LMO processing time/employers likely to go through the whole process !

[Riq85pt]

hi there people,

by enlarge, how long does it take for the LMO to take care of someone's application ?
I know a lot of employers AREN'T willing to go through this process as it is too long and too bureaucratic. I have two UK degrees in the Music/Audio production field and I'm a Portuguese citizen. I intend to move to Canada next fall. I'm not expecting to move to Canada and find a a job in my field right away so I'm willing to do other stuff (say, work in a bar or a store!). What are my chances ?
Cheers !

 

[marsiangal]

Usually an employer needs to advertise the job/position he plans to get an LMO for many months before he actually applies for the LMO. This is to prove that he is actually looking for local Canadian citizens or permanent before hiring a "foreigner". There are a criteria for this, for example has to be advertised for 14 days straight on a paper and job advertising websites etc. details available at the hrsdc website.

Anyways once he has completed whatever is needed (advertisement, forms and Etc) he than will pass it to the local service canada office and they will process the application. Will usually take about 2-3 months to get a result back, they then need a positive LMO. And give it to the foreign worker so he/she can apply for a work permit. Now it is not guaranteed that the LMo will be a positive one after all that work and time. They may give him a negative one. And tell him what was missing. Maybe something little or big that you missed. That is why employers don't like doing it. Then if the service canada agent who processed it won't allow them to appeal, they would have to start from stage one again.

Now, I have a friend from
The Philippines who was a musician. He was granted a 2 year work permit without needing an LMO because a bar in Ontario have him a job offer.

Check the cic website worker area, and check the occupations that don't need an LMO.

Is the country your from visa exempt?

It is easier to find an employer with an LMO if you already here instead of applying from
Abroad.

Goodluck!

 

[Riq85pt]

thanks for the reply !
Yes, my country is visa exempt (Portugal), meaning I can stay in Canada for 180 days a tourist. I'd then need to leave the country and re-enter it again. And that's exactly what I'm thinking of doing - moving to Canada first and then look for a job.
I was wondering if there are any 'staple' companies that are usually willing to hire foreigners even with all the hassles of the LMO process.

 

[amikety]

thanks for the reply !
Yes, my country is visa exempt (Portugal), meaning I can stay in Canada for 180 days a tourist. I'd then need to leave the country and re-enter it again. And that's exactly what I'm thinking of doing - moving to Canada first and then look for a job.
I was wondering if there are any 'staple' companies that are usually willing to hire foreigners even with all the hassles of the LMO process.

Subway, A&W.

Incentive for hiring with a LMO got slashed recently. Used to be, employers could pay $0.15 less per hour for a TFW than HRSDC's regulated wage. That's no more.

There is also a fee now to apply for a LMO where there was none before.

Getting a LMO for a bar will be next to impossible as there are plenty of workers available in Canada for those jobs. Also, if your goal is to stay permanently, working in a bar won't aid you in most cases. If your goal is to immigrate permanently, you should educated yourself on what jobs qualify for immigration through Federal (CEC or FSW) or Provincial (PNP) because Canada now limits the amount of time anyone can remain on a work permit.

Also, be aware that CIC is starting to require visitors to return to their home country to get a work permit. While this isn't a new rule exactly, we've been hearing reports of people denied a work permit at the USA/Canada border and told to go home to apply. This includes a user from Ireland, which is also visa exempt. There have been enough reports lately to indicate this may be a new trend or tightening of the rules by CIC. (There have always been rules to govern this, but they were largely ignored in the past.) Also, you cannot apply "Inside" Canada. You must apply to your home country's VO or as you enter at the POE.

 

[Riq85pt]

ok a few questions: what does VO and POE stand for ? and you're basically saying that I should apply for a work permit whilst still in my home country ? Thing is, I thought one could only apply for a work permit when offered a job offer ? I apologise for all the questions but this whole thing is a bit confusing to say the least.
I'm not really familiar with the CEC and PNP programs, perhaps those would be willing to accept someone like me. Where can I find exact information regarding this ?

And you're right, I'm not really dreaming of moving all the way to Canada to work in a bar, permanently. I mentioned it as a starting point but then again, you're absolutely right when you say no bar owner would go through the LMO process as there are millions of Canadians looking for those kind of jobs.

One thing that crossed my mind recently was moving as a student. You mentioned something about educating myself so that I can qualify for immigration through CEC, FSW or PNP.. well, I have a Bsc and a Msc in Music Technology and Music Production. I'm not REALLY considering taking another degree for the sake of immigrating to a different country. I know the FSW program is limited to 24 jobs (mostly engineering jobs) at the moment. However, I looked in to a few post-production courses and such in Toronto which deeply interested me. I'd have to get a Student Visa and hopefully get a student work permit whilst studying so that I could work as well. Is this accurate ?

Thank you so much for your help !

 

[Riq85pt]

for example, the PNP program in Ontario states the following:

'Once they (individuals) are recruited by an employer, individuals who meet all of the Opportunities Ontario requirements may be nominated by the province for permanent residence as Provincial Nominees.'

and

'Provincial Nominee Program is an immigration program through which Ontario nominates individuals and their families for permanent resident status based on a pre-approved job offer in the province.'


Again, if I were to apply to this program, I'd have to have a job offer. To be given a formal job offer however, my future employer would have to through the whole LMO process !
It looks like next to impossible to find a suitable route to immigrate to Canada. I can understand why the borders have been narrowed given the outstanding amount of people willing to immigrate (and mostly illegally) to Canada.
It bothers me, however, given that I have two degrees and a will to work LEGALLY in the country. But nobody said life was fair

 

[amikety]

VO = Visa Office

POE = Port of Entry

Most jobs require a LMO before you can get a work permit. There is a short list of jobs that do not, which is on CIC's website.

The information about CEC is also on CIC's website. PNP varies by province, so pick that province you want to move to and google "{Province Name} PNP program."

Canada has narrow the Skilled Worker field down because their immigration programs were failing. Skilled Immigration is intended to boost the economy. It was barely keeping in the black.

You can also try two other things: 1) contact your embassy to ask for ideas (sometimes there are programs in place for worker exchanges); 2) You can try contacting a job placement agency, just be forewarned - they aren't allowed to charge you fees in practice, but if you refuse to use their services to fill out your work permit application, they won't have any jobs for you. It's highway robbery, deceptive and abusive, but they get away with it because a lot of people want to get to Canada hell or high water. They may turn around and tell you it's $4K CAD just to do a work permit application. (My Spousal PR, which is much more complicated than a work permit application, would cost $2,500 with no complications - highway robbery!)

 

[Riq85pt]

very, very useful info amikety ! Can't thank you enough !
I will look into the other options. Much, much appreciated !

 

[Riq85pt]

so what are my chances ? way I see it:

a) 'blindly' moving to Canada hoping to find a job (and an employer willing to go through the LMO process)
b) get another degree in something else approved by the FSW program and then hope to be accepted in the program
c) ??