Work permit/PR Help

[jabalk2]

Hello all,

I am wondering about my girlfriends eligibility to stay in Canada. In June, we both moved to Canada. I am working a skilled profession and am a Canadian citizen. She came to Canada on a SWAP Working Holiday Visa, which expires in June. She is currently working in a 2 non-skilled jobs. We have been living together for over a year. These jobs are unlikely to provide her with a written offer of employment/sponsorship.

She is interested in extending her work permit, as the SWAP permit is not eligible to be extended. Can she apply for an open work permit and I sponsor her as a common law (if so, what are the processing times for this)? Or is there another way to extend her work permit? What is our best option?

Thanks

 

[scylla]

If you sponsor her via the inland process as your common law partner, she will qualify for an open work permit approximately six months after the application is received. If you sponsor her via the outland process, she won't qualify to work until her application has been fully processed and she becomes a PR of Canada.

The only other options are applying for another working holiday visa (if that's allowed and she qualifies) - or finding an employer who is able to obtain an approved LMO so that she can apply for a closed work permit tied to that specific employer.

 

[jabalk2]

Thanks for your help. Are the processing times still longer (ie 5 months or longer) if she applies within Canada?

She can't apply for another working holiday visa. It's not allowed.