2 questions: working as a volunteer, informing CIC about long holiday

[little_apple]

Hi everybody

I still got some time but I'm wondering about two things:

My application has been in Vienna since end of May 2013. According to the CIC processing times I will probably get my PR in May 2014. I know it could be faster or even slower but let's say it will be 12 months.

My current IEC visa expires in March 2014. I plan to extend my stay as a visitor because my employer doesn't get any LMO's anymore. All applications from this year have been refused. I know that I'm not allowed to work and get paid but can I still go there and work without getting paid? Like a volunteer? I don't care if I don't get any money for a few months because I have enough savings but I like my job and it would be too boring for me to sit at home and wait for my PR. Would it be ok if my employer writes a contract stating that I'll work as a volunteer between expiration of my IEC and getting PR approval?

In December we'll be on holiday in the Philippines for 4 weeks. We travel to places/islands without electricity and I won't be able to check and answer emails during this time. Should I send an email to CIC in Vienna and tell them about my trip in case they require more documents? Or should I just program an automatic reply in my email account? If they send me a doc request I won't be able to send them the docs back in time so I just want to be on the safe side ;-)

Thanks a lot

 

[Sweden]

Volunteering is tricky and in your specific situation, it might be considered as work.

it's a fine line, but in general, it's OK to volunteer as long as it's not something that takes away work from somebody else, and you're not needed there regularly. So if you volunteer everyday, at your former place, with a written agreement from your boss, and doing what you were doing before but without being paid for it - it won't fly, and I don't think it will qualify as volunteering. It is boring to sit home and do nothing, but well - you might have to do it anyway.

For the second question - might be a good idea to inform your VO, although I'm not sure that they would really be able to keep track of that, so an auto-reply might be a good idea.

Good luck,
Sweden

 

[little_apple]

Thanks Sweden for the fast reply. I knew that the volunteering thing could be a tricky situation. Oh well. Maybe my PR will be approved in time and I don't have to worry about it at all ;-)

 

[ghunter]

A friend of ours was coming to visit Canada and had work boots with him. The immigration officers asked him why, and he said to help his father in law fix his deck.

The officer informed him that this would not be allowed as it is technically taking that work (the fixing of the deck) away from a Canadian, even though there was no pay and it was not an advertised job.

So, as far as I understand, no volunteering is not 'taking a job away from a Canadian'. It would of course depend on you being found out, but it may not be worth it if you were to be caught by CIC...

 

[scylla]

The officer informed him that this would not be allowed as it is technically taking that work (the fixing of the deck) away from a Canadian, even though there was no pay and it was not an advertised job.

This is correct - you have to be very careful.

My husband and I own a rental property in the US. He's American (Canadian PR) and I'm just Canadian. Even though we own the property, I can't even go down there and paint a room or landscape the yard because that's classified as work that's being taken away from an American and I'm just a visitor.

Canada takes a similar view...

 

[little_apple]

So I'll better stay at home then. I don't want to risk anything My employer confirmed already that no matter what I'll keep my job for sure and they won't hire anybody else.

I sometimes watch "Border Security" on TV and there was a guy from UK arriving with work clothes because he wanted to fix his in laws' house. He was in a lot of trouble.