Which work permit should I apply for while I wait for my proof of Canadian citizenship: employer-specific or open?

[poteets1]

Hello everyone, the name's James.

Here's the quick rundown: My mother was born and raised in Canada, her own parents and seven siblings all were born and raised in Canada, and my older sister was born in Canada -- all of them are Canadian citizens. My parents and older sister moved to the U.S. before I was born. (Alberta is the province where most of my mother's family is in.)

It is my understanding that under Canadian law, the first generation born outside of Canada with at least one of their parents being a Canadian citizen are Canadian citizens and can apply for proof of Canadian citizenship. This is precisely what I plan to do, submit an application for proof of Canadian citizenship sometime this week or so. I also understand that this is one of the easiest ways for me to move to Canada without having to go through the visa process.

The thing is, it could take up to five months before I receive my citizenship certificate. If I could, I would have waited until I received proof of my Canadian citizenship before doing a move to Canada. I do not have that luxury, as I am in search of a job (the jobs I want to apply for are skill level A, NOC #4156). I have to make a living, after all. There are at least two positions open (NOC #4156) that require fluency in both American Sign Language and English on top of 2-4 years of relevant experience in employment services, knowledge of the deaf/hard of hearing community, and a Bachelor's degree--all of which I meet. I guess you could say it is somewhat a niche position. I applied to one of those positions, and I will do another application soon (the organizations are non-profit).

• With that being said, I have been on the IRCC website for some time now and it is overwhelming for me to try and figure out what visa application would be the fastest way for me to do for entry into Canada while I wait for my proof of Canadian citizenship.
  • Is it an employer-specific work permit or is it an open work permit? I could try Express Entry, but that is moot right now because the language test sites closest to me are not open yet.
• Should I mention in my cover letter or interview with the Canadian employer that I am in the process of applying for proof of Canadian citizenship? Would that be helpful for increasing my odds of getting a job offer?

Thank you in advance for your time reading and/or sharing your input!

 

[primaprime]

Express Entry is for permanent residence, which is the step most people have to take before they become citizens. You are already a citizen, but until you have your certificate and passport sorted out, you will need to qualify for a work permit like anyone else.

You can only get an open work permit in certain situations, none of which apply to you. To get an employer-specific (closed) work permit, an employer must invest time and money to prove they couldn't hire any Canadians first with an LMIA, unless you qualify for an LMIA exemption under the USMCA. Barring that, you'll just have to wait a few months. You can still earn your living in the US, I assume.

 

[scylla]

Hello everyone, the name's James.

Here's the quick rundown: My mother was born and raised in Canada, her own parents and seven siblings all were born and raised in Canada, and my older sister was born in Canada -- all of them are Canadian citizens. My parents and older sister moved to the U.S. before I was born. (Alberta is the province where most of my mother's family is in.)

It is my understanding that under Canadian law, the first generation born outside of Canada with at least one of their parents being a Canadian citizen are Canadian citizens and can apply for proof of Canadian citizenship. This is precisely what I plan to do, submit an application for proof of Canadian citizenship sometime this week or so. I also understand that this is one of the easiest ways for me to move to Canada without having to go through the visa process.

The thing is, it could take up to five months before I receive my citizenship certificate. If I could, I would have waited until I received proof of my Canadian citizenship before doing a move to Canada. I do not have that luxury, as I am in search of a job (the jobs I want to apply for are skill level A, NOC #4156). I have to make a living, after all. There are at least two positions open (NOC #4156) that require fluency in both American Sign Language and English on top of 2-4 years of relevant experience in employment services, knowledge of the deaf/hard of hearing community, and a Bachelor's degree--all of which I meet. I guess you could say it is somewhat a niche position. I applied to one of those positions, and I will do another application soon (the organizations are non-profit).

• With that being said, I have been on the IRCC website for some time now and it is overwhelming for me to try and figure out what visa application would be the fastest way for me to do for entry into Canada while I wait for my proof of Canadian citizenship.
  • Is it an employer-specific work permit or is it an open work permit? I could try Express Entry, but that is moot right now because the language test sites closest to me are not open yet.
• Should I mention in my cover letter or interview with the Canadian employer that I am in the process of applying for proof of Canadian citizenship? Would that be helpful for increasing my odds of getting a job offer?

Thank you in advance for your time reading and/or sharing your input!

Unfortunately I don't see a fast way to achieve what you're trying to do. IMO your fastest path is to wait for the proof of citizenship

You would need to apply for a closed work permit / employer specific work permit if you want to work earlier. You do not qualify for an open work permit.

In order to hire your and give you a job offer, employers generally need to go through the LMIA process first. This is a 4-6 month process. It's generally extremely difficult to find an employer willing to do this because of the time, effort and cost involved. In my opinion, I see no point in trying this path since by the time you find an employer, the employer gets and LMIA approved and you get a closed work permit - you're looking at a much much longer time period than the 5 months you'll need to wait for the citizenship certificate.

In your cover letter, you can certainly say that you are in the process of obtaining citizenship. I would recommend that you say you expect this process to take 5-6 months and that you'll be able to take up employment once this process has completed.

Even if Express Entry was doable for you, this would not get you working sooner. You'd likely be looking at 10+ months before you'd be able to work.

Basically every single path is going to take longer than the proof of citizenship. You'll just have to wait.