Visa options for UK remote workers

[cstayls]

We would like to move to British Columbia from the UK but are struggling to get a good fix on which visa we should be applying for.

I'm 32 and currently work remotely as a Cyber Security Consultant (Penetration Testing) for a US company via their UK office. I'm not looking to move jobs at the moment but all the visa's that seem to apply to our situation require a job offer in Canada or BC specifically. After some digging, I saw that Canada does not require a work visa if you are working for a foreign company with no clients in Canada, but a visitor visa would only be for 6 months which wont work as I want to bring my family with me.

I also run a small LTD company based in the UK providing consultancy services which has been actively trading for the last 20 months, I think that would allow us to go down the self-employed route but I'm not sure how that would play out given I am actively employed as a full-time consultant alongside the LTD.

Is there a good option for a digital nomad-style visa that allows me to bring my wife + kids and continue to work remotely for a none Canadian company?

 

[scylla]

We would like to move to British Columbia from the UK but are struggling to get a good fix on which visa we should be applying for.

I'm 32 and currently work remotely as a Cyber Security Consultant (Penetration Testing) for a US company via their UK office. I'm not looking to move jobs at the moment but all the visa's that seem to apply to our situation require a job offer in Canada or BC specifically. After some digging, I saw that Canada does not require a work visa if you are working for a foreign company with no clients in Canada, but a visitor visa would only be for 6 months which wont work as I want to bring my family with me.

I also run a small LTD company based in the UK providing consultancy services which has been actively trading for the last 20 months, I think that would allow us to go down the self-employed route but I'm not sure how that would play out given I am actively employed as a full-time consultant alongside the LTD.

Is there a good option for a digital nomad-style visa that allows me to bring my wife + kids and continue to work remotely for a none Canadian company?

Look into an immigration program like Express Entry. There are really no temporary visa options that will allow you to do what you want to do.

Self employment route isn't really viable since you need to actually start a business in Canada and also get the support of an angel investor in Canada.

 

[Naturgrl]

We would like to move to British Columbia from the UK but are struggling to get a good fix on which visa we should be applying for.

I'm 32 and currently work remotely as a Cyber Security Consultant (Penetration Testing) for a US company via their UK office. I'm not looking to move jobs at the moment but all the visa's that seem to apply to our situation require a job offer in Canada or BC specifically. After some digging, I saw that Canada does not require a work visa if you are working for a foreign company with no clients in Canada, but a visitor visa would only be for 6 months which wont work as I want to bring my family with me.

I also run a small LTD company based in the UK providing consultancy services which has been actively trading for the last 20 months, I think that would allow us to go down the self-employed route but I'm not sure how that would play out given I am actively employed as a full-time consultant alongside the LTD.

Is there a good option for a digital nomad-style visa that allows me to bring my wife + kids and continue to work remotely for a none Canadian company?

Canada doesn’t have a digital nomad-style visa because you can visit for up to 6 months. Leave for a month and then return, if you want. As @scylla said Express Entry is your only option unless you want to start up a company in Canada through Start up Visa program, or look at BC PNP entrepreneur program which requires a high net worth and business plan.

 

[cstayls]

Thanks for replies,

I did have a look at the express entry route, but the calculator was giving values in the mid 300's which seemed too low to even bother applying. I guess because while I have lots of certifications none of them are from a university so they don't count ;(

The BC PNP skilled tech route looked promising but there's a requirement to hold a job in BC for at least a year which is maybe an option down the line but not atm. I don't think I could swing the Entrepreneur angle either.

Is it worth just applying through Express Entry and hoping or is that just a lost cause?

 

[Naturgrl]

Thanks for replies,

I did have a look at the express entry route, but the calculator was giving values in the mid 300's which seemed too low to even bother applying. I guess because while I have lots of certifications none of them are from a university so they don't count ;(

The BC PNP skilled tech route looked promising but there's a requirement to hold a job in BC for at least a year which is maybe an option down the line but not atm. I don't think I could swing the Entrepreneur angle either.

Is it worth just applying through Express Entry and hoping or is that just a lost cause?

The first step for Express Entry is to calculate if you are even eligible with 67 points. You need your education assessed, and if you don’t have post secondary, you probably are not eligible for Express Entry. ECA and IELTS are mandatory to submit a profile. If you are eligible, the last draw was 490 so still low.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...election-factors-federal-skilled-workers.html


The BC PNP tech path requires a job offer, so you need a job offer from a BC employer willing to nominate you and meets employer requirements. So you don’t have any options unless you secure a job in BC.

 

[scylla]

Thanks for replies,

I did have a look at the express entry route, but the calculator was giving values in the mid 300's which seemed too low to even bother applying. I guess because while I have lots of certifications none of them are from a university so they don't count ;(

The BC PNP skilled tech route looked promising but there's a requirement to hold a job in BC for at least a year which is maybe an option down the line but not atm. I don't think I could swing the Entrepreneur angle either.

Is it worth just applying through Express Entry and hoping or is that just a lost cause?

Express Entry is a lost cause if you are in the mid 300's. What about your spouse?

 

[cstayls]

Express Entry is a lost cause if you are in the mid 300's. What about your spouse?

Same deal, unfortunately. I guess the best bet is to wait until I want to move jobs and go through the BC-PNP route. I work a lot in the blockchain and machine learning spaces which seem to be high on the priority list. My understanding is being nominated gets you an easy 600 extra points.

Maybe we'll do a 6 month test through the visitor visa to see how well we'd get on in the meantime. Thanks to everyone for demystifying things

 

[scylla]

Same deal, unfortunately. I guess the best bet is to wait until I want to move jobs and go through the BC-PNP route. I work a lot in the blockchain and machine learning spaces which seem to be high on the priority list. My understanding is being nominated gets you an easy 600 extra points.

Maybe we'll do a 6 month test through the visitor visa to see how well we'd get on in the meantime. Thanks to everyone for demystifying things

Just be aware that on a visitor visa you'll face a number of limitations. One example is that none of you will fall under the provincial health care program. This means that you'll want to take out private insurance to cover any health care emergencies (health care in Canada is extremely expensive without provincial health care coverage). You will need to pay out of pocket for all non emergency health care. Your children will also need study permits in order to study in Canada and will be required to pay international student fees (assume $15K per child per year). Also, how long you are allowed into Canada when you arrive is always up to CBSA. While they generally give people the default six month visit, shorter is possible. You would want to avoid making it look like you're moving to Canada.

 

[canuck78]

Same deal, unfortunately. I guess the best bet is to wait until I want to move jobs and go through the BC-PNP route. I work a lot in the blockchain and machine learning spaces which seem to be high on the priority list. My understanding is being nominated gets you an easy 600 extra points.

Maybe we'll do a 6 month test through the visitor visa to see how well we'd get on in the meantime. Thanks to everyone for demystifying things

Not a great plan if you have a family. You will all be visitors so no access to any government services. Makes sense that if you aren’t paying into the tax base you can’t access public services for free.