# visa advice



## brrttpaul (Jan 28, 2008)

Hi all I am a bricklayer and have been seriously looking into Canada, I have been looking at various type visa,s and i was filling in the "tempory work visa" to se what exactly it entailed. Anyway there seems to me to be a lot of firms offering professional advice (at a cost) so how do you know which ones are good and which ones are bad. I tried the advanced migration expert and they want £274.00 to process my application. Does this sound about right? at the end of the day we are putting our trust in these firms (and our money) and we dont know if they are bonafide or not. All i want to do is fly out there work for three/four months fall in love with the place and take it from there. Can I take a flight and when I land go and apply for a visa? and just get a job?. Excuse my ignorance but if you dont as you dont find out. 
Cheers 
Paul


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## carl79 (Jan 11, 2009)

Hi Paul,

Im in the same boat as you. Im looking at the types of visas that I can apply for. I have read on various sites that the numerous "professional" advice firms can be a little mis leading. I have read that some people have paid a lot of money and placed their trust in these companies and had a poor return. One example I read stated that they were offered a job in Canada, got all relevant paperwork pushed through only to find out that the job was not officially confirmed. My point being is just be careful and do your homework. Again my understanding is that if applying for a temporary work visa you need to have been offered a job in Canada. This route appealed to me but trying to get a job takes time. Im very new to this site so im sure some of the experiencied members can offer further assistance.

Good luck

Carl


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## brrttpaul (Jan 28, 2008)

now thats the impression I was under ( you need a job offer first) but my mate went out there last summer no visa nothing and ended up staying there working. How he swung it I dont now he could be doing it on the quiet i really have no idea all i know is he,s due back in Febuary. I was asking because for example when I went to work in Germany i just drove out there went on site and asked "are they looking for any brickies" and started, now I realise it will be different in Canada but how different lol. At the end of the day I reckon I would need about £1500 for the flight and for rent for a fortnight to find work, and its money that I havnt got just on a gamble. If you follow me. So once I go that would be my only chance of acctually making a few quid. its lie being stuck between a rock and a hard place.


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## brrttpaul (Jan 28, 2008)

this is a reply to a letter I sent enquiring work in Canada etc...
Hi Paul
Thanks for the e-mail. In order to to work legally in Canada, you will require a validated Labour Market Opinion which will allow you to bet a work permit. If you require further information and assistance, please visit my website (see below) and print off and complete an Evaluation Worksheet and we can can confirm your eligibility.
My question is do I acctually need a validated labour market opinion? or is it just garbage. I did visit the website and i do see their name crop up quite a lot offering jobs but everytime i try to download their pdf form my internet explorer freezes and closes. so what exactly is a labour market opinion? I really dont see the problem Canada needs bricklayers I am a bricklayer surely the rest should be common sense. Or am I missing something here


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## carl79 (Jan 11, 2009)

Hi Paul,

I understand your frustration. I myself have been asking the same questions "do you really need a LMO". It seems the LMO only kicks in when you have received a firm job offer. The LMO is a guarantee for the Canadian government that the employer has search extensively (normally 3 months) throughout Canada to fill the position. I guess this is a way to reduce the number of employers offering jobs to foreigners without recruiting within. Does this make sense.
I agree with you, bricklayers are needed. I have friends based in Calgary and they said any trade person would find work no problem. 
I guess its all the hassle and paperwork. But hey it should be worth it. As for just packing up and going over on a tourist visit...Why not. I have read enough stories to suggest it can be done. Im taking the more cautious route due to have a young family. We are looking at visiting in Apr to get of things.

Hope this helps

Carl


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## brrttpaul (Jan 28, 2008)

Hi Carl i got to honest with you you have perked me up a treat. Living in South Wales the construction trade is completely dead, all the big names have gone Wimpy Redrow etc nothing is moving at all. I applied for a job today in the jokecentre oops i mean the jobcentre, this guy who owns a haulage firm wanted a bricklayer to build a house and a gargage plus driveway etc the whole lot I asked him what the rates were and he said minimum wage (£5.47) per hr, I couldnt believe it what an insult. the guy turned round and said to me "i,ll ask you again when you are hungrier" . what a ****


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## carl79 (Jan 11, 2009)

Wow have to be honest that just typifies the British mentality to work. I honestly think you have nothing to lose just pack your stuff and go to Canada. The tourist visa last for 6 months. It states that you cannot apply for jobs whilst under this visa but if someone is desperate to fill a vacancy then I see that as a loophole. Have you tried looking on the web for jobs in your field? I had a quick search for job the other day and found a number of jobs that myself and my partner could do. So my point being have a good look and see what is available.
I would literally drop everything tomorrow and go to Canada myself but my parter wants to be a bit more cautious. 
Is there anywhere in particular that you want to move to? I will try and find some of the websites I was on the other day and forward them on

Keep the faith mate

Speak to you soon


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## brrttpaul (Jan 28, 2008)

Hi Carl well tbh I really fancy Calgarry, it sounds a great place , and from what Ive seen so far there is a demand for bricklayers.
cheers
Paul


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## betheresoon (Feb 25, 2008)

FYI it is the employers responsability to apply for the LMO, we visited a seminar in leeds last year and spoke to a number of employers looking for trades how already had the LMO in place. All forms and info are on the canadian imegration web site.


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## mart1 (Feb 11, 2009)

brrttpaul said:


> Hi Carl well tbh I really fancy Calgarry, it sounds a great place , and from what Ive seen so far there is a demand for bricklayers.
> cheers
> Paul


Any luck paul?Is there really that much work calgary?


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## mrsl04 (Feb 22, 2009)

Hi
Thought I would join in as we are just going through all this. We are a young family and my husband is going to study out in Edmonton for a few years....it seems easy to get a study permit which allows the person studying to do a bit of part-time work too then apply for a work visa after 6 months. I appreciate that this is not for everyone but alongside the study visa yhe student's partner/wife/husband can get a work visa that is OPEN and not tied to a job, which means if you have a wife/partner who fancied doing a bit of studying you could get that done quite quickly and you could wok anywhere and would not be tied to a particular job. I am a Physio Therapist so I am having to sit exams and get all my qulaifications sorted out which is a big pain. Hope it works out for you. Also we are doing this without any lawyers as it seems straightforward-ish.


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## mj wright (Feb 18, 2009)

brrttpaul said:


> Hi all I am a bricklayer and have been seriously looking into Canada, I have been looking at various type visa,s and i was filling in the "tempory work visa" to se what exactly it entailed. Anyway there seems to me to be a lot of firms offering professional advice (at a cost) so how do you know which ones are good and which ones are bad. I tried the advanced migration expert and they want £274.00 to process my application. Does this sound about right? at the end of the day we are putting our trust in these firms (and our money) and we dont know if they are bonafide or not. All i want to do is fly out there work for three/four months fall in love with the place and take it from there. Can I take a flight and when I land go and apply for a visa? and just get a job?. Excuse my ignorance but if you dont as you dont find out.
> Cheers
> Paul


Hi mate,have you had any further look with visa search,im a chippie and seriously thinking about a move to british columbia,obviously for work, but also for the whole lifestyle change,particualy the skiing,i have had similar visa enquiries as you,i dont want to go through the embassy as it takes years,i have been speaking to a company called immigration.ca, who said they could get me out there in 6 months with a job, they organise everything for you,interviews , the whole lot,but it costs about 5 grand,which im not to sure about.
i have also just been on same website as you where they want 274 quid to process your application,im gonna give them a ring on monday to find out what the crack is, im not in the situation where i can just up and leave , fly out and then look for work,my wife wont ware that one, i cant believe that a country that is apparently desperate for tradesmen it seems quite complicated to get in.but then maybe if this country did the same we wouldnt be in the mess were in now.


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## brrttpaul (Jan 28, 2008)

mj wright said:


> Hi mate,have you had any further look with visa search,im a chippie and seriously thinking about a move to british columbia,obviously for work, but also for the whole lifestyle change,particualy the skiing,i have had similar visa enquiries as you,i dont want to go through the embassy as it takes years,i have been speaking to a company called immigration.ca, who said they could get me out there in 6 months with a job, they organise everything for you,interviews , the whole lot,but it costs about 5 grand,which im not to sure about.
> i have also just been on same website as you where they want 274 quid to process your application,im gonna give them a ring on monday to find out what the crack is, im not in the situation where i can just up and leave , fly out and then look for work,my wife wont ware that one, i cant believe that a country that is apparently desperate for tradesmen it seems quite complicated to get in.but then maybe if this country did the same we wouldnt be in the mess were in now.


hi mate, I have more or less been told that if i dont use one of thes companies to process my application etc then I have no chance. On the other hand my mate has told me to wait untill he comes back at the end of March and he will sort it out. Got to be honest it does seem like a scam to me considering they are "crying out for workers" how the hell can they justify 5 grand. I wish our government had the same approach then we wouldnt have been in this mess in the first place


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## jabomb (Mar 1, 2009)

hi guys,
i'm in a similar situation to you's only without a ball and chain holding me back. i'm 23 and lookin to head out with 2 other lads. is ir right that the waiting time for a skilled worker visa is like 40 months?!
If we're lookin to get out as soon as possible, should we just apply for some holiday/6month visa and hope we pick up a labourin job out there and after a while apply for a more permanent visa? or am i just dreamin?

i just need bit of advice on what visa to go for, as i'm sick o sittin round this country!
cheers


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## nonation (Feb 28, 2009)

im not shure about the visa regulations,but for those of you wanting to come here and work on a visa that dont give you the right to work,your only option obviously is to work under the table(cash).You can find cash jobs whit the small general contractors and somethimes even on big comercial construction sites.Canada is defenatly looking for workers in construction even if things are slowing down a bit.Depends where you want to go.The problem is that construction industry has been looked at verry carefully to avoid cash jobs(bad for you,good for us)So its defenatly a gamble.But if you dont risk anything you wont get anything...
For those of you thinking about moving in alberta to work...do your homework.Its not what it use to be,comlete cities are beiing emptyed at the moment because of petrol having a hard time.


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## Raymapleleaf (Nov 1, 2008)

*getting the right visa*



brrttpaul said:


> now thats the impression I was under ( you need a job offer first) but my mate went out there last summer no visa nothing and ended up staying there working. How he swung it I dont now he could be doing it on the quiet i really have no idea all i know is he,s due back in Febuary. I was asking because for example when I went to work in Germany i just drove out there went on site and asked "are they looking for any brickies" and started, now I realise it will be different in Canada but how different lol. At the end of the day I reckon I would need about £1500 for the flight and for rent for a fortnight to find work, and its money that I havnt got just on a gamble. If you follow me. So once I go that would be my only chance of acctually making a few quid. its lie being stuck between a rock and a hard place.


hi guys
we are moving to canada (calgary) this summer what you both need to do is look on the Canadian embassy site you can do it all your seft and save about £1000 
We have spent £2000 for three of us i am going under the Skilled visa,we have been three times to canada for hoildays to make sure it was right i am a chef 
and hoping the job market will pick back up.
hope this helps


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## Jade (Dec 3, 2008)

brrttpaul said:


> Hi all I am a bricklayer and have been seriously looking into Canada, I have been looking at various type visa,s and i was filling in the "tempory work visa" to se what exactly it entailed. Anyway there seems to me to be a lot of firms offering professional advice (at a cost) so how do you know which ones are good and which ones are bad. I tried the advanced migration expert and they want £274.00 to process my application. Does this sound about right? at the end of the day we are putting our trust in these firms (and our money) and we dont know if they are bonafide or not. All i want to do is fly out there work for three/four months fall in love with the place and take it from there. Can I take a flight and when I land go and apply for a visa? and just get a job?. Excuse my ignorance but if you dont as you dont find out.
> Cheers
> Paul


Hi Paul.

I order to issue a work permit you need a job offer and a LMO by employer.
Do you have that?

Any advise is better be given by a licensed practitioner , member of CSIC( Canadian society of immigration consultants) or a lawyer with a license to practice Canadian law. Only those can practice Canadian law .

Jade


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## WhiteRose (Nov 27, 2008)

Hi Guys,

Just thought I would stick my ten'pennith in to. We are just waiting for our TWP and Visas then we are going to Calgary. We went to one of the Expo's (at Leeds) and my husband 'fell' upon a job while we were talking to various employers. They sorted out the LMO and we used a company called 'Four Corners' to do all the paperwork and the running around for us, which I am really thankful for. They came to us highly recommended and have been brilliant. Once we arrive in Calgary they are also taking care of our Permanent Residency. 

Some people I know have taken a trip out to Canada and basically sold thier souls to every employer in the White Pages and landed on employment from there, but unless they have a 'blanket LMO' in place then you will have to wait before you can apply for your visas. Our LMO took 8 weeks to be processed then the Visas take 6-12 weeks if you apply from the UK, if your papers are straight forward with no convictions to explain, or hidden kids etc then you can apply for your TWP at Point of Entry with your LMO and all your other papers.

It is quite straight forward (sorry if I make it sound confusing) but I would recommed having a consultant do your paperwork for you.


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## Snodge (Apr 17, 2009)

Raymapleleaf said:


> ... i am going under the Skilled visa,


Hey Ray,

my wife and I have been waiting to hear about our skilled worker visa for over 18 months now (when we applied they said it would take 14 to 18) and I'm wondering how long it took to get yours? We applied ourselves and it seems impossible to get a reply from anyone via the regular contact info found on their websites.

Roger


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## Jade (Dec 3, 2008)

brrttpaul said:


> Hi all I am a bricklayer and have been seriously looking into Canada, I have been looking at various type visa,s and i was filling in the "tempory work visa" to se what exactly it entailed. Anyway there seems to me to be a lot of firms offering professional advice (at a cost) so how do you know which ones are good and which ones are bad. I tried the advanced migration expert and they want £274.00 to process my application. Does this sound about right? at the end of the day we are putting our trust in these firms (and our money) and we dont know if they are bonafide or not. All i want to do is fly out there work for three/four months fall in love with the place and take it from there. Can I take a flight and when I land go and apply for a visa? and just get a job?. Excuse my ignorance but if you dont as you dont find out.
> Cheers
> Paul


Hi Paul

To your question no:

You may visit Canada and while there look for a job but you can not apply from Canada.

You will have to go back home to apply.
As per using a professional, make sure he/she are member of CSIC ( Canadian society of immigration consulatants) Or Lawyers members of the LSUC ( Law society of Upper Canada)


Only these two can handle Canadian immigration matters, are regulated and know what they are doing.


Jade


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

You may visit Canada and while there look for a job but you can not apply from Canada.

If you don't mind me saying so, but I don't think entirely true. I believe you can enter Canada as a visitor for six months. During this time you can look for employment and if you find an employer willing to complete LMO and, if approved, you would be granted, subject to criminal and medical checks, a two year TWP. The problem is one of timing and not being allowed to legally earn while going through such a process. You can apply for extension to the visitor six month status before the first term expires. You may have to cross over to USA and re-enter to activate the TWP.


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## Jade (Dec 3, 2008)

Auld Yin said:


> You may visit Canada and while there look for a job but you can not apply from Canada.
> 
> If you don't mind me saying so, but I don't think entirely true. I believe you can enter Canada as a visitor for six months. During this time you can look for employment and if you find an employer willing to complete LMO and, if approved, you would be granted, subject to criminal and medical checks, a two year TWP. The problem is one of timing and not being allowed to legally earn while going through such a process. You can apply for extension to the visitor six month status before the first term expires. You may have to cross over to USA and re-enter to activate the TWP.


Hi

That is exactly what I said: You may visit Canada and while there, look for a job.

You are repeating what I said
Jade
Jad


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## Bailey (May 8, 2009)

*visa advise*

hello i am 23 years old lady from us

thaxs for the valuable information give me.bcoz i am new member


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

Jade said:


> Hi
> 
> That is exactly what I said: You may visit Canada and while there, look for a job.
> 
> ...


I do not want to enter an argument here but you stated you cannot apply *FROM* Canada when in fact I said you can, if you obtain employment via the LMO process but the timing would have to be right.


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## Raymapleleaf (Nov 1, 2008)

*moving to canada*



brrttpaul said:


> Hi all I am a bricklayer and have been seriously looking into Canada, I have been looking at various type visa,s and i was filling in the "tempory work visa" to se what exactly it entailed. Anyway there seems to me to be a lot of firms offering professional advice (at a cost) so how do you know which ones are good and which ones are bad. I tried the advanced migration expert and they want £274.00 to process my application. Does this sound about right? at the end of the day we are putting our trust in these firms (and our money) and we dont know if they are bonafide or not. All i want to do is fly out there work for three/four months fall in love with the place and take it from there. Can I take a flight and when I land go and apply for a visa? and just get a job?. Excuse my ignorance but if you dont as you dont find out.
> Cheers
> Paul


hi paul
i am a trade person like you (chef) we are going to be in calgary august 09 after waiting 2.5 years you will do very well there and they want us which makes it all the better good luck


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