Getting our Work Permits

One of the first things that should have keyed me into the fact that I wasn't just moving to another state was going through the process of getting work permits in order to move here.  I guess our experience was fairly painless so it didn't quite register with me.  But, if you are moving to Canada indefinitely or to work - no matter what your status - refugee, student, worker, family of a Canadian, etc. you will will have to get some sort of approval to enter the country.  The Citizenship and Immigration Canada website is really helpful, and provides the information you need.  Keep in mind depending on your status this may be a long process, so start early.

Since the website is so comprehensive I'll just share our experience and a few learnings that may be helpful for others in the future.  My husband got a job as  professor with the U of T who sponsored his work permit, and I got one as his spouse.  Our intention was to move with the work permit and apply for permanent residency from Canada.  We needed a Labor Market Opinion (sorry but I can't write labour)so we filled out the documentation and sent the supporting information to a company that U of T hired to help.  We received a positive LMO so we met the criteria to apply for work permits when arriving in Canada.  We took the LMO and all of the documentation to the immigration office at the airport when we flew in to obtain our work permits.  This process was also painless (except the bullet proof vests that the officers wear always make me nervous).  After a 15 minute wait, we met with an officer and presented the documentation.  Then she stapled the work permit to our passports,  we paid a fee, and that was it.

I've learned a few things that may be helpful for others in the future:

1. The date you get your work permit is typically considered to be the first date you moved to Canada.  However, I got mine when visiting my husband since he moved earlier than I did.  I thought it would be a good idea to get it out of the way, but in the end it didn't gain me anything, and in retrospect I would just have gotten it the day I moved.  In order to get health insurance, I've had to provide separate documentation of my move date which in my case is a little tricky.  Our lease started when my husband moved and my passport didn't get stamped at the border when I actually moved(in fact I don't think it ever has), so I eventually used the customs declaration to bring our car into Canada to show the date I immigrated.  Just something to keep in mind.
2. The name that goes on your work permit is the name that will be used moving forward for all government services.  I encountered some headaches because my passport lists my maiden name and was amended at the back of it to show my married name.  However, Canada does not accept the amendment of your passport as proof of a name change.  So, my work permit was issued in my maiden name.  This has been a pain because for all other services (health insurance/driver license, etc.) they will reference your work permit name as well.  So, the only way around this is to bring your marriage certificate to prove the name change - ideally when you go to immigration to get your work permit.  Make sure you don't pack the marriage certificate with the movers!

It would be great to hear of other related experiences.  If you have one, leave a comment!