November 6, 2008

Can She Stay?

Q: My wife has been a Canadian citizen for 20 years. Her sister is arriving from Poland in a month for a visit, and we would like to know what we would need to do for her to apply for permanent resident status. She is 31, single and a hard working person, we believe she would have a better life here. Beside that, my wife has no other relatives in Canada and having her sibling here would mean a lot to our family. After reviewing Canada Immigration categories and processes on the website, it appears that my wife is not able to sponsor her sibling. What are our options? Please advise of the best approach. Thank you.

A: Yes, your wife cannot sponsor her sister. Although you will need to provide more details for a full assessment regarding her education and work experience but judging just by age, the first and best option may be either a Study or a Work Permit. If she already has a degree, she could look for a two-year program at any college to upgrade her skills. After completing such a program, she will be entitled to a three-year open work permit. After one year of work experience in Canada, she will be able to apply under the new class: Canadian Experience Class (CEC). Same applies in case she finds an employer who is willing to obtain a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) and hire her for a two-year period. After two years, she would also qualify under the CEC class. The Skilled worker category is now being reworked so we cannot accurately measure how the changes will affect applicants and therefore extensive consideration is necessary before filing. Good luck!