Improving immigration status

[chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Hi - for a variety of reasons, I’d like to immigrate to Canada but was recently assessed as not eligible. I'm wondering what, if anything, I can do to change my status.

A few words about my situation. I’m a second-career RN (BSN), with a background in primary and emergency care (I’m also a volunteer firefighter and EMT-B; ACLS & PALS). In addition to the BSN, I have a BA an MBA and an associates degree in applied science. My primary career (more than 20 years) was as contracts manager in the aerospace industry. I’m also an honorably discharged veteran. As far as language skills, I’m a native English speaker (born in the USA) and am working on improving my French, which is probably less than basic at this point. While I want to work as an RN in Canada, I have a decent guaranteed pension income and significant retirement savings, so am unlikely to need any kind of outside assistance. I'd also be selling my house in the US, which even in the inflated Canadian real estate market, would go a long way toward a house there.

The only negatives I can think of are age (I'm over 47) and that my spouse does not work. Is it pointless for me to continue to pursue Canada or can is there anything I can do to make myself a more desirable candidate? Any advice appreciated.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Who assessed you as ineligible for a Canadian visa?

[chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

26 minutes ago, Silverdragon102 said:

Who assessed you as ineligible for a Canadian visa?

When the on-line CRS calculator came up at less than the typically needed points, I then contacted a Canadian immigration attorney. His determination, was also that I was ineligible, though I did not get an explanation of why this was the case.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

You could look at finding employer willing to go work permit route but a lot will depend on where you want to live and work

[chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Thanks for the suggestion. I've looked at finding an employer in the past, but unfortunately without much success. Perhaps the situation has changed of late and it it certainly is worth re-examining, even if it is a relative long shot.

After doing some more digging, it seems like the issue is related to my location preference, which for various reasons, is (or at least was) Ontario. From what I can gather, immigration to that province is probably subject to the most restrictions and though I'd like to think otherwise, I'm not a particularly desirable candidate based on their criteria.

Quebec seems to be quite a bit more flexible and in many ways is an even more desirable destination for me. The biggest barrier is language. While I am close to basic proficiency, that level will not be nearly sufficient. I'd guess that improving to the point of relative fluidity will take at least a year, probably longer.

I also looked into immigration under the AIPP, which is probably the most flexible of the options. While I personally love Newfoundland and the Maritimes, and think I would very much enjoy living there, their relative geographic isolation will make access for our grown children (who will remain in the US) difficult. Probably too tough to make immigration there a viable alternative.

I'm going to continue to explore options and plan on an extended trip through Ontario and Quebec in early summer for an on-the-ground assessment. I always knew that it would be difficult to get to Canada but frankly, had no idea of just how hard it would be!

[dayandnight]

On 3/27/2019 at 5:54 AM, chuckster said:

Thanks for the suggestion. I've looked at finding an employer in the past, but unfortunately without much success. Perhaps the situation has changed of late and it it certainly is worth re-examining, even if it is a relative long shot.

After doing some more digging, it seems like the issue is related to my location preference, which for various reasons, is (or at least was) Ontario. From what I can gather, immigration to that province is probably subject to the most restrictions and though I'd like to think otherwise, I'm not a particularly desirable candidate based on their criteria.

Quebec seems to be quite a bit more flexible and in many ways is an even more desirable destination for me. The biggest barrier is language. While I am close to basic proficiency, that level will not be nearly sufficient. I'd guess that improving to the point of relative fluidity will take at least a year, probably longer.

I also looked into immigration under the AIPP, which is probably the most flexible of the options. While I personally love Newfoundland and the Maritimes, and think I would very much enjoy living there, their relative geographic isolation will make access for our grown children (who will remain in the US) difficult. Probably too tough to make immigration there a viable alternative.

I'm going to continue to explore options and plan on an extended trip through Ontario and Quebec in early summer for an on-the-ground assessment. I always knew that it would be difficult to get to Canada but frankly, had no idea of just how hard it would be!

With Express Entry (federal route of immigration) your age will make it nearly impossible to immigrate. Look into other options (provincial nominee program). I know BC hires a lot of nurses.. we are horribly short and Fraser Health does do career panels and promotions in the USA. There is a hiring website targeted for non-BC residents so you can look into that but any region in BC are all looking for nurses. We have lots of new grads coming from Ontario and Alberta. The hospital working condition however, across the board in average (some region better than others) is not as good as those two provinces and the states (we work more for less pay and also have extreme staffing shortage)