not encouraging you but you can work with cash, no checks!

 

[canadianwoman]

You have to be careful. Technically you cannot take away work from a Canadian or PR by volunteering - so if you are doing something that a Canadian or PR would get paid for, CIC will see it as not legal. This is because a common way to get out of getting caught working illegally was to say it was just volunteering and the person was not getting paid - this was for jobs such as waiting tables, and the like!
So if it really is something a person would only do as a volunteer, it should be OK. But that is basically because no one would be likely to complain. If it is something that someone might otherwise get paid for, don't do it. And if you are volunteering, I would not advertise the fact that you are not yet allowed to work.

 

[mapleleaf2014]

well actually I'm going to be a full time mother when I get to Canada. But I am qualified in a therapy that I could offer on a voluntary basis at a charity organisation, or hospital if they were open to that. I did a similar thing in the UK when I was just starting out with my business.
So it would be very part-time, maybe half a day a week, or something like that. I would like to do something like that if possible. It's a good way of using your skills and making contacts for when you can take payment. But I can understand the issue with taking jobs from Canadians etc.

 

[canadianwoman]

Tell the charity organization or hospital about your status in Canada; they might know whether or not your volunteering there would be a problem. A few hours a week at a real volunteer position is not usually a problem, simply because no one objects.