Moving to Canada...

[gjtf45]

 I'm a native New Yorker with my sights on Canada, especially Vancouver.  I'm planning on moving there after December and looking for  work and a place to live after I arrive. Given all the changes that have taken place with immigration issues, I'd like to know if I need some type of visa for entering the country or will my passport do. 


can anyone recommend a good hostel/hotel to stay at? is it possible to find a roomate before I get there? How hard is it for Americans to find a permanent job? Is it possible to get a job as an ESL teacher at least until I find a job in my field? I have a Bachelor of Science in Biology and experience living abroad. 

[Leon]

You can enter on your passport as a tourist and stay up to 6 months.  In order to work, you need a work permit.  The way you get that is your employer has to apply for a labour market opinion for you for that job, has to show that the job was advertised and no qualified Canadians were found and that they are paying market rates.  If they are approved, you take the LMO to the border and apply for your work permit there.  After you find the job, getting an LMO can take several weeks.

I do not know if there is a lot of work as an ESL teacher in Vancouver.  Most people in Canada already speak English except maybe in Quebec.  If you get a work permit for one employer (as an ESL teacher), you will need another LMO and another work permit if you want to start another job.  Getting a new work permit will invalidate the old work permit so if you change employers, you can not work for the old employer on the side.