Am I welcome to Canada?

[mamainak]

Hello everyone,

I just discovered this forum - it's great to have a place to ask some questions.

I've heard so much about Canada from my friends and acquaintances and I'm thinking of giving it a try and move there next year.

But I have some questions and doubts...

(i'm female, 23 years old, Croat)

I visited Canada's immigration and citizenship website to see the visas and options I have...and can't really make up my mind what's the best option.

I'm wondering what are my chances of 'surviving' there...I have high school education but by the end of next year I might have certificate for teaching English to foreign students  (following Cambridge Proficiency certificate) and plus I have experience of taking care of a special needs child (among non-special needs children because I worked as an au pair in London).

Do you think that could 'look good' for Canada's immigration office? Obviously, I'm not a professional or skilled worker, so I can't apply for work permit or permanent residence.

How liberal is Canada when it comes to foreigners working and studying there? In the UK (where I live at the moment) you need to be highly educated professional in the field that's wanted in the country at that time to get a work permit. Other visa they offer is study visa (for which you have to show already paid tuition fees and can only work 15-20 hrs per week) and au pair visa with which you can't find any other job besides au pair job.

Basically, what I want is, to come to Canada, work and educate myself - support myself, create my future. I don't know could I apply for a work permit or student visa (I'd have to earn money first to pay for studying - I'm sure the plane ticket will rip me off!) So - finding a job first, and when I have enough money I could apply for studying.

I have either Vancouver or Montreal in mind, I still haven't decided...which city offers more opportunities in your opinion?
Also, do you think having a strong ethnic community in Canada could help? I know there are lots of Croats living in Canada.

But, never mind that now, visa is in question now. Can anyone give me some information/directions?

Thanks in advance!

[bobine]

hi
everyone is welcomed in canada...now the question is how to get there?
for what i know i can only respond to some of your questions not all.
if you would like to immigrate to canada and settle in montreal wich is a city of quebec (french speaking province)
then you will need to apply first to quebec to get the selection certificat, there one of the passing point will be to
show the proof of your knowledge in french.
if your are not sure wher to settle you can go for FSW.
for your integration the presence of a lot of croat is a big advantage.
in the end it's up to you what you want to do and i hope the cic wibe site (www.cic.gc.ca) will guide through it and the forum is here
24/7 for you.

good luck

[mamainak]

Hm, so I can't apply to Canada in general, I have to choose right away where I want to go and apply to that specific province?

Also, someone mentioned sponsoring...Is that only for family members or for example, I can have family friends sponsoring me? And when someone sponsors you, does it mean you have to move there and live where they live (either the address or city)?

Thank you for your reply!

[rupeshhari]

For Skilled worker PR, there are two - one is for quebec and one is for those who want to reside outside Quebec. For this, you need to know French.

Family can also sponsor each other but it has to be relation in a certain way. For the Federal skilled worker program (i.e. for those wanting to land outside quebec), you should have one of the following to start with:
1) a job in Canada
2) have lived in canada for at least a year
3) at least one year job experience in a job from a list published by CIC.
If you have one of those, then you need to get 67 points in their points system.

There is also PNP which allows you to get PR by moving to a specific province. For most PNPs, you need a job. Certain provinces also do family sponsorship (i think).

[mamainak]

Thank you rupeshhari!

I went to calculate my points and I have a question about educational points, specifically about one year diplomas and years of full time study. I am planning to take TESOL course (Teachers of English for Students of Other Languages) which in itself doesn't last one year, but it is internationally recognized and accepted in language schools. Plus, I have 8 years of elementary, 4 years of high school and 2 years at university (that I didn't finish - bachelors is 3 years, I miss one year for BA)

So when they say
A one-year diploma, trade certificate or apprenticeship AND at least 12 years of full-time study - 12 points
Can that be my TESOL course + elementary + high school years?

or

A one-year diploma, trade certificate or apprenticeship AND at least 13 years of full-time study - 15 points
TESOL + elementary + high school + 2 years of uni (without BA degree)?

Also, if I worked as a an au pair/nanny for a family for one year can that be considered one year experience?

Thanks again for help!

Also, how do I calculate points for French? I saw IELTS for English but what test do you take for French?

[Leon]

You need 1 year of skilled work experience to apply as an FSW.  A nanny/au-pair is not skilled.  If you don't qualify as an FSW but you have a year of experience as an au-pair, you could consider taking a live-in caregiver job.  If you do that for 2 years, you will qualify to apply for PR as well, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/caregiver/index.asp

[mamainak]

Thank you Leon, I think that's my safest option. :)

Another Q and a half: do you think they will accept years I spent studying at uni but haven't finished and how will they accept one TESOL certificate?

[Leon]

You don't need uni to go on the live-in caregiver program though.  All you need is either a one year au-pair/nanny experience or a 6 month nanny course.  After you work for 2 years under this program, you can apply for an open work permit and permanent residency.

[mamainak]

Yeah, I understand that. I meant, if (one day) I am going to apply for skilled worker visa...

[Leon]

I don't think you can count years of education for university degrees you didn't finish.  Say you'd started one course, done one year, another, done one year etc.  You might have 4 years at university but no degree.

[mamainak]

Yeah that's what I thought :)

Thanks Leon!