Girlfriend in Canada and a whole lot of questions!

[Clarkkent]

Hello everybody. I could really use some help here because i am in a pretty bad situation!

The bad situation is that 2 years ago i met a girl from Canada who was here in Sweden studying for a year. We came in contact and we started to like each other alot. After she went home we kept contact and i have also visited her once in Ottawa for a few weeks.

Now like , alright i'm gonna say it even tho it's cheesy but we love each other and we obviously want to be with each other but there's alot of problems here.. It does seem almsot impossible for me to be with her because i am not a Doctor or a Scientist or anything else with a fancypancy Education and the possibility to go there and work as a normal worker seem close to 0! And unless we get married which i think honestly is a bit early to do, how do you collect the months for a common law relationship ?

There's one way that i've been thinking about. I am below the age of 30 years old so i could apply for a working holliday visum for 1 year stay now in january when they''re released and then rent an apartment and as soon as possible having her moving into my place writing herself on the same adress and then if we don't get the full 12 months but only 11 maybe go traveling together for a month or two in the summer of 2016. I don't know if this works ( Would appriciate if you guys could explain the different ways on going about this matter )

Another issue is that i kinda want to Canada soon as the person that i have been renting my apartment here in Sweden is moving back in at the end of this month. So then i don't have a place to stay unless i move into my family's home for a bit which i honestly prefer not to do. So then i was thinking about going to Canada first as a tourist and then apply for working permit (working holliday) while i am in Canada (Something after talking with the people from blueberry who offers these , well "trips" is possible. But then that's going to be pretty expensive, i got about 40 000 dollars saved away but if i am going to stay in hotel for months i mean , its going to cost alot. So then i was wondering. Is it possible for me to rent a room or an apartment from a private person while i am considering a tourist in Canada without working permit? Legally that is. Since i don't want to get into any trouble that way. I was thinking about taxes and such for the person renting the place idk. hope you guys get what i mean.

Idk i will probably come up with a million more questions and maybe even you guys realize what i need to know (that i havent asked) But my general question is. How do i make this Relationship possible. I wish it was reversed because immigrating to Sweden with a relationship as a cause seem alot easier.

Anyway, Thanks in advance and i am sorry if it's a bit messy !

 

[etienbjel]

Hi

You don't need a "fancypancy" education to come to Canada to work. There are plenty of tradesmen from Europe who can get FSW visas for Canada. Albeit, they take a long time and are very selective (based on demand)

You're not going to find any quick and easy routes into Canada to work. We're all here waiting patiently for our turn in the queue. You're fastest options are: Marry her and get a PR visa, have her live with you in Sweden for 12 consecutive months to apply for a common law PR visa, apply for a FSW visa, or invest that $40,000 on an education at a Canadian university and get a study permit.

Or, just go to a Canada for however long you can extend the tourist for. Spend time with your gf and maybe you'll want to get married asap.

 

[Clarkkent]

Thanks for your answer etienbjel , much appriciated! I got a few questions though. If i were to go to Canada and extend extend tourist visa, Can i rent apartments, Can i rent rooms from private people legally so i don't have to pay 150 bucks a night at a hotel ? even tho i don't have a working permit and is only there on visitor visa as i mentioned before?


And wouldn't it be a good idea to get a working holliday working permit 12 months once they get released for 2015 and move in together for common-law relationship at the end of the stay ?

Thanks in advance!

 

[etienbjel]

Find a basement apartment where the landlord lives in the same house. 9/10 times the rent is dealt in cash and the apartment is not legal. Basement apartments are about 600-1200/mo depending on proximity to city centre.

You might be referring to the temporary work visa, which I believe has been discontinued. There is no working holiday visa in Canada.

 

[dominokitty]

I was/am in a very similar situation. I met my now-husband while I was studying abroad, we maintained our relationship over the course of a few years, visiting back and forth every 3-4 months before getting married this past summer. Ultimately we decided to get married instead of trying to live together first as common law, and I'll tell you why:

One thing about long distance relationships is that it is a lot harder to just "date" without some kind of plan for the future. Eventually, you'll reach a point (and maybe you two have already) where you need to decide whether you're in the relationship for the long haul or not. If you are, and marriage is on the table, it might be easier (and faster!) to marry and immigrate to one or the other's country through a spousal sponsorship. If you just want to test the waters and live together for a while first, you're in luck because the working holiday agreement Canada has with Sweden is perfect for this!

For all intents and purposes, common law and marriage are equal in the eyes of the Canadian government. You would file taxes as common-law (which is the same as if you were married) and the sponsorship rules are the same. Whether you two stay together or not, she will still be financially responsible for you as your sponsor for 3 years after you receive PR. This means that if you collect welfare or any kind of social assistance from the Canadian government, she will be obligated by law to pay the government back all of that money. So really it makes no difference as far as sponsorship is concerned whether you are married or not, and sponsorship is not a commitment to be taken lightly. If she's willing to make that commitment to you anyway you might as well get married

The working holiday visa wasn't an option for my husband and I because his country doesn't have that agreement with Canada, and we already knew we wanted to spend our lives together, so we just got married instead of trying to find a way to live together beforehand (and extending the time that we couldn't legally live and work in the same country together). We were more than ready to close the distance and get our life together started

If you just want to explore your relationship further by coming to Canada for a while and living together, you can definitely do that through the working holiday visa. However it won't help you get PR status in Canada unless you two can continue to live together after that year is up.

Remember the working holiday visas are limited in number so if you want to go this route you will have to fill out your application and apply as soon as possible. As far as renting an apartment goes, that is between you and the person you're renting from. The government has no say in that and if you can find someone to rent to you, you are more than welcome to do so. You can definitely rent a room or an apartment once you get here, no problem. The only issue I see is if the person you're renting from wants some kind of background check or references (which they often do). You might have better luck if your girlfriend finds a place for the two of you to live before you get here, or if the two of you go together. You'll sign a lease agreement (usually for 6 months to a year) and they will go over all the details with you. You don't have to do this under the table (by cash) if you're living in Canada legally through a working holiday visa.

However, I would advise against trying to come to Canada on a visitor visa to find a place before the working holiday visa goes through. If you intend to live in Canada, it's best to do it the legitimate way. Once you have a working holiday visa you're more than welcome to find a place to live while you're in Canada, but the visitor visas are generally issued to people who intend to leave Canada once their visitor visa is up. You would probably have issues with the border people if you tried to come on a visitor visa with the intention of staying (meaning, they might not let you in).

If you want it badly enough almost anything is possible! It wasn't ideal for my husband and I to get married before living together but we did it anyway so that we could close the distance between us as soon as possible. International long distance relationships are complicated but they are definitely doable with enough motivation! Is there any reason specifically that she couldn't come to Sweden to live with you for some time?

 

[dominokitty]

Find a basement apartment where the landlord lives in the same house. 9/10 times the rent is dealt in cash and the apartment is not legal. Basement apartments are about 600-1200/mo depending on proximity to city centre.

You might be referring to the temporary work visa, which I believe has been discontinued. There is no working holiday visa in Canada.

There is a working holiday visa in Canada for people under 30! But only from specific countries (Australia and Sweden for example). It grants what is essentially an open work permit only valid for 1 year, allowing young tourists to travel and work freely within Canada. I know tons of people who have come to Canada this way. Usually they'll settle down in one city and work there but sometimes they travel from place to place working in restaurants and the like as they go to fund their trip. Canada also has agreements for Canadians to come to these countries under the same program (Meaning a Canadian under 30 could go live and work in Australia for a year). But the working holiday visas can't be extended. Once your year is up, you're no longer legal to work.

Edit: Found the link! It's called "International Experience Canada" and is a special program for youth. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/iec/index.asp

 

[etienbjel]

Sorry, I was confused with the Temporary Foreign Worker program.

Clarkkent, I would suggest posting in a section relevant to working holiday visas. You will probably find your answers there.

 

[etienbjel]

There is a working holiday visa in Canada for people under 30! But only from specific countries (Australia and Sweden for example). It grants what is essentially an open work permit only valid for 1 year, allowing young tourists to travel and work freely within Canada. I know tons of people who have come to Canada this way. Usually they'll settle down in one city and work there but sometimes they travel from place to place working in restaurants and the like as they go to fund their trip. Canada also has agreements for Canadians to come to these countries under the same program (Meaning a Canadian under 30 could go live and work in Australia for a year). But the working holiday visas can't be extended. Once your year is up, you're no longer legal to work.

Edit: Found the link! It's called "International Experience Canada" and is a special program for youth. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/iec/index.asp

Wow Ukraine is on there. Thanks, another guy was looking to bring his Ukranian gf over. I'll send him the link.

 

[dominokitty]

Wow I can't believe Ukraine has a working holiday with Canada and Austria doesn't No offense to Ukrainians I am just surprised, with the conflict going on there and the fact that Austria is part of the EU.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

There are a couple things you need to know about the common law sponsorship program - the 12 months is just the minimum that you two have to live together before you can apply through a common-law sponsorship, and you have to remain living together in a common law relationship for as long as the application takes to process, plus a minimum of 3 years to maintain your permanent resident status in Canada.

Incorrect.

CIC accepts that couples sometimes need to live apart due to work, school etc. Once common-law status is established, the couple can live apart if they need to. They must be able to show that they have maintained their relationship while apart. The most common situation seems to be when a common-law applicant returns to their home country to work during the PR process while their sponsor remains working in Canada.

Also, there is no requirement to live together for 3 years. There is Condition 51, which requires some couples to cohabit for 2 years after PR approval. Couples not subject to Condition 51 are not required to live together after PR approval; maintaining their PR status has nothing to do with cohabiting.

Wow I can't believe Ukraine has a working holiday with Canada and Austria doesn't No offense to Ukrainians I am just surprised, with the conflict going on there and the fact that Austria is part of the EU.

I believe it's based on reciprocal agreements. Ukraine gives working holiday visas to Canadians. Given the fact that Canada has IEC/WH agreements with over 30 countries, I would say that it's probably because Austria does not want to participate and extend working holiday visas to Canadians.

 

[dominokitty]

Incorrect.

CIC accepts that couples sometimes need to live apart due to work, school etc. Once common-law status is established, the couple can live apart if they need to. They must be able to show that they have maintained their relationship while apart. The most common situation seems to be when a common-law applicant returns to their home country to work during the PR process while their sponsor remains working in Canada.

Also, there is no requirement to live together for 3 years. There is Condition 51, which requires some couples to cohabit for 2 years after PR approval. Couples not subject to Condition 51 are not required to live together after PR approval; maintaining their PR status has nothing to do with cohabiting.


I believe it's based on reciprocal agreements. Ukraine gives working holiday visas to Canadians. Given the fact that Canada has IEC/WH agreements with over 30 countries, I would say that it's probably because Austria does not want to participate and extend working holiday visas to Canadians.

Oops! I will edit my previous post - I was under the impression that the couple had to stay common law during the whole process. The 3 years was just a typo - it's 3 years that you can't be on social assistance, but 2 years cohabiting if you have been common law or married for less than 2 years prior to sending the application in, which the original poster would be since they are not married yet and he's talking about applying after 12 months living together on a working holiday visa. Thanks for correcting me!

 

[Clarkkent]

Wow guys thanks for the replies you are really kind. And i appriciate the detailed answers that i've gotten!

Anyway this is my plan as for right now. I will got to Canada at the first of feb or so as a visitor (Unless they have started to given out the working permits for 2015 by then ) And then i live a bit in Canada spend time with my Girl while i check cic.gc.ca/english/work/iec/index.asp every day to see when the new ones are out.. Once they are out i go back to Sweden and apply for working permit , its that company in London that handles that right ? And then i go back to Canada.. I know it's a bit of traveling back and forth and maybe wasting a bit of money but personally i think it's worth it.. I miss her

Does this sound alright?

Anyway common law isnt the ultimatum, if *censored word* goes down we could marry as well. It's just we're young she's still in university and like it would have to be some sort of court marriage which probably isn't what she was dreaming about when she was a kid. But shes willing to do what it takes. I just asked here incase there's a better way and then how to go on about it.


Also a question which i've gotten 2 different answers on.. If i go to Canada as a visitor next month can i legally rent a room from a private person ? One said it's not legal one said it is no problem and goverment has no influence in such things. But i was thinking because i am not Canadien maybe there's some Tax issue for the guy renting me since (i am probably not allowed to write a months contract or so?) And therefore it would be illegal . I don't know how it works. Would appriciate if someone could enlighten me!

 

[etienbjel]

It's completely okay for you to rent a private apartment for a month or more in Canada. What I said was the apartment may not be legal. This is advantageous for you because the landlord will avoid a paper/tax trail.

Not that renting a private apartment is an issue for you anyways. Just check out www.airbnb.com. Just be cautious of scammers.

 

[Clarkkent]

It's completely okay for you to rent a private apartment for a month or more in Canada. What I said was the apartment may not be legal. This is advantageous for you because the landlord will avoid a paper/tax trail.

Not that renting a private apartment is an issue for you anyways. Just check out .airbnb.com Just be cautious of scammers.

I love you man. Thanks alot for showing me that website!