Study Permit Application Help!

[mcmc2014]

Hey guys I have a question about application of study permit. I am from a visa exempt country. I am a university student and will be on exchange at Canada for one semester (i.e. around 4 months).

As an exchange student,
1. will I be eligible to apply for study permit even though I am enrolled in the short term programme?
2. am I eligible to work on campus?
3. am I eligible to work off campus (part time)?
4. when is my study permit gonna expire? Is it valid for 180 days from the date of entry, or 90 days after the completion of the studies (4 months + 90 days)?

Thanks a lot!! I couldn't find any answers of these online!

 

[scylla]

1. No study permit is required for courses six months or less. You will enter Canada on your passport alone.
2. No.
3. No.
4. You will most likely be admitted to Canada for the default six months period based on your visa exempt passport.

 

[mcmc2014]

Thanks for your prompt reply scylla.

Did you mean CIC will reject my application of study permit even if I submit my application?

But didn't CIC say that a student can work on campus as long as he/she holds a valid study permit? (As posted on "Work on campus" page on CIC. Sorry I wasn't allowed to post link here)

I'm ineligible for off-campus work because of the length of the programme?

Also could I seek for employment during my stay? If someone is willing to hire me, will I be eligible to apply for a work permit then?

 

[scylla]

CIC will not process your study permit application and will tell you just to enter Canada on your visa exempt passport. Even if you had a non-visa exempt passport, CIC would most likely still refuse the study permit application and tell you to apply for a regular TRV. Withou a study permit, you cannot work off campus or on campus.

You won't find employment during your stay. First of all, you can only seek full time employment (not part time). Secondly, you'll need to find an employer first who is willing to offer you a full time job and willing to go through the expense and trouble of hiring a foreign worker (this process typically takes 3-6 months and costs the employer $1,000). If the employer receives approval, you can then apply for a closed work permit. If you're only here for 4 months, you don't have enough time to go through the process of finding and employer and being approved for a closed work permit.

 

[mcmc2014]

Thanks again for the detailed response scylla.

I didn't know it costs that much to an employer actually... do you know if anyone has done this before and they are allowed to work and therefore stay in Canada? For the troublesome process, isn't it just to get a LMO assessment and then get a work permit?

What about the working holiday visa option? Can I enter Canada as a visitor, and then apply for the working holiday visa while I am in Canada and change my status from a visitor to a worker?

I know that there's an option of extending the stay in Canada. Say if I extend my stay as a visitor while I enter Canada as a visitor, how long will CIC allow me to stay longer?

Thanks!

 

[scylla]

An LMO now costs the employer $1,000 (LMOs are now called LMIAs). Additionally, employers first have to advertise the job for at least a month to prove no Canadian could be found for the role. Once the advertising month has passed, they submit the LMIA application for processing - it seems to be taking 2-4 months these days for processing to complete. You can only apply for a work permit once you have an approved LMIA. And yes - people are successful. But it tends to be very difficult to find employers who are willing to go through the process.

See my answer to your other thread. Whether you can apply for the IEC from Canada depends where you are from.

If you apply to extend your visit in Canada it's impossible for any of us to say if the extension request will be approved and also impossible for any of us to say for how long (maximum will be an additional six months).

 

[mcmc2014]

Yes I saw your reply on another threat. Thanks!

For what jobs are people most popular/most successful for applying for the LMIA option, and for what companies? Can they be in visitor status while applying?

Does leaving Canada for the US, and re-entering Canada grant me another six months (like new entry to Canada as a visitor)?

 

[scylla]

You can check the foreign workers section of the forum to see what kinds of jobs people successful in obtaining LMIAs for. However I suspect you won't find any real trends in terms of jobs or companies. Yes - they can have visitor status while applying.

No - leaving Canada for the US and re-entering Canada certainly doesn't guarantee you will be allowed in for another six months. You may or you may not. Also possible to be denied entry entirely.