Work visa questions

[chelseahotte]

Hi there! Sorry if this is on the wrong thread.

My husband is currently living in Vancouver, BC and I'm a US citizen living in Vancouver, Washington. I'm going to be applying for a student visa at a community college this spring, but I was wondering if there is anyway I could apply for a work visa in the meantime. I've tried applying at different jobs in Canada but since I'm a US Citizen, the application gets denied. I thought that you needed a job before you could even apply for a visa, but how can I get a job if I get denied while applying? How do you go about getting a work visa? Are work visas for professional jobs only or can you get a job at a retail store/fast food joint?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just confused on what to do.

 

[scylla]

It depends what your occupation is. If your occupation falls under NAFTA - then you can get a work permit with just a job offer from an employer in Canada.

In the event your occupation doesn't fall under NAFTA - things get a lot more complicated. You would first need to find an employer who is willing to offer you a full time job. Next the employer would have to advertise the job for at least a month to prove no Canadian could be found for the role. Then they would pay a $1000 fee and submit the approval application (LMIA) for processing. This seems to be taking 2-3 months these days. If the LMIA is approved, you can then apply for a work permit.

 

[chelseahotte]

It depends what your occupation is. If your occupation falls under NAFTA - then you can get a work permit with just a job offer from an employer in Canada.

In the event your occupation doesn't fall under NAFTA - things get a lot more complicated. You would first need to find an employer who is willing to offer you a full time job. Next the employer would have to advertise the job for at least a month to prove no Canadian could be found for the role. Then they would pay a $1000 fee and submit the approval application (LMIA) for processing. This seems to be taking 2-3 months these days. If the LMIA is approved, you can then apply for a work permit.

Thank you so much for the info!
Stupid question, but what is NAFTA? I really don't know much about work visas, my husband and I are currently working on the sponsor visa but due to his job (3d artist) I don't believe we'll get accepted for it so we're trying to figure out other options. I sadly didn't go to college, so I don't have no professional experience - that's why I'm also going to be applying for school at Langara Community College