Have a job offer, where do I go from here?

[Kevind]

Hi everyone,
I am in need of some guidance. I am a professional brewer and a US citizen with a job offer from a brewery in Quebec. No paperwork about the job or offer has been submitted yet. It is basically at a state where the brewery has told me "we really want to hire you and will do everything we can to get you here.". I very much want to accept the position. I am well qualified and have worked collaboratively with this particular brewery before. We know each other, enjoy working together, and are very much on the same page about the direction they want to take their brewery, which are reasons why they want to hire me specifically. If all goes according to plan, I plan to live in Vermont and commute over the border into Quebec for work. Myself and the brewery have agreed to try to make this move happen around March of 2017. So my questions are:

1) Is it legally feasible for me to work for this brewery?
2) What specific work papers and or visas will I need to apply for as a skilled trade worker who will be working professionally in Quebec, but residing in Vermont, USA?
3) Would the brewery need to apply for any permits, such as a LMIA? Anything else?
4) Does my specific set of trade skills and relationship with the brewery work to my advantage in any way to make this all possible?
5) When would be the best time to apply for these permits/is it ever too early to apply?

Thanks in advance. Have been researching a lot, but couldn't find much information that applied to my specific situation.

 

[bellaluna]

Hi everyone,
I am in need of some guidance. I am a professional brewer and a US citizen with a job offer from a brewery in Quebec. No paperwork about the job or offer has been submitted yet. It is basically at a state where the brewery has told me "we really want to hire you and will do everything we can to get you here.". I very much want to accept the position. I am well qualified and have worked collaboratively with this particular brewery before. We know each other, enjoy working together, and are very much on the same page about the direction they want to take their brewery, which are reasons why they want to hire me specifically. If all goes according to plan, I plan to live in Vermont and commute over the border into Quebec for work. Myself and the brewery have agreed to try to make this move happen around March of 2017. So my questions are:

1) Is it legally feasible for me to work for this brewery?
2) What specific work papers and or visas will I need to apply for as a skilled trade worker who will be working professionally in Quebec, but residing in Vermont, USA?
3) Would the brewery need to apply for any permits, such as a LMIA? Anything else?
4) Does my specific set of trade skills and relationship with the brewery work to my advantage in any way to make this all possible?
5) When would be the best time to apply for these permits/is it ever too early to apply?

Thanks in advance. Have been researching a lot, but couldn't find much information that applied to my specific situation.

Quebec has its own immigration and employer process...you need a CSQ. And currently, Express Entry does not handle Quebec yet.

http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/fr/employeurs/embaucher-permanent/index.html

The link is French only, so run that through Google Translate, or you may also want to join the Quebec Immigration section of this forum.

 

[andy108]

Hi everyone,
I am in need of some guidance. I am a professional brewer and a US citizen with a job offer from a brewery in Quebec. No paperwork about the job or offer has been submitted yet. It is basically at a state where the brewery has told me "we really want to hire you and will do everything we can to get you here.". I very much want to accept the position. I am well qualified and have worked collaboratively with this particular brewery before. We know each other, enjoy working together, and are very much on the same page about the direction they want to take their brewery, which are reasons why they want to hire me specifically. If all goes according to plan, I plan to live in Vermont and commute over the border into Quebec for work. Myself and the brewery have agreed to try to make this move happen around March of 2017. So my questions are:

1) Is it legally feasible for me to work for this brewery?
2) What specific work papers and or visas will I need to apply for as a skilled trade worker who will be working professionally in Quebec, but residing in Vermont, USA?
3) Would the brewery need to apply for any permits, such as a LMIA? Anything else?
4) Does my specific set of trade skills and relationship with the brewery work to my advantage in any way to make this all possible?
5) When would be the best time to apply for these permits/is it ever too early to apply?

Thanks in advance. Have been researching a lot, but couldn't find much information that applied to my specific situation.

I would suggest to get in touch with immigration consultant - it will just cut out the hassle from you and employer, yeah, it will cost a bit more, but nothing major if they want to hire you.

 

[scylla]

First step is for you to find out if your occupation falls under NAFTA. If so - no LMIA required to get a work permit. If not - LMIA required.

 

[jes_ON]

First you have to find your occupation code, NOC - for immigration purposes, you don't match the job title, but the duties and responsibilitiies:
http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2011/QuickSearch.aspx?val65=brew

Then, it is a good suggestion to see if the occupation is covered under NAFTA, but I don't think it is. Check section 3.8 -
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/temp/work/international/nafta.asp

You should also check the list of LMIA-exempt occupations for Quebec -
http://www.canadavisa.com/occupation-list-facilitated-lmo-Quebec.html

Now for your questions:

1) Is it legally feasible for me to work for this brewery?
yes.

2) What specific work papers and or visas will I need to apply for as a skilled trade worker who will be working professionally in Quebec, but residing in Vermont, USA?
You will need a a work permit. Since you plan to live in the USA, you probably don't need anything related to becoming a permanent resident (e.g. you do not need a CSQ). Also, cross-border taxes and finances can be... challenging. You might want to educate yourself on what you will be in for...

3) Would the brewery need to apply for any permits, such as a LMIA? Anything else?
Probably;
http://www.esdc.gc.ca/en/foreign_workers/hire/quebec/index.page

and that would include a CAQ for you.
https://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/immigrate-settle/temporary-workers/obtaining-authorizations/skilled-worker/general-procedure.html

4) Does my specific set of trade skills and relationship with the brewery work to my advantage in any way to make this all possible?
Don't know anything about your skills, but your relationship with the brewery is your main path to a work permit. Not the existence of the relationship per se, but that they will be willing "to do the necessary" - which is a PITA - to hire you.

5) When would be the best time to apply for these permits/is it ever too early to apply?
You should apply about 4 months ahead of time. But good to be looking into the requirements now, sometimes there are lengthy processes before you can apply, such as applying for the LMIA.

 

[andy108]

First step is for you to find out if your occupation falls under NAFTA. If so - no LMIA required to get a work permit. If not - LMIA required.

Quebec has a slightly different process it seems.