Must confirm departure / Must furnish proof of compliance. Please help.

[DustinBrett]

Hello,

An Irish friend of mine who worked in Canada under a Working Holiday Visa for two years recently went back to Ireland and had a girlfriend who stayed in Canada. Three months later he came back to Canada to be with her for what he hoped was at least six months but at the Vancouver airport he was given a visitor record saying he can only stay for six weeks. I want to try and help find him another option other than leaving so I have turned to these forums in hope of some help.

Can he apply for any kind of work visa? Would an extension likely be denied? What can he do other than leave?

Thanks very much for any help.

 

[scylla]

The smartest thing to do would be to leave after his six week stay. Doing anything else could very possibly complicate future entries. But it's obviously his choice.

To qualify for a work permit he needs to find an employer who is willing to offer him a full time job and who can also obtain an approved LMIA. The LMIA process typically takes 4-6 months to complete. Additionally, it's typically very difficult to find an employer willing to go through the process. Unless he already has an employer who is willing to give him a job offer and that employer has already obtained an approved LMIA - getting a work permit approved within six weeks isn't going to happen.

Alternatively he could try applying for an extension to his visit to request that he be allowed to stay longer. Provided he submits the extension application before the six weeks is up, he will have implied status and will be able to stay in Canada until a decision in the extenion is made. Based on the fact he was given a limited stay on arrival and told to confirm departure, there's an excellent chance the extension will be refused (and at that point he will in fact have to leave or face enforcement actions). If he applies, he'll need to convince CIC that he has sufficient funds to stay in Canada for six months as a tourist without working illegally. I would recommend he show a balance of at least $10K.

Again, best option is to do as he's been told and leave within six week.

 

[DustinBrett]

Okay thanks for the advice. I will pass that along to my friend. It looks like he may have to go back to Ireland and hopefully take his girlfriend with him.