General Questions

No. If you plan to travel to Canada, you need a valid visitor visa OR a valid eTA.

 

If you apply for an initial work or study permit before you travel to Canada, you’ll get a visa or an eTA automatically once either of the permit applications is approved, and you don’t need to apply for a visa or an eTA, or pay extra fees.

Most visitors can stay for up to 6 months in Canada.

 

At the port of entry, the border services officer may allow you to stay for less or more than 6 months. If so, they’ll put the date you need to leave by in your passport, and they might also give you a document.

 

If you don’t get a stamp in your passport, you can stay for 6 months from the day you entered Canada or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.

Each application is different and takes a different amount of time to process, therefore it might be impossible to tell exactly how long it will take IRCC to process your application without providing any other information.

 

TWA is willing to give you an estimated time, based on your application type and personal situation.

It is the letter you will receive from IRCC if you have been approved for a:

  • study permit,
  • work permit, or
  • Super Visa (only if you are from a country that does not require a visitor visa).

 

It is sometimes called the Correspondence Letter, Introduction or Introductory Letter. Officially, it is called the Port of Entry (POE) Letter of Introduction. The Letter of Introduction is not a study or work permit.

 

You must show this letter to officials at the port of entry when you arrive in Canada to get your study or work permit.

PNP is for foreign workers who:

  • have the skills, education and work experience to contribute to the economy of a specific province or territory
  • want to live in that province, and
  • want to become permanent residents of Canada.

 

Each province and territory in Canada has its own “streams” (immigration programs that target certain groups) and requirements.

 

Please don't hesitate to reach TWA for an individual assessment, we will determine the most suitable way for you to immigrate!

Express Entry is an online system that IRCC uses to manage applications for permanent residence from skilled workers. Applicants with the highest rankings in the selection pool will be invited to apply for permanent residency.

 

EE basically has 3 categories, they are:

  1. The Skilled Worker Program
  2. The Canadian Experience Class
  3. The Skilled Trades Program

 

Some of the potential candidates under Provincial Nomination Programs (PNP) can also be selected through Express Entry.

Yes, you can lose your permanent resident (PR) status.

 

If you haven’t been in Canada for at least 730 days during the last five years, or if you become inadmissible to Canada for any other reasons, you may lose your PR status. 

 

Permanent residents don’t have the same protections and privileges as Canadian citizens do. The best option for a PR holder is to become a Canadian citizen when it's possible, and TWA will assist you to go through all the necessary procedures.

Specific Questions

Under both IRPR R190(2)(d), (e), and the special measures released recently, residents of Hong Kong are defined as foreign nationals who hold a passport issued by

  • the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China,
  • the United Kingdom to a British National Overseas (BNO), as a person born, naturalized, or registered in Hong Kong.

Learn more about the independent work permit and permanent residence pathways for Hong Kong residents.

In 2019, IRCC accepted 27,000 submissions on a first-in basis.

 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program is currently unavailable. Details and opening dates for the 2020 parents and grandparents program will be posted on the IRCC site when details are confirmed.

Your common-law partner:

  • isn’t legally married to you
  • can be either sex
  • is 18-yrs or older
  • has been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months, meaning:
    • you’ve been living together continuously for one year, without any long periods apart
    • if either of you left your home it was for:
      • family obligations
      • work or business travel
    • any time spent away from each other must have been:
      • short
      • temporary

When at least one partner chooses to end the relationship, IRCC considers the partnership to be over.

Applicants also need to provide proof of their common-law relationship.

A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document that an employer in Canada may need to get before hiring a foreign worker.

 

A positive LMIA will show that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the job. It will also show that no Canadian worker or permanent resident is available to do the job.

 

If the employer needs an LMIA, they must apply for one. Once an employer gets the LMIA, the worker can apply for a work permit.

Yes, but you can only do this if your permit expired fewer than 90 days ago. You also need to restore your temporary status in Canada.

 

Since you need to apply to restore your status after it has expired, you can’t work while this application is in progress.

 

You can also apply your WP within Canada.

To qualify for the Start-up Visa Program, applicants must meet all 4 eligibility requirements listed below, as well as the admissibility requirements to enter Canada:

  • have a qualifying business
  • have a letter of support from a designated organization
  • meet the language requirements, and
  • have enough money to settle and live in Canada before you make money from your business.

IRCC may refuse applications if applicants are inadmissible to Canada.

It depends on the work permit you have. Most work permits are tied to a specific employer. They will only allow you to work for the employer on the permit.

 

In some situations, you can get an open work permit, which does not include a specific employer. An open work permit allows you to work for any employer in Canada unless the employer:

  • is listed as ineligible on the list of employers who failed to comply with the conditions, or
  • offers, on a regular basis, striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages.

It depends on the work permit you have. Most work permits are tied to a specific employer. They will only allow you to work for the employer on the permit.

 

In some situations, you can get an open work permit, which does not include a specific employer. An open work permit allows you to work for any employer in Canada unless the employer:

  • is listed as ineligible on the list of employers who failed to comply with the conditions, or
  • offers, on a regular basis, striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages.
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