NEED ADVICE - Wanna move to my Canadian girlfriend next year and teach maths

[Jormundgand]

Greetings everyone.

I am an Icelandic citizen seeking advice on what route I should take to be able to live and work in Canada next year. I have done a considerable amount of research on different visa types I could apply for but at the moment the most favorable option to me seems like to just go to Canada on an eTA (equivalent of 180 day visitor visa) and try my luck at finding jobs while staying with my girlfriend.

I guess in order for you to be able to advise me on any better way, here are a few facts:
1. We're both 24 years old (born 1991)
2. Me and my girlfriend met in October 2015 when I was travelling through Canada and have been formally together since I visited her there in January 2016. She visited me in Iceland now in May and I will visit her again in Canada in August this year.
3. She has a 7 year old daughter, is in school and relies on money from the state to get by. She lives in British Columbia.
4. I have no children, but have a good financial status and education.
5. In February 2017 I will graduate with a master's degree in Mathematics Education (teacher education) which is necessary to get an Icelandic teaching license. I already have a bachelor's degree in Mathematics Education.
6. I will be working in Iceland as a lower secondary school mathematics teacher (grades 8-10) from August 2016 to June 2017.
7. I have experience in assistance teaching at university since 2013 (in statistics and educational research - mostly a course at bachelor level, one course at master level)
8. I speak fluent English, but no French. I did finish one year of a BA in English. I have not taken an IELTS test and it is not available in my country (only TOEFL).
9. I have a deep interest and great qualifications to teach mathematics, especially at lower or upper secondary level (ages ~13-18)
10. I have lived in a foreign country before when I was an exchange student in Sweden for 7 months from 2014-2015

From what I've researched, the things that I might look into firstly are a Temporary Work Visa, Express Entry or Spousal Sponsorship.
- Temporary Work Visa: Could be an option, but requires me to have found an employer willing to hire me. That will probably be difficult to find while still living in Iceland. Right?
- Express Entry: I am unsure that I qualify for this at this time.
- Spousal Sponsorship: Seems to be ruled out by facts 2 and 3 at this time. (less than 1 year together, she does not have a strong enough income)

Therefore, my current idea is that after I finish my school year teaching in Iceland in June 2017, I will go to Canada and look for a job so I can get an employer to help apply for the Temporary Work Visa until further notice.

I just have some worries and questions about this all.

Question #1: Is my current idea something that is ideal to do? What would I tell the border patrol when they ask me what I am going to do in Canada? That I'm gonna go look for a job and hope to be able to find happiness in Canada? Or just that I am visiting my friend/girlfriend?
Question #2: Should I look for ways to take an IELTS test before I go to Canada in June 2017, or can I take such a test when I am there? Is it necessary to have finished such a test before I apply for jobs to be able to get the Temporary Work Visa?
Question #3: Could I meet the requirements of the Express Entry visa without having a job offer? Is there even enough demand for mathematics teachers in British Columbia for that to be an option? Or should I rather just go to Canada first and look for a job, then look into Express Entry once I have a job offer?
Question #4: Is it even realistic that I can find a school willing to help hire a foreigner who does not even have a Work Permit?
Question #5: Is Spousal Sponsorship something we could look into once I am in Canada? Would she need to get more financially independent, or would it help if I already have a good job? Would it help significantly if we were married?

As you can see, I am just looking for the best option for me and my significant other to be together and I am very lost in finding the best way to make it happen. I hope someone here has been in a similar situation and/or has some insight into these matters that can help me find the best possible solution.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[scylla]

First a word of caution regarding your profession. First of all, the qualifications you have (including the Masters) won't be sufficient for you to teach in Canada. You will need to complete additional certification activities once in Canada to be allowed to teach. The process differs slightly by province. So you will have to google for more information on the certification process. Secondly, Canada has an oversupply of teachers and finding teaching jobs is quite difficult even for those educated in Canada. What this means for you is that you should assume it will be impossible to find a teaching position as a temporary worker. If you would still like to work in Canada temporarily, aim for a different profession

To answer your questions.
1. You should just say you're visiting. If it looks like you're trying to move, you could be refused entry.
2. You don't need IELTS to apply for a job.
3. Yes - it's possible to meet Express Entry requirements without having a job offer. You'll need to take the IELTS test and have your education assessed first. You will want to have 450 points or more to have any chance of being selected under Express Entry.
4. It's not realistic. As mentioned above, Canada has far too many teachers. For you to get a work permit an employer in Canada would need to give you a job offer and also obtain an approved LMIA (which requires them to prove no Canadian could be found for the job). There's no chance an LMIA is going to be approved for a teacher. Again, I honestly wouldn't even bother trying.
5. In order to qualify for spousal sposnorship, you either need to get married or live together for a year continuously first to become common law.

 

[Jormundgand]

Thanks for your reply.

One question: If I do however want to give this a go, what would you suggest would be the best way for me to start? Should I go to Canada and try to acquire some visa from there? Which one?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Leon]

You can go to Canada as a visitor and stay for up to 6 months without a problem. During that time, you can investigate what you would need in order to be approved to work as a teacher in Canada.

Be careful when you enter Canada that you should not say that you are planning on looking for work and you should not show up with all your stuff or a suitcase full of your degrees and important documents. Better to save your documents on a server (onedrive or whatever) where you can download them and print them out at your girlfriends house or mail copies of them to her before you leave.

However, the simplest way to get PR is for your girlfriend to sponsor you which she can only do if you either get married or you live together as a couple for at least 1 year. If you want to try to live together for 1 year, you can apply to extend your visitor status before your 6 months are up. Your girlfriend can not be taking social benefits when she applies to sponsor you though. Being a student, she might actually be on student loans and not on benefits. You'll have to figure that out.

As for wanting to be a teacher in BC, start here: https://www.bcteacherregulation.ca/

 

[Jormundgand]

Thank you Leon. This raises two more questions in my mind:

1. Don't I need to state a reason when applying for an extension of the visitor status? What would I say?
2. If we would go for spousal sponsorship, do I need to have stayed there for 1 year continuously? Would I not be allowed to have left the country for, say, a couple of weeks during that time?

Thanks again.

 

[Ponga]

If marriage is a viable option at this time, that would be one solid option.

There is no minimum income requirement, but the sponsor must not be receiving Social Assistance.

 

[Leon]

Thank you Leon. This raises two more questions in my mind:

1. Don't I need to state a reason when applying for an extension of the visitor status? What would I say?
2. If we would go for spousal sponsorship, do I need to have stayed there for 1 year continuously? Would I not be allowed to have left the country for, say, a couple of weeks during that time?

Thanks again.

1. I heard of someone renewing a few times even stating "exploring relationship" as the reason. As long as you show that you have funds to stay without working illegally and you have travel insurance / health insurance, it should be fine.

2. If you get married, she can apply for you right away. If you apply as common law, I don't think they'd have a problem if you had been separated for 2 weeks during the one year but much more than that could be questioned.

 

[Jormundgand]

Ok, I am planning on leaving to Canada in March. My plan is to apply for a teaching certificate as soon as I arrive but I've read it can take 6-8 months to get a response to the application. If I get a yes, I would probably get accepted for a temporary teaching certificate for 5 years in which timeframe I will need to finish a 1 year familiarization program for the Canadian school system. Now, for some questions about my plan:

1. What should I write on the traveler visa extension application before the 6 months expire? "Exploring a relationship"? Or should I add "Waiting for a response to teacher certificate application to go studying"? Would the latter be a bad idea to include?
2. What steps should I take after I get a response to the application? Wouldn't it be wiser to search for a job and get a work visa/permanent resident status before applying for a school? International students pay way more tuition than residents, right?

Kind wishes to anyone who can assist.