Question about employment while waiting for PR.

[mcharade]

I had been under the impression it was illegal to work in Canada without a work permit. However, recently someone (a Canadian) told me that you may work as a freelancer in Canada as long as the company using your services is not Canadian and you're not being paid into a Canadian bank account. As it happens, I do have a freelance contract but I haven't been accepting any work from them while in Canada. Would it be okay for me to take that work after all? And then I would just put that as "freelance" in the employment part of the PR application? Or should I also explain that it's a non-Canadian company and not being paid in a Canadian account? If you have any advice I'd appreciate it and if you can provide a link to some official website which says that same, I'd be ever grateful.

 

[just a square]

I don't see why there would be a problem working as a freelancer. If you would would pay taxes to your home country (or wherever you're legally able to work) it would count as you're working outside Canada. But I'm not sure why CIC would give you PR IN THIS CASE, or any other reason to stay in THE country (besides being a tourist), and most importantly, what does it have to do with Family Class Sponsorship at all.

 

[mcharade]

I'm applying to be sponsored by my spouse and I am currently staying in Canada under a visitor visa. I will need to put down whether I'm working or not on my application and I want to do things properly and legally. If it's not legal to work as a freelancer in Canada then I just won't work. But it'd be nice to work. So, this is important to my application in the end.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I'm applying to be sponsored by my spouse and I am currently staying in Canada under a visitor visa. I will need to put down whether I'm working or not on my application and I want to do things properly and legally. If it's not legal to work as a freelancer in Canada then I just won't work. But it'd be nice to work. So, this is important to my application in the end.

Yes, you can work as long as none of the clients are in Canada and you are not paid in Canada. It is perfectly fine to state that in your app.

 

[mcharade]

Thanks very much!