Humanitarian and Compassionate Considerations

There are a lot of people coming to Canada with the intention of becoming permanent residents and eventually becoming Canadian citizens There are certain programs that allow you to get on the permanent resident pathway such as the Express Entry program. Coming to Canada to work and live permanently is an attractive proposition and a lot of people are very interested to do whatever it takes to go to Canada.

Unfortunately, the attractiveness of living and working in Canada is used and abused by opportunists who prey on those who can easily be tricked by fake promises. There are a lot of people who have spent thousands based on false promises that they will get to work and live in Canada permanently.

When someone tells you that you can apply as a tourist in Canada and when you get to Canada you can look for work, be very alarmed. As an immigration lawyer, I will never advise clients or potential clients to get a tourist visa first and look for a job once they get here. It is illegal and highly unethical.If you wish to work in Canada, then you must get a work permit. If someone tells you that it is easy to find work in Canada, they are outright lying. An employer will not hire a visitor visa holder. If you find an employer who does hire visitor visa holders, that is because they are opportunists themselves. They do not pay the proper wages, benefits and taxes. They are bold in doing so because they know you are illegally working and you cannot report them to the authorities.If you are in this situation now or if you were on a valid work permit that expired or was cancelled, or if you are out of status because you overstayed; you might be able to stay on a permanent basis under a special provision in the Canadian immigration law. There are provisions in immigration law that protect individuals against abuse. One of the said provisions is applying for permanent residency under humanitarian and compassionate grounds. In special cases, the rigid rules or the Immigration Act are not applied in special circumstances. Consequently, this allows individuals to apply for Permanent Residence who otherwise may not be eligible. If you are in Canada and if you want to know more, you can contact me at ibanezlaw@bell.net.