being able to work while waiting for PR

[mameelynn]

I had heard that there is a way to be able to pay an amount at the border that lets you have the ability to work in Canada (like $150 for 6 months) while you are waiting for your PR. Has anyone else heard of this? How do you do it? If we were able to have a job offer for my husband (an american) in Canada is there a way he could work in Canada while we are in process of me sponsoring him for PR through outland? Thanks

 

[mc1234]

I have never heard of anything like that. If you applied outland you cannot get an open work permit, only if you applied inland and it comes when you are approved as a sponsor which I believe is the 9 month mark.. if you don't mind me asking, where did you hear/read that.. If it is in fact true I would love to read more about it.

 

[Hobby]

I had heard that there is a way to be able to pay an amount at the border that lets you have the ability to work in Canada (like $150 for 6 months) while you are waiting for your PR.

This is untrue. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/index.asp is all about temporarily working in Canada. Some jobs do not require a work permit. The jobs that do take more time than a quick visit to the local friendly Immigration Officer at the border to acquire.

If we were able to have a job offer for my husband (an american) in Canada is there a way he could work in Canada while we are in process of me sponsoring him for PR through outland? Thanks

There is a way! It's not without it's challenges though. Here's the up-front text straight from the CIC website...

What you should know

If you want to work in Canada, you must understand the following important information:

Your employer helps determine if you are eligible. Your employer may need to get a labour market opinion from Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC). A labour market opinion confirms that the employer can fill the job with a foreign worker. To find more information about which jobs do not require a labour market opinion, see Eligibility to apply. You can also find out more about HRSDC labour market opinions in the Frequently asked questions section.
To work in Canada, you must meet the general requirements for entering the country and for staying here, in addition to those for getting a work permit. This means you may need a temporary resident visa. For more information on visas, see Visiting Canada.
A work permit is not an immigration document. It does not allow you to live in Canada permanently. To live here permanently, you must qualify under an immigration category, such as skilled worker. Live–in caregivers can stay in Canada permanently if they meet certain requirements. For more information, see Immigrating to Canada and the Live-In Caregiver Program.



So in short, he has the ABILITY to get a LMO (Labour Market Opinion), there's a lot of paperwork for an open work permit, and it might be faster just to sponsor him without him working or going to school for the length of time it takes. It's still faster to go Outland than Inland though. Americans generally are MUCH better off with the 'Out-of-Canada' application even if they're here /visiting/ the whole time.

Best wishes to you!

 

[mameelynn]

Thanks everyone.. I heard it from my sister who called CIC for our aunt when she was getting married to an American (it was what got us thinking about us doing immigration for my husband to Canada vrs my immigration paperwork to the US) They told her that he was able to come to Canada as a visitor but was able to pay the $150 (ish) to be able to work and then they had the 6 months to get his paperwork in. There ended up being an old DUI on his record and they had to get it take off but that they were able (I was told by them) to do a year long work visa for him. I just wasn't sure. I was also told that as long as we had a job offer in hand we could get a temp work visa for my husband and that it wouldn't take long for it but I also wasn't really able to find anything on CIC that said it would be shorter than just the outland PR... This would be so much easier if CIC would let calls from the US through!