need some info on the Skilled Worker process

[pvcan1]

Hi all,
I am planning to apply for my PR under the Federal Skilled Worker program
and I had some questions about the process, I would greatly appreciate any
information on the below questions:

1) my current job title in the US is "Software Engineer", which job category
should I apply under, will it be "1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management"?

2) roughly how long does the process take if I apply now to the Buffalo office
(assuming all the documents are in place, etc), when can I expect to get the PR?

3) assuming I get the PR/visa by what date do I need to enter Canada? I am guessing there
is some kind of expiry date for the PR before which I need to enter? How is this date determined?

4) once I enter Canada on PR, do I need to work in the same job category (1122) that I applied under?
OR can I do any job for any employer? for eg if I want to do a University teaching job, is that possible?

[Leon]

1) If that is the best fit, then yes but if you want to apply this year, you better hurry because there is only a quota of 500 and it will fill up very soon.

2) Go to trackitt.com to see actual peoples timelines through Buffalo.  You don't actually send it to Buffalo though, you send it to CIO in Sydney, NS.

3) The expiry date of the PR visa is usually a year after you did your medicals but you do not have to move before that date, you can land and then leave again if you need more time.  You must live in Canada at least 730 days in any rolling 5 year period to keep your PR.

4) Once you are PR, you can work in any job.

[PMM]

Hi

1) If that is the best fit, then yes but if you want to apply this year, you better hurry because there is only a quota of 500 and it will fill up very soon.

2) Go to trackitt.com to see actual peoples timelines through Buffalo.  You don't actually send it to Buffalo though, you send it to CIO in Sydney, NS.

3) The expiry date of the PR visa is usually a year after you did your medicals but you do not have to move before that date, you can land and then leave again if you need more time.  You must live in Canada at least 730 days in any rolling 5 year period to keep your PR.

4) Once you are PR, you can work in any job.

Except that Software Engineer probably doesn't fall under 1122 more likely 2173 which is software engineers and they are not on the list of 29.

[pvcan1]

Thank you for your replies, I have a couple of follow-up questions:

1) does my current title of "Software Engineer" fall under "1122 Professional Occupations"?
this is the part that is still confusing me, exactly which category should I apply under?
what category are other people using if their current job title is Software Engineer?

3) looks like I just need to land in Canada before the PR visa expires, so is it ok if I land for
one week and then return to the US? is there a minimum duration I have to stay in Canada
after the initial landing? how long does it take to get the PR card after landing?
(basically my plan is to continue living/working in the US until I am able to get a job in Canada,
so I will be making trips to Canada to give job interviews until I get a written job offer).

Thanks again for your help and information, appreciate it.

[scylla]

1) If they qualify under the description of responsibilities for NOC 1122, then they apply through this NOC. If they don't qualify, then they are out of luck unless they can secure a job offer in Canada

2) Yes - you can land and leave. PR card takes 6-8 weeks. You need to live in Canada 2 out of every 5 rolling years to retain PR status.

[pvcan1]

Thank you for your reply.

1) do I need to stay in Canada (after initial landing) to get the PR card?
I saw some conflicting info on the CIC site, one part says the card will be
mailed to your Canada address, another part says the card has to be picked up
in person at the local CIC office. It will be tough for me to stay in Canada for
2 months waiting for the PR card especially if I don't find a job in that duration.

2) how is the 5-year period calculated for retaining PR status, is this from the
date of initial landing? For eg - if I land on Jan 1st 2012, stay in Canada for 1 week
and then leave, then I return on Jan 1st 2015 (after 3 years) and reside in Canada
for 2 continuous years, then does that satisfy the 2 years out of 5 years requirement?

[Leon]

1) do I need to stay in Canada (after initial landing) to get the PR card?
I saw some conflicting info on the CIC site, one part says the card will be
mailed to your Canada address, another part says the card has to be picked up
in person at the local CIC office. It will be tough for me to stay in Canada for
2 months waiting for the PR card especially if I don't find a job in that duration.

You don't have to stay.  The card will be mailed to an address you give immigration, at least if  they believe you will be there when it arrives.  If you were to tell them that you plan to leave in a week, they might hold it until you are back to stay.

If you have a secure mailing address with friends or family in Canada, you could use that. Otherwise, I believe you can arrange an address with UPS that will forward your mail to where you are.  You would notify immigration of the UPS address you have arranged and your PR card should arrive there and be forwarded to you without immigration knowing about it. 

If this doesn't work out, you can get your PR card when you are back for good.  If it is within 6 months of your landing, you just notify them of your address.  If it is later, you have to apply for the PR card and pay $50.  In that case you would have to pick it up.  That is true for PR cards you apply for later like that if you didn't get the initial one as well as renewals.

As for 2 months being hard because you can't get a job, if you want to keep the PR, you would at some point have to stay for 2 years.  2 years would also be hard if you can't find a job.  In any case, unless you have a job offer, you realize you must show proof of funds when you apply for your PR as well as when you land.  These funds are supposed to help you survive for up to 6 months while you look for a job.

2) how is the 5-year period calculated for retaining PR status, is this from the
date of initial landing? For eg - if I land on Jan 1st 2012, stay in Canada for 1 week
and then leave, then I return on Jan 1st 2015 (after 3 years) and reside in Canada
for 2 continuous years, then does that satisfy the 2 years out of 5 years requirement?

730 days in your first 5 years as a PR as well as any rolling 5 year period after that.  You are right, if you stay for a week, come back exactly 3 years later and stay until the anniversary of your landing, you have your 730 days and can apply to renew your PR card which would at that point most likely be expired.  It is however not a good idea to leave it for exactly the days you need to meet the residency requirements.  I am assuming you have family somewhere and if there is a family emergency, you might want to go there, right?

[pvcan1]

Hello Leon,

Thanks for the detailed information, it was very helpful.
basically my plan is to continue living/working in the US until I am able to get a job in Canada,
so if I manage to get a job offer prior to my PR entry date then that is great since I can land
in Canada and immediately start working, otherwise I plan to land in Canada and leave in 1 week
to return to my job in the US and I will be making further trips to Canada to give job interviews
until I am able to get a job offer from a Canadian company. I will follow your advise and try to
get the PR card mailed to a friend's address in Canada (and ask him to forward it to me..)