Can an "International Experience" visa holder sponser a visa for his wife?

[InesCMC]

Hello everyone!

I am a Portuguese citizen and my boyfriend is French.
We are living together for 6 years.
We plan to move to Canada to work and we found the "international experience" program very interesting, but unfortunately I can't apply due to my citizenship.
If he applies and if he gets the visa can he sponsor me? We plan to get married in May 2014 and move to Canada afterwards.
If yes, how long can the process take? Can I be in Canada with him from day 1, since I do not require visa for a visit trip? If I get to be sponsored can I work?
Which other options do I have, apart of applying to the normal working visa that takes so much time to get approval?

Thanks a lot for your help!
Ines

 

[Line.a]

Hello everyone!

I am a Portuguese citizen and my boyfriend is French.
We are living together for 6 years.
We plan to move to Canada to work and we found the "international experience" program very interesting, but unfortunately I can't apply due to my citizenship.
If he applies and if he gets the visa can he sponsor me? We plan to get married in May 2014 and move to Canada afterwards.
If yes, how long can the process take? Can I be in Canada with him from day 1, since I do not require visa for a visit trip? If I get to be sponsored can I work?
Which other options do I have, apart of applying to the normal working visa that takes so much time to get approval?

Thanks a lot for your help!
Ines

Hi Ines.
I doubt it to be honest with you. The international experience Canada visa is a restricted visa for individuals who wants to come to Canada to work for a year (sometimes two) there isn't any sponsorship allowed unless he is a Canadian citizen or PR holder himself. Maybe if he tried to go through with a LMO and apply for a work permit that way he'd be able to sponsor you! But it doesn't secure you to move to Canada permanently, you'd have to leave after its up. Maybe some seniors can help you with the exact way to do it or recommend something else.

 

[sariss]

As mentioned above, the International Experience Canada program is a visa, not permanent residence. You only stay in the country for a year, and are expected to leave when you are finished.
Because this is just a visa, your boyfriend is not a permanent resident, and therefore cannot sponsor you to live here.

If you two want to live in Canada, you will need to find a way to get residency through possibly Skilled Trades or Experience Class (your boyfriend may be able to do this if he works during his International Experience). Info here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp

Please note that you would either both have to gain residency this way, OR one of you could gain residency through something like skilled trades, then sponsor the other as family. In order to do that, you will either have to be married, or common law (living together for 1 year at least).

 

[Line.a]

Yeah that's probably the best way they can do it! I had a couple of friends who used to live out here where the guy had got an LMO and a work permit for 2 years I think and he sponsored his gf. If your boyfriend happens to get one of these permits he can easily sponsor you since you are either getting married or have lived together for over a year. It requires a lot of work and research but contact the seniors on here they know a lot about the more "professional route". If you were to immigrate however and both get PR one day I'm thinking its going to take at least 2 years. But I could be wrong. I hope it works out for you two