Work Holiday permit (12 months residency)

[stealth08]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if someone can please give me some feedback on my plan of action.

I want to immigrate to Canada permanently. I am going to apply for a 12 month work holiday visa. This permit only allows me to stay in Canada and work for a maximum period of 12 months. Within the 12 months, I am going to try my hardest to find a permanent job while I am there. I will try and find a permanent job in another field if I have to. I am currently in IT. What if I find a permanent job which is not to do with my profession, will Canadian immigration accept me for Permanent Residency?

Is this possible to achieve?

[Leon]

Have you thought about what immigration class you want to apply under?  If you can find a permanent job and get your employer to get your work permit changed to a regular skilled work permit, you would be able to apply under PNP in the province where you are or if you get your employer to give you an AEO, you could use that to apply for FSW, category 2.  It does not matter if the job is not in your field exactly as long as it's a skilled job.

[stealth08]

Leon,

Thanks again for your generous advice. I will take the risk and hope to get a permanent job. But how long would I have to work with a company to get Permanent Residency?

[Leon]

If you were working for an employer who sponsors you for PNP, it depends on what province you are in what are the rules of the PNP.  I do believe you have to be on a regular work permit but maybe it works for a working holiday too.  The problem would be, if you could apply while you are still on working holiday and then have a problem getting your work permit changed to a normal work permit and your PR is not done when your working holiday visa expires, what would happen to your application.  You can look at the PNP's in different provinces but especially after you are in Canada and have found a job, look at the PNP in the province you are working in and ask them about all details.

If it's a skilled job, there is in most cases no time limit you have to have been working for the employer before you apply but many employers will not apply for you until you do at least your probation period, normally 3 months or even after 6.  Processing time also varies, maybe from 6 months to a year to get PR.

Anyway, find the employer first, try to get your work permit changed to a normal skilled permit, if that doesn't work, try to get an AEO and use that to apply under PNP or FSW.  To get a normal work permit, you need an LMO which is harder to get than an AEO.  That is unless you fall under the categories of people who don't need an LMO for a work permit, then it might be really easy, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/special-tech.asp

[stealth08]

Thanks for your advice Leon. Yea I think that a job must be advertised for 3 months by a canadian employer before they give the job to a foreign worker. In this economy I highly doubt that will happen. I think my plan is almost impossible. This is so difficult.