VISA OPTIONS

[MarkKelly]

Hi,
I am a British Passport holder but have lived in Ireland for over 15 years. My family and I (partner and 2 children) would like to emigrate to Canada, they all hold Irish Passports. Ideally I would move out on my own early 2014 and then my family would follow me out in May. What would be my best method of getting visas for us all and would there be any complications with the Passports?

Mark Kelly.

 

[scylla]

Making a permanent move by early next year is likely a little ambitous. To start, you'll first need to determine if you and your partner qualify to immigrate to Canada. I would recommend you start by taking the following online test that will assess if you qualify to apply:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/eligibility.asp

I would also encourage you to read through the various immigration programs available in further detail to find out if there is one or several you qualify for. You can find this information here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/apply.asp

 

[MarkKelly]

Thanks for the reply,
We have been planning this for a while now, we have contacted various visa companies but the problem is we just dont know who we can trust. I am a qualified plumber but have not worked in plumbing full time since 2010 and I am currently studying to be a personal trainer which I will have completed by Jan 2014. My partner is a Medical Secretary with 5 years experience and currently working full time. We both have clean criminal records. Do you know when the 18-35 working visas for 2014 come out and would this be suitable for me to get there 1st?

 

[scylla]

The working holiday visa program will re-open to applicants early next year. However I'm not sure that's the best way to go if you want to move permanently. The working holiday visa will allow you to come to Canada temporarily. To become permanent residents, you will still have to qualify and apply. While here under the working holiday visa program, your family will not be covered by the Canadian health care system and will have to purchase insurance to cover yourselves for medical emergenies (you'll have to pay for non-emergency medical appointments out of your own pocket). Also, your children will be regarded as foreign students and will likely have to pay tuition to attend school (even public school). You should budget around $13K per year per child for the school fees alone.

If your intent is to settle in Canada permanently, then moving to Canada once you have been approved as permanent residents is probably the best way to go. Have you taken a look at the Federal Skilled Trades program? This may be a good fit for you given your background as a plumber.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/trades/index.asp

Alternatively either you or your partner could also secure a job in Canada and come to Canada on a close work permit. The downside of this option is that finding an employer who is willing to go through the process of hiring a foreign worker is typically very difficult.

 

[MarkKelly]

Ye i have looked at the skilled trades option i'm just having problems getting the documents up on my laptop, even after downloading the software for the PDF files. How long does the process generally take? If i achieved this how would my family get out after that?

Thanks again for your help

 

[scylla]

You can use the skilled worker processing times as a general guide for how long you can expect processing to take:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm/skilled-fed.asp

If i achieved this how would my family get out after that?

I'm not sure I understand this question. Your spouse and children must be included in your application and will be issued PR visas at the same time as your are (unless you for some reason indicate that they are not moving to Canada).

 

[MarkKelly]

Sorry, I understand now I thought I would be applying separately from them but I have got the documents up now. I think now that would be the best way to go.

Thanks again you have been a great help