₦airaland Forum

@sarilo4lif

Delta007:
Immigrating to Canada as a Visitor is fine; however, a Visitor's Status (keyword is Status) only allows you to stay in the country for a maximum of 6mths (unless stated otherwise - usually less); then, you have to re-enter the country again. You have to realise a Visa is an entry document; so even if you are given a 1 day Visa or 20yr Visa, you can only stay in the country for 6mths before you re-enter. You are not allowed to work, school, business, etc. The only ways you can become a Permanent Resident (PR) from a Visitor's status is:

- Switch to a Study Visa: If you have an undergrad and have been hoping to develop yourself some more, then applying for a Masters program might not be a bad idea. You may be able to run your business (depending on its nature) and carryout your program at the same time. Switching to a Study Visa while being in Canada on a Visitor's Visa is relatively easy. You get the admission and send the application and all related documents to the nearest embassy (usually Buffalo). As a Nigerian, you'd be required to do medicals; all these could take 4-5mths before you finally get a Study Visa; and remember, you can only stay in the country for 6mths. This means you need to get the process going immediately you get in; perhaps get the admission before you get in. What this does, is that it enables you to buy time while you put in a PR application and it's being processed. When you graduate, you are also eligible for a 3yr work permit which is more than enough time to get your PR status. Now, as a businessman, you probably have some experience so you may qualify for a couple categories; however, this process could take 6mths for some and it could take 2yrs for the others. Funny enough, you can apply from Nigeria; however, it's only one office in Accra that processes all applications for W.Africa so you are pretty sure that it would take you more than 2yrs before you get a decision.

- Marry someone in Canada and get her/him to sponsor you: If you came in on a Visitor's Visa and got married in Canada, your spouse could sponsor you, regardless of your status. This means that even if you overstayed (which frankly, I do not advice), and eventually fall in love with someone and legally get married, you can become a PR if your spouse agree to sponsor you. Now, this is an area which alot of people exploit, not just Nigerians (Indians, Pakistanis, Carribeans, etc) and the Canadian Immigration is quite aware of it. Hence, the onus is always on you and your spouse to prove that your relationship is genuine and not just for papers. There are also restrictions on who can sponsor and your sponsor (spouse) will be responsible for your upkeep for 3yrs.

- Get a job and get your company to sponsor you: If you are one of those sought-after professionals or you are in that line of field, there's a likelihood you could get a job and the company would sponsor you to get a work permit. These cases are rare but very possible. Most firms these days try to stay away from all these immigration wahala so they'd tell you to come back when you get your papers. However firms that are desperate do make the effort to get you the right papers. In your case, they'd also need to go the extra mile and prove that no Canadian has applied for the job or those who applied are not qualified enough for the job. If you can get a work permit, then you bought yourself time and it's a much easier route to get a PR status.

There's also the business category but it's a much tougher sell unless you have more than $300k in your account at the moment.

My advice: If you think of improving your skills, you may want to go the study route; perhaps this is the right time since you are still single. However, if that's not your cup of coffee, you may want to start by putting in an application from Nigeria for a PR status. While you make your money in Nigeria, the clock is ticking on your application. Perhaps in 3yrs, you may be approved and you may have a much better perspective of how you want your business to evolve as well as your future family plans. It may not be a wise idea to kill a cash cow just because you want to move to an unknown. You may also want to get a Visitor's visa and travel to see how things are so as to put plans together and put a good struture to your business so that you do not always need to be onground to get maximum revenue. Or wait till when you get your PR status so that you can move relatively easily and operate your business from both ends. I hope I made some sense. Goodluck!

@sarilo4lif