Re: Advice and help on current issue

[acelace]

Hi. My name is Aisha and I need some advice on my current issue:

My siblings and I are planning to move to Toronto by Summer 2012 for a better life and job opportunities. Me and my sister currently have online jobs, but none pays well and everyone in our household (including my mom) are having a hard time with paying bills and saving money. I am currently planning everything out for our departure such as important documents needed and everything in-between, but nothing is being sent off until the end of this year and/or when we have enough funds. We don't have anything saved up now, but we all plan to next month. When the time comes for applying and such, would it be better to apply as a family (myself and siblings) or as individuals (me and my sister as Skilled Workers)? If we have to apply individually, what would my brother apply under since he will be 16 years old in 2012?

Also, I went to college in Calgary on January 2010 during the fall semester, so I have a student visa that doesn't expire until December 31st, 2013. I know it's way different than an immigrant visa, but will this help or affect our process in anyway?

I know there might be a chance of not meeting my goals, but if my siblings and I can do this, I just want to make sure everything we do and send is right. Thanks!

[scylla]

I assume no one in your family is currently a citizen or permanent resident of Canada. Assuming no one is, here are my comments:

- It's extremely unlikely you'll be able to move to Canada as an immigrant by summer 2012 because the application process takes much longer than that to complete. I'm just warning you now so that you are not disappointed later.

- How old are you and your sister?

- If you are both under 22, then you could try to qualify as a family through one of the skilled worker classes. In order for this to work, either your mother or your father (if he is still alive / part of the family) would have to be the principal applicant. In other words, one of your parents would have to qualify as the skilled worker and then take the rest of you along. You and/or your sister cannot be the principal applicants.

- If your mother / father doesn't qualify as a skilled worker, then you and your sister can certainly apply independently. However you won't be able to include you mother or siblings as part of the application (only your spouse and/or children if you have any).

[acelace]

Hi. Thanks for the reply!

I'm 22 and my sister is 21. Nobody in my family is currently a citizen or permanent resident of Canada. My mom chooses not to come with us, but she told me she will give written permission for my brother to come. So, if the process is longer than expected, should I settle for a possible Fall 2012 entry and apply in the summer? Thanks again!   

[scylla]

You can't include your brother in your application. Even if your mother provides consent. You can't include your mother or your sister either. You can only include your husband (if you have one) and/or your children (if you have any).

I don't know what country your from. However the federal skilled worker applications typically takes closer to a year to complete - if not two years or more. Processing times are here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm/skilled-fed.asp

[acelace]

Okay, I understand. I'm from US. Thanks for the help!