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Hello:
I am an American living in Boston, who has looked at moving to Canada, specifically Montreal, for a long time.
I found, interviewed for, and now have a job offer for a I/T position in Montreal, and they are looking to me to obtain my work visa. In the interview process, the company ( a UK based IT company) they told me that I would be fully responsible for obtaining my visa, and that short of writing supporting letters and the like, it would be up to me to get it. I'm fine with that.
So now I am trying to figure out the steps, process required for obtaining a visa, and I am very confused. I cannot get a response from either CIC or Immigration Quebec, and need some direction. The main part I am confused on is there is a NAFTA treaty Visa that I supposedly can get my Visa under, which skips the step of needing to get a 'letter of Canadian citizen losing a job' but trying to figure out the specific steps of what are needed under the treaty, I cannot find.
I'm sure its been posted here before, but if there is a FAQ or a series of steps you can do related to this NAFTA treaty visa, or any direction at all, I would appreciate it.
I'm very anxious to move something forward as the company is anxious to hire, and they just want to know I am making progress, and I am completely stuck!
Thank You, in advance..
- Stefan in Boston
September 25 2007, 17:18:04 UTC 4 years ago
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/speci
September 28 2007, 18:21:35 UTC 4 years ago
http://www.nafta-sec-alena.org/DefaultS
then you can get a NAFTA visa.
What that means is, you show up at the border with your offer letter, your qualifications (degree, etc) and some small fee (I think its like $50 or so), and they stamp yer passport. Then you are good for one year, after which you will have to renew by going through the same process. Unfortunately, CIC doesn't have a lot of info about it on their website. I'd recommend calling to find out exactly what is needed - oh and make sure you follow the "Law of Thirds", ie call at least three times and talk to three different people until you get more than one answer that matches up!
October 2 2007, 20:07:14 UTC 4 years ago
I don't have time to mess around with this, so last week, I started researching Canadian immigration lawyers. I have talked to 2 so far, one seems knowledgable and reasonable for his prices. The other didn't seem to know about the special Visas available to me as a I/T worker American, so I will not be using them. I am trying to find a couple more to talk to.
Basically there is a 'IT Worker' program visa, and the 'NAFTA' visa. One or the other has its advantages or disadvantages, and I will let my lawyer decide which is best to apply under.
So many things to consider, moving to Montreal on my own, this is the last thing I want to worry about!
If anyone knows of any good immigration lawyers in Quebec, please let me know. I want to decide on a lawyer by end of week.
Thanks!
- Stefan
October 4 2007, 21:43:49 UTC 4 years ago