NAFTA TN visa and outland PR application

[CaraPK]

I've read in various places on this site that outland PR applicants are not eligible for temporary work visas, and have to wait for their final PR approval before they can begin working in Canada.

Does this restriction also encompass NAFTA TN visas? I am a professional in one of the 63 identified professions covered by NAFTA. If I get a job offer before my PR application has been approved, am I eligible to apply for a work visa through the NAFTA provisions? Or do I still have to wait for my PR?

 

[RobsLuv]

You can apply separately for a work visa - even if you have a PR visa in process. No guarantee that you'll get the work visa, and sometimes you can get PR approved before a work visa will be finished processing, but you're not precluded from working in Canada simply because you have a PR ap in process. It's complicated because it speaks to issues like whether you can prove you'll return home at the end of your authorized stay - but that includes the whole concept of "dual intent" where you are not technically required to prove you intend to leave when you have a legitimate "bid" for permanent status . . . especially by virtue of being a spousal/common-law applicant being sponsored. The difficult part is that officers assessing temporary status applications like work and study permits seem inconsistent in their application of the principles of "dual intent".

 

[abedelia]

CaraPK, just a second opinion for you--I was just told by an immigration consultant that I may apply for a temporary work permit under NAFTA in spite of my in-progress PR application.

Good luck