CANADA IMMIGRATION NEWS AND TIPS

Opportunity for Relatives of Temporary Foreign Workers to Canada Published in the Jamaican Gleaner,  May 28, 2014 Dear Ms. Powell, What is an open work permit? My father is working at a hotel as a temporary foreign worker and heard that I can get an open work permit. I am very hardworking and just would like to be close to my father.  How can I do that? MC Dear MC, When you are granted an open work permit to Canada that means that you have permission to work in Canada without first getting either a job offer or a positive labour market opinion (LMO) from the Employment and Social Development agency and you are not restricted to one particular employer. Since your father is already in Canada as a temporary worker, you may be able to get an open work permit under various new programmes and pilot projects through a special arrangement between provinces and the federal government. Some provinces are in desperate need of certain workers and they are current...

I want to work in Canada - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | March 18, 2014 Dear Ms Powell, I  was  born in Jamaica and work in Jamaica, but I am also a citizen of the United States (US). I am interested in working in Canada and I heard that US citizens can work in Canada without applying for a work permit. Is this so? How would I go about doing this? How long could I work? Is this possible under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? - CJ Dear CJ, There are very few jobs that would require a non-resident/citizen of Canada to work without a valid permit. Since you are a citizen of the US, to be able to work in Canada, you would need to fall in one of the following categories: 1.  Become a permanent resident; 2.  Work in one of the specified fields that do not require a work permit, for example: some business visitors, athletes, clergy, performing artistes, public speakers, news reporters, film and media crews; 3.  Have a job ...

Should I send employer money? - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | January 28, 2014 Dear Miss Powell, Someone offered  me a job as a helper in Canada and told me that I should send him CA$300 to process an 'LMO' application on my behalf. Should I send him the money? He sent me a contract so I know I would be earning more than CA$2,000 a month, so I don't mind sending him the money if that helps with the papers. What do you think? What is this LMO? If he gets the LMO, would I automatically get the visa to travel to Canada? How long after being there can I get citizenship? - AS Dear AS, DO NOT send any money to a prospective employer. Under no circumstances should an employer recover the cost of an LMO, which means 'labour market opinion' from an employee. The current cost of the LMO is CA$275. It is wrong for a prospective employer to ask a prospective employee to send money to him to pay for this document. DO NOT send him the money! An LMO is a docume...

I want to apply for permanent residency - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | December 10, 2013 Dear Miss Powell, For the past 12 years, I have worked in Canada as a seasonal worker. Someone told me that I can apply for permanent residency, but I'm not sure if I qualify or how to go about it. I want to do things the right way, so I'm writing to you to help me. - KJ Dear KJ, You can apply to become a permanent resident under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). This category is open to temporary foreign workers and foreign students. To be eligible, you must have acquired a minimum of 12 months of legitimate full-time or equal amount of part-time work experience within the last 36 months; plan to live outside of the province of Quebec; and meet the language requirements. I am not sure what type of work you were doing, but there are a few major changes of which you should be aware. Since April 2012,  Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) reduced the wor...