TWP in Quebec & Gaining PR

[FairySnuff]

Hi!!!

I'm new to the site and hoping I get some help with a bit of information regarding gaining PR whilst in Quebec. Apologies if this has been asked before but a search did not yield quite the right answers.

My husband and I are currently living in Quebec City. My husband was offered employment with a company here whilst we were still living in the UK, he accepted (he arrived here late March and I followed in early April) and we are now both here on TWPs though I am currently not working. Along with the TWP my husband has a Certificat d'acception du Quebec (CAQ).

We intend to apply for permanent residency as soon as we can, however we are unsure about just how applying from within Quebec will affect us once the PR is (hopefully) granted. As my husband works in a very fluid industry it is likely that we would be moving to another province, possibly quite soon after gaining PR depending on the duration of whatever project he is working on at the time. Having gained PR it's unlikely that we would choose to remain in Quebec permanently as we really want to travel around before choosing somewhere to settle.

If we were to be granted PR whilst living in Quebec would we be required to make an attempt to settle here before we could move to another province? If so, what is deemed a reasonable amount of time to spend here before moving on? I have had a look on the official Quebec immigration website and I couldn't find any mention of being required to stay after the PR was granted. However, on various other sites I have read that if you apply from within Quebec but don't intend to to live here you must supply an address from another province which has confused me somewhat. Would we need to declare our intention to reside elsewhere when applying for PR? If we did and it was granted would we be required to leave Quebec within a certain period of time?

It's quite tough finding accurate or relevant information for us as it seems that most people apply for residency from outside the country whereas we're already here and will be applying from within whilst on TWPs.

Just one final question (last one, I promise!!!); our TWPs extend until 2012, at what point should we be looking to apply for residency?

Thanks to anyone who can help us with this, it'll be very much appreciated!!!

 

[Leon]

If you apply for QSW, you can do that right now. It's a bit unclear how long you would have to stay to fulfill your intent to settle in the province. People ask about this all the time. My take on it is that after you get your PR and you can't find a job or your job ends and you can't find another one, you are free to move. I have never heard about anybody who was hunted down by a province for not staying there. Doesn't mean it hasn't happened or will not happen in the future but if it did, at least you could say you had to leave because his job ended and he needed to find another one. I have never heard that you can apply for QSW and give an address somewhere else and not stay in Quebec. QSW is for people who want to settle in Quebec.

If you apply for FSW on the other hand, since FSW is for people who are not planning on living in Quebec, you would have to give an address somewhere else. There was one case on this forum of a guy who had applied for FSW, not while working in Quebec but he went to work in Quebec as a TFW later and was there when his FSW came through and still had a few months left on his contract. He asked CIC what to do and they said he could go and land in Ontario (anywhere but Quebec) and that he had to give an non-Quebec address to mail his PR card (you can give a P.O. Box if you don't know anybody) but other than that, they said he was fine to stay in Quebec until the end of his contract.

 

[FairySnuff]

Thanks so much for your reply, it's amazingly helpful!!!

Just another quick question, if we were granted PR through the FSW route but another job came up for my husband within Quebec after it was granted would that cause us any problems?

 

[Leon]

It shouldn't cause any problems. If the other guy was ok with landing in Ontario and giving an ON address for his PR card, the same should go for you. I can not imagine that anybody will stop you from staying in Quebec after becoming PR.

You will have to figure out what category you fit though if you apply for FSW. If your husbands occupation is one of the 38 most wanted, you can apply right away under Category 1. I do not think you can use arranged employment in Quebec to apply for FSW Category 2 because FSW is for people who are not settling in Quebec but after you are in Canada for 12 months, you can apply under Category 3.

 

[FairySnuff]

Again, thanks very much for your help, it's been invaluable!!!

My husband's occupation is one of the 38 on the list so I think we shall look into applying under Catergory 1 soon. Presumably we still follow the exact process (other than needing to show proof of funds as my husband is employed here) which is described on the CIC website even though we're applying from within Canada?

 

[Leon]

Yes, follow the same process.