New applicant with lots of questions.

[YoungBillP]

Hello members my name is Bill. I'm 24 years old currently residing in Florida, USA. My mother recently decided she wanted to move back to Canada and finish her career there. I want to go there and work for awhile and hopefully become a permanent resident. I have a few questions that need to be answered and am willing to listen to all the advice given to me. What steps should I take first if i want to move there asap? I currently graduated a vocational school for pharmacy tech but have no work experience in that field. I was self employed before and only have part time work experience. Would it be better if i stayed here and worked for a year in that field to be better qualified to work there? I know my mom can find a job easily but i'm worried about me since I really dont know where to look to find employers there. We're going there in April or so but I want to start the process now as I'm eager to move from here ASAP. Lastly, I have a girlfriend in the Philippines who I want to sponsor to live there and find a job also. She has barely any work experience but speaks real good english. I just want to find her a level entry job so she can provide for her family. My question about that is...do I have to marry her if I want to sponsor her? Thanks for all your help guys, its greatly appreciated.

[scylla]

What is your mother's status in Canada? Is she a citizen or permanent resident? If she's a citizen, when did she become one?

Unless you're a permanent resident or citizen, you generally need a work permit to be able to work in Canada.

The work permit process is not that straight forward or easy. First of all, you would need to find an employer who is willing to hire you. That employer would then need to apply for something called a Labour Market Opinion (LMO). As part of this process, the employer would have to prove that they advertised the job and weren't able to find a Canadian to hire for the role. If the LMO is approved, you can then apply for a work permit. If the work permit is approved, you can then start working.

To answer your second question, to sponsor a partner/spouse - you generally either need to be married or common law (common law means you have lived together for at least a year and can prove it).

Hope this helps. Definitely let us know what your mother's status is since this might affect you.

[YoungBillP]

She hasnt lived or worked there in over 20 years. She was never a citizen just working there.

[scylla]

I see. Too bad. I was thinking that things might turn out well for you if your mother had citizenship and got it before you were born.

[YoungBillP]

Yeah, we're going there in April to find an agency. Btw my gf can't just apply on her own ? Or would that be near impossible since she barely has any work experience.

[job_seeker]

What's your status in the US? Are you and your mom both Green Card holders?

Yeah, we're going there in April to find an agency. Btw my gf can't just apply on her own ? Or would that be near impossible since she barely has any work experience.

[YoungBillP]

we're both American citizens.

[YoungBillP]

so...does anyone have anymore advice they could give me? Thanks for all the support its greatly appreciated.

[job_seeker]

You and your Mom could look for employers who would be willing to hire temporary foreign workers (going through the process is showing recruitment efforts, then applying for LMO if no Canadian citizen or PR applied for the vacant position), then you can apply for a WP at the border. You both can enter without visas so it's easier for you to look for prospective employers and be interviewed. After working under skilled type of job for at least two years, you/your Mom can then apply for PR under CEC. Another route is PR under FSW: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/apply-who.asp

so...does anyone have anymore advice they could give me? Thanks for all the support its greatly appreciated.

[YoungBillP]

thank you sir!! i appreciate your help and effort very much.