Spouse waiting for PR wants to work

[SnootchieBootchies]

Hi,

I'm a Canadian citizen and a professional engineer.  I live in Alberta.  I married a woman 1.5 years ago who is a citizen of Hong Kong but is currently a permanent resident of the United States, where she is working.  She wants to immigrate to Canada but we have been waiting for what seems like forever for her PR and there is still no end in sight.  She is reluctant to move to Canada until she gets her PR because she wants to continue working.  So our question is: What are her options if she wants to work in Canada prior to receiving her PR?  She is currently employed as a database analyst/programmer in the U.S.  Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

[willycheng]

Hi,

In order to work in Canada, she will require a work permit.  The good news is there are specific categories in IT, that are exempted from HRSDC approval.  If she is qualified (as per specification in NOC) as: MIS Software Designer, Software Developer – Services, or Software Products Developer, HRSDC approval is not required.  This means, she only required to get a job offer letter from a Canadian employer, and she can apply for her work permit as she enters Canada at the port of entry.

Willy (Ka Shun) Cheng,
Certified Canadian Immigration Consultant
ChengCosgrove Immigration Services
willy@chengcosgrove.com
http://www.chengcosgrove.com