Girlfriend has been accepted to a Masters program in BC

[Zahnzy]

Hey all, I have a few questions I'd like to ask regarding a spousal work permit and I figured this would be the best place to do it! My girlfriend has been accepted to a Masters (and eventually PhD) program that will take somewhere between 5-7 years to complete.

My girlfriend is concerned that moving here will be very complicated due to me needing a work permit. As far as my research of the process has gone, this does not seem to be the case to me. We are both in our early 20s and would be coming from the US if this is relevant.

Questions:

As far as I can tell, based on the school's website and the Canadian government website, we will be common law partners in June/July of 2018 as we will have lived together for one year at that point.
- Will we be able to prove this with pictures of one year's worth of rent checks?

- She will have to apply for a student visa earlier than June/July as far as I am aware, so would I be applying with her before we are common law? Or would I have to wait until June/July to apply?

- If I have to wait and we decide to move there in May, would I be entering the country with no permits or statements of purpose, living there for a few months while waiting, then applying for the work permit?

- Is there any chance of my work permit being declined? We cannot consider moving here an option unless I am able to work the entire duration of her studies, in my field (Information Technology), with no complications regarding my ability to be hired and make an income

- Is the cost of the work permit and SIN recurring? Meaning, do I have to pay more than once for our entire stay?

- Would I ever face difficulties being hired because of my work permit? I assume companies would not know about the fact that I had one until I had already been given an offer of employment

- Lastly, Is there anything I should know that I might not already?

 

[scylla]

If the rent cheques have both of your names on them then you should be good. I would provide a few additional pieces of evidence such as joint bank accounts, joint utility bills, joint credits cards, etc.

You cannot apply for the open work permit until you are actually common law - if you apply even a day early, you'll be refused. Assuming you are both American (rather than just living in the US) - she can apply for her study permit at the border and you can apply for the work permit at the border as well (but only once you are common law and qualify).

You cannot 'move' to Canada in May. You won't be able to legally move to Canada until you qualify for the work permit and have the approved work permit. Until then, all you can do is visit temporarily. This means you can't arrive at the border in May with all of your stuff looking like you're moving (if you do this, you could be refused entry or even given a one year exclusion order which will completely mess up your plans).

There is no cost for the SIN. Work permits have to be renewed every year or two - and yes, there's obviously a cost to that. Provided you can prove you are common law, there should be no risk of refusal.

You'll have a temporary SIN which will begin with 9 so employers will know you don't have permanent status here. Employers sometimes prefer individuals who are here permanently - but this doesn't always matter.

 

[Zahnzy]

You cannot 'move' to Canada in May. You won't be able to legally move to Canada until you qualify for the work permit and have the approved work permit. Until then, all you can do is visit temporarily. This means you can't arrive at the border in May with all of your stuff looking like you're moving (if you do this, you could be refused entry or even given a one year exclusion order which will completely mess up your plans).

Thank you for explaining that, I was unaware of this and unable to find out if this was the case or not. It appears we will be common law by late June 2018, so we would have to wait until then.

Work permits have to be renewed every year or two - and yes, there's obviously a cost to that.

Is the recurring cost for this the same as the original application cost?

Also, what type of work permit would I be applying for? This question was asked on the Canadian government website whilst I was confirming my eligibility.

 

[scylla]

You would be applying for a spousal open work permit. Fee list can be found here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/fees/fees.asp

 

[Zahnzy]

You would be applying for a spousal open work permit. Fee list can be found here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/fees/fees.asp

Sorry, I actually just realized that was in the drop-down menu and I missed it. Thank you for the link and your help.

If I'm not mistaken, there is not much for us to consider regarding my ability to find employment or to hold a work permit whilst she is in her graduate program?