Frustrated British Citizen seeks work permit...

[Spookyfish86]

I am a British Citizen with a valid passport, no criminal convictions and am in good health. As a British Citizen I know I am able to enter Canada for six months without a visa. Can I obtain a temporary work permit upon arrival in Canada? Or can I arrange for one in the UK, without a job offer. I am intending to visit Canada with enough money to support myself for the six months and hopefully find work of some kind.

If you can shed some light I will be very grateful. I have been researching but can't seem to find a straight, uncomplicated answer.

Cheers,

Chris

[Auld Yin]

A great deal depends on what you do for a living. You're correct insofar as coming as a visitor. You can look for work while here but cannot begin working until you are in possession of a PR ot TWP visa. A PR visa is issued if your occupation is on the LIST of 38 that Canada considers to be in high level of need to the country. If you are not there then you would require to find an employer willing to apply for a LMO and receive Government permission to hire you.

[Spookyfish86]

Thank you for the quick, concise reply. Very much appreciated So, just to clarify the situation, I could look for work, and if I found an employer who successfully applied for an LMO, i could begin working (in conjunction with a valid work permit)

Do you know off hand, how long a work permit would roughly take to come through if the aforementioned situation was to come to fruition? or would I need to apply for a temporary work permit prior to the job offer (if that is a feasible option)

Again, thank you Auld Yin. Your help is really appreciated

Chris

[Auld Yin]

Originally Posted by Spookyfish86

Thank you for the quick, concise reply. Very much appreciated So, just to clarify the situation, I could look for work, and if I found an employer who successfully applied for an LMO, i could begin working (in conjunction with a valid work permit)

Do you know off hand, how long a work permit would roughly take to come through if the aforementioned situation was to come to fruition? or would I need to apply for a temporary work permit prior to the job offer (if that is a feasible option)

Again, thank you Auld Yin. Your help is really appreciated

Chris

You would require to find a job where the employer is willing to apply for the LMO. If successful then you would apply to come to Canada under a TWP visa. It should probably occur in 3-6 months. Hopefully you could find an employer willing to wait that long.
As a matter of interest, are you sure your occupation is not on THE LIST?

[jojo]

Originally Posted by Auld Yin

You would require to find a job where the employer is willing to apply for the LMO. If successful then you would apply to come to Canada under a TWP visa. It should probably occur in 3-6 months. Hopefully you could find an employer willing to wait that long.
As a matter of interest, are you sure your occupation is not on THE LIST?

Ok, its not my question or probem, but where is "THE LIST" and whats on it???

Just curious

Jo xxx

[Spookyfish86]

I hope I can find an employer who can wait that long too. I'm an Elementary school teacher, and soon to be qualified ESOL Teacher (CELTA Qualification). I believe being a teacher is classed as being under skill type A (professional) on the job classification system, but isn't 1 of the 38 on the list. Coming in as a skilled worker is something i doubt I'll be able to do. My partner does have a job on the list however, and I can accompany as a common-law partner if that is the route we choose.

We also have the option of the youth mobility programme option as we are both in our early 20's. If we are successful in our application we would be able to come and work in Canada and could then look for other jobs and apply for work permits inside of Canada if we were to be successful in finding additional employment. If provided with permanent employment positions we could then start to apply for permant residency. This is what I am led to believe through my research anyways

So how long have you been In Canada for Auld Yin?

Chris

[Spookyfish86]

Hello Jo,

the list is a list of professions in demand by the Canadian Government, and if you wish to move to Canada and happen to be trained/employed in one of these professions you can apply to live in Canada as a skilled applicant. Being a skilled applicant means you stand more chance of gaining entry to Canada, and that you can apply for permanent residence straight away. Im not sure if that last bit is entirely true though, but having a job on the list is a big help to securing entry to Canada.

Chris

[Oggy]

Originally Posted by jojo

Ok, its not my question or probem, but where is "THE LIST" and whats on it???

Just curious

Jo xxx

Hi Jo

Here's the link to "The List" of 38 Skilled Worker occupations ...

Instructions on which skilled worker applications are eligible for processing


PS) Very nice new avatar photo!

[chan_konabe]

Originally Posted by Spookyfish86

I hope I can find an employer who can wait that long too. I'm an Elementary school teacher, and soon to be qualified ESOL Teacher (CELTA Qualification).

I recommend researching the employment prospects for teachers in various parts of Canada. Some provinces, most notably BC and Ontario, have extremely-high teacher surpluses at the moment. As there are many unemployed and underemployed teachers already in these provinces, it makes the possibility of getting an LMO more difficult. There have been several newspaper articles on these surpluses - they should be easy to find with a Google search.

I'm an elementary school teacher in BC and you should also be aware that you'll need a teaching certificate from the teacher regulatory body in the province you choose. In BC, for example, this is the BC College of Teachers. It can take several weeks or even months for them to process your application. Start this as soon as possible. No employer can legally hire you for a teaching position without a valid teaching certificate.

Good luck!

[Spookyfish86]

Hey Chan,

Thanks for the message and good wishes

The teacher surplus situation is something i'm already aware of in Ontario and BC, as is the necessary registration for each province/territory. Due to this I'm keeping my options open, and would be willing to enter a different career or undertake more menial work if prospects of working in education became truely dire and unlikely.

The Surplus thing is starting to happen in the UK too, especially with the recession. Teaching is deemed one of the securest jobs over here, and lots of British Educational institues are having huge influxes of applicants and less teachers leaving the profession. Some are actually asking students to defer and cutting their applicant fees for the following year because they simply can't cope with current demand.

Do you happen to know how much sway does being a fluent French speaker have on the prospect of finding a teaching job in Canada? Also do you know anything about the prospect of finding a teaching job in Alberta?

Thanks again,

Chris