Work permit extension issues and pr help

[Juniper berry]

First time poster, needing guidance

Here's the situation, came to Canada on IEC 1 yr work visa from Uk. With me came my Canadian common law fiancee and our 3 yr old dual citizen kid.

I got a job as a casual staffing clerk and made good money for the year, we (my young family) decided we are going to apply for spousal sponsership to continue our journey in this great land.

I applied for my work permit extension which has been refused as I don't have an lmo (employer would go for it as I was casual and not in a skilled category). Now the visa has expired (2 weeks ago) and I'm here as a visitor. What can I do?

I went to see a lawyer about spousal sponsership and was recommended to stay as a visitor but apply or an outside of Canada form. Is this right?

If I apply for an inside Canada form can I still apply for a new work permit at the same time? I'm needing help as I want to stay in Canada with my family, and with no job it puts a lot of stress on my partner....

Any one with knowledge, please speak up, it is a somewhat unusual situation.

 

[scylla]

Just to be clear, did you actually apply to change your status to "visitor" or did you just let your IEC visa expire? If you just let your IEC visa expire - then you are now out of status (not here as a visitor) and should apply to restore your status.

For the rest of your questions I would recommend you join the discussion on the Family Class section of this forum and ask your questions there:

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/family-class-sponsorship-b5.0

Start by reading the very first post in the following thread:

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/spousal-sponsorship-t46995.0.html

If you apply inland (inside Canada form), you will qualify for an open work permit once you have first stage approval. Assuming there are no issues with your application, it will take about six months to get first stage approval.

 

[scylla]

Just to add...

If you want to work sooner, you will need to obtain a job offer from an employer and that employer will have to also obtain an approved LMO. You can then apply for a closed work permit.

 

[Juniper berry]

Thanks for the info. I have applied for visitor status, after getting rejected for extension but before IEC expired. Help is much appreciated