Canadian Immigration Questions and Answers with David CohenI
I work as a Licensed Practical Nurse in Alberta. I am on a work permit which is valid until the 20th of June 2012. The work permit was issued based on a Labour Market Opinion (LMO). Now I would like to apply for permanent residence (PR) under the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) category. I would like to know whether there is any chance for my application to be accepted because my work permit is valid only for 6 more months?
You can apply for the FSW program as a License Practical Nurse (NOC 3233) as it is one of the 29 qualifying occupations without the need of a job offer. However, since you are already working in Canada, you should consider getting a job offer in order to gain additional points for Arranged Employment, with the added benefit that your application will be fast tracked. However, in both these cases, the application process for PR will take more than six months.
One option open to you, then, is to renew your work permit which is commonly done as applicants wait until their PR application is processed. LMO-based work permits can be renewed for up to a four years. Because your work permit is LMO-based, your employer will have to reapply for the LMO, and you will have to go through the same steps of the temporary work permit application process as you did originally to receive the permit.
Having stated all of the above, your most practical path to Canadian permanent residency may be through the Alberta Provincial Nomination Program. Assuming that your employer is willing to offer you a permanent job offer of indeterminate length you will probably qualify for an Alberta Nomination Certificate. As long as you are healthy and are not inadmissible for criminal or security reasons you can expect to receive a Canadian Permanent Resident Visa..
