Visiting Canada on Holiday Visa and remote working

[CL86]

Hi I wonder if anyone could shed some light for me.

I currently work for a global company that has a presence in Canada, and contractually I am bound by an employment contract with one of our offices outside of Canada. I have a job offer for one of our offices in Canada which I have accepted, and also I have received a provincial settlement plan.

The Canadian office of my employer is currently applying for my endorsement letter for my work permit, and I am working in the UK for the UK office.

My question is, am I able to visit Canada on a holiday visa and work remotely until my work visa arrives, at which point my employment contract will then change hands from the UK office to the Canadian office? My contact until then will still be with the UK legal entity and I will still be getting paid into my UK bank account.

Logistically this would help me as I need to vacate my leased property in the UK soon and my official Canadian work permit will take another 2-3 months to process.

If anyone could answer the above and reference and links to substantiate I would be grateful.

Thank you

 

[scylla]

Hi I wonder if anyone could shed some light for me.

I currently work for a global company that has a presence in Canada, and contractually I am bound by an employment contract with one of our offices outside of Canada. I have a job offer for one of our offices in Canada which I have accepted, and also I have received a provincial settlement plan.

The Canadian office of my employer is currently applying for my endorsement letter for my work permit, and I am working in the UK for the UK office.

My question is, am I able to visit Canada on a holiday visa and work remotely until my work visa arrives, at which point my employment contract will then change hands from the UK office to the Canadian office? My contact until then will still be with the UK legal entity and I will still be getting paid into my UK bank account.

Logistically this would help me as I need to vacate my leased property in the UK soon and my official Canadian work permit will take another 2-3 months to process.

If anyone could answer the above and reference and links to substantiate I would be grateful.

Thank you

If you have an approved IEC / Working Holiday Visa, then you can start working for the Canadian offices as soon as you arrive in Canada. You will need to have a job offer in Canada in order to be allowed to travel right now on the IEC due to COVID. Saying you are going to work remotely from Canada for the UK offices on the IEC won't allow you to travel. You need a job offer in Canada (which it sounds like you have).

 

[scylla]

Hi I wonder if anyone could shed some light for me.

I currently work for a global company that has a presence in Canada, and contractually I am bound by an employment contract with one of our offices outside of Canada. I have a job offer for one of our offices in Canada which I have accepted, and also I have received a provincial settlement plan.

The Canadian office of my employer is currently applying for my endorsement letter for my work permit, and I am working in the UK for the UK office.

My question is, am I able to visit Canada on a holiday visa and work remotely until my work visa arrives, at which point my employment contract will then change hands from the UK office to the Canadian office? My contact until then will still be with the UK legal entity and I will still be getting paid into my UK bank account.

Logistically this would help me as I need to vacate my leased property in the UK soon and my official Canadian work permit will take another 2-3 months to process.

If anyone could answer the above and reference and links to substantiate I would be grateful.

Thank you

Just to clarify - if you are talking about coming as a visitor (e.g. on an eTA) - then no, that's not possible. You need to wait until the work permit has been approved before you will be able to travel to Canada and work here. Covid rules will prevent you from traveling as a visitor and you also cannot work as a visitor in Canada under your circumstances (your intent is to enter the Canadian job market so trying to front run that will be classified as illegal work).

If you hold a valid IEC / Working Holiday Visa (different than a tourist / visitor visa), then you should be able to travel with the job offer in Canada.