While waiting on PR processing, can you apply for a Working Holiday Visa?

[umeboshi]

My Japanese wife and I (I'm a Canadian citizen) recently sent away our application for permanent residency for her. I'm just wondering if it's alright for her to apply for a Working Holiday Visa while we wait on the PR application to be processed?

Also, we sent our application away on June 2nd. I think it was received in Mississauga around June 5th (not entirely sure because the tracking number was a bit vague in its description plus the Canada Post strike was going on). I have been trying to check the status with the number from the Receipt but it appears the application isn't being processed yet. How long does it usually take to start processing? I read around 1 month or so?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[umeboshi]

Still hoping for an answer here. My contract is finished in Japan at the end of July, so if my wife can get a Working Holiday visa while we're waiting on her PR, we could move to Canada together from August rather than having her wait in Japan for a few months before coming.

[eletyl]

doubtful, unfortunately.  if you applied outland, then you definitely cannot.  if you applied inland, if by some miracle you get past the first step by August, then in theory she could get a work visa.  but I think it's very unlikely to be done by then.

[umeboshi]

We applied outland.

Are you sure that we couldn't get a working holiday visa? I haven't been able to find any references to this, where did you get your information from?

[eletyl]

I get my info from this forum, and a bit from personal experience (and my own lawyer).  I'm sorry I can't find all the official links at the moment.  (more senior members, feel free to do so, if you can)

there is no way you can get an open work permit.  that info I get from my lawyer, as well.  I have begged her for work-arounds, believe me.  my understanding is that they are only for certain categories of people who can get open work permits, namely, (1) international students who have graduated from a Canadian university, (2) people who apply for PR inland, (3) spouses of people who are already here on temporary work permits.

there is a slight chance she could get a closed work permit, if she is highly skilled and can meet all of these requirements: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/apply-who-eligible.asp#outside.  however, it could be tricky convincing an immigration official that she intends to leave at the end, if she already has a PR application in process.

and if she shows up as a visitor in hopes of finding an employer to sponsor her closed work permit, again, I am afraid the immigration official may not let her in.

personally: I came to Canada on a closed work permit (before I knew my future husband here existed), and I had to attest that I intended to leave at the end of my permit.  at the time, that was the truth.  things changed later, when I met my husband.  but if I had lied on it (imagine I already knew my husband and was using this as a way to get in faster), I would have put my entire future PR application in jeopardy.  that's what I am afraid of, for your wife.

my job ended 6 months before my permit (which expires this week), and for the entire 6 months since I have been trying, full-time, to find an employer here to "responsor" my work permit - I have a Ph.D., but still with no luck.  in my experience, the LMO (labour market opinion) is not easy to get, and scares away most potential employers.

also check this out, to see if she might qualify for a job that doesn't need an LMO: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/apply-who-permit.asp

if that's the case, I think she would only need a job offer letter.

[scylla]

A working holiday visa is very different from an open work permit.

I don't think there's anything stopping her from apply for a working holiday visa if she qualifies. Japan is certainly a participating country. The working holiday visa is primarily meant for people who want to visit and work for a year. So I'm not sure what impact her PR application will have on her working holiday visa (maybe someone else can comment?). However I can't see the harm in trying (apart from the time spent putting the application together and the fees).

She already has a PR application in progress. So there's nothing to hide/misrepresent. If you're asked about this in the working holiday visa application - state that she has a PR application in the works and hope for the best.

[eletyl]

thanks for the correction, scylla!  this looks helpful:

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/japan-japon/youth-jeunes/index.aspx?lang=eng

[umeboshi]

Thanks for all the information! It wasn't my intent to question your accuracy, if it came across that way I apologize, I was just really curious where you were able to get the information as I hadn't had any luck with it.

I can see how having a PR application processing and then applying for a Working Holiday Visa, which is intended for foreigners to come for a short time and then leave, could complicate things as leaving Canada clearly isn't the intention here.

Also, eletyl your link gave a set number of people who can take part in the Working Holiday Program from Japan per year and I hadn't realize there was a cap. It's probably pretty late in they year to apply for it anyways hey? I'll try and check that.

I think my wife still might try to apply as long as there wouldn't be a risk to the PR application, as scylla suggested. If we fully explain that we applied for PR but that we were attempting to get a Working Holiday visa in the meantime, that wouldn't jeapardize anything would it?

Thanks again, your comments have been very helpful.

[eletyl]

sounds fair to me.  I agree that the worst case scenario would probably be that they reject it, but it wouldn't affect your PR application.  you might want to try contacting CIC or the Japanese consulate first, maybe you can get ahold of a real live person to ask?

[Orpheus1975]

Hi all,

I asked this another forum but might be best to ask it here instead.
My wife(new zealander) and I (I'm a Canadian citizen) will be applying for an outland spousal visa.
Seems she qualifies for the working holiday visa and it seems to make since to try to apply for that and when granted then send off out complete spousal application and enter canada on the WHV.


Has anyone else been successful with this?

We also have a 7 week old baby who would be traveling with us.

Any info would be awesome!

Thank you all so much!

[Orpheus1975]

I should also ad that my wife's passport has her new married name. Can anyone foresee that being a problem when we go through customs? We would not like to lie so we would plan on telling then that we have just applied Outland for a spousal visa.

Many thanks

Aaron

[justtryingtohelp]

My story is similar. I was living with my boyfriend in Belgium but had to move back to Canada. He applied for and got a Working holiday visa (which ends up being a work permit by the way) and arrived in September 2011. We got married in February, 2012 and applied outland for PR in March 2012. I think it is a smart way to go, everything is legal and honest, he is already in the Canadian immigration system (and in a good way, having been approved). Not only that but he can work for a year while all the waiting is happening which makes everything infinitely less stressful. In addition, if things do take a really long time, he can apply to have his work visa extended as a tourist visa while in Canada.