For all of those who are/have been in the Work Permit process, please post your time lines here. We would love to track how long it takes to get to Canada!

Please note the following on the CIC Website with regards to Medical Processing times:

If you would like to view the whole document, click on the black bar (that is at the top of the image) and then,
if the image shows on your screen, click on it again to enlarge and read. You can even save it.
Click to view attachment
I am working on a way to get it linked directly as a web page to this page... still working on that.

Anyone with updates can contact me should they want it added.

Further Important Links:
Medical Examinations FAQ
Process that will be followed when doing a Medical Examination
Canadian Visa Office Pretoria SA Contact Details
High Commission of Canada to SA Official Website
Visa & Immigration Processing Times
Application Processing Times for CIC as a whole
For Acronyms on Provinces, please go HERE, to see.

My timeline (still in progress):

April 07 - employer made application for LMO (Alberta)
June 07 - positive LMO issued (took 13 weeks)
July 07 - work permit issued (at airport)
Aug 07 - PR application lodged to CHC
Oct 07 - AOR received, confirmed that it would be expedited due to approved employment
Nov 07 - Alberta PNP application made (just in case)
Dec 07 - Confirmation (via email) that PR application is being processed
Jan 08 - PNP issued (employer portion)
Feb 08 - PNP withdrawn by AB government (due to PR being processed)
Mar 08 - letter arrived asking us to proceed to have medicals done
Apr 08 - medicals completed and originals of birth and marriage certificate sent to CHC

A friend of mine recently returned to SA after his work permit expired. He applied for his new work permit in January and received it about a week ago. (1st week in April.)

He went to help out his old company here in Cape Town while he waited for the work permit and he was offered a position that he almost accepted until they broke into his house last Thursday, while he was at work, and cleaned it out completely! He will be flying back to Edmonton a.s.a.p. after he gets his visa!! His employer in Canada is willing to sponsor him for PR and hopefully he will have that before this work permit expires.

Our application has been submitted today. We are LMO exempt.

Our time line:

February 2007 - sent in PR application to the Berlin office
October 2007 - went to Canada (Edmonton) for interviews
November 2007 - received job offer and employer applied for LMO
December 2007 - applied for work permit (concurrent with LMO application)
January 2008 - applied for PNP
March 2008 - received PNP certificate
April 2008 - received LMO
TODAY - received request for passports!!!

Husky, was your final aim to go the PNP route? If so, I would rather put you guys under the PNP Time Line. Are you still in SA?

Hi Dedre,

Nope, we have been in Germany for the past two years. I think our time line could fit into both "work permit" and "PNP", but you can move it to where you think it will be most helpful!

O.K. I will split it. I see Island Life's time line is the same type. Scratching my head here. Thought all will be clear cut... It's not a problem though. Will add shortly.

Received our request for medicals today and managed to get an appointment for 3pm.

Nirak,
Only saw your post now. Congratulations! How did it go?

Husky,
I decided to add your time line to the PR line as well.

Thanks. So far so good. Everything is fine. Just need to see my orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to get a report on my arthritis that I'm actually a healthy human being. LOL Should be sent of on Monday to Nairobi, and they expect us to have the results in 3 weeks. Things are happening WAY too fast. LOL

Hi

We were finally informed through a telephone call on 1 May that our passports and work permits are ready for pick-up! Finally!

We are now ready as ever and will book our flights asap.

Morne

Our medicals were finally sent to Nairobi on Wednesday with "URGENT" written all over everything. Everyone is very optimistic that our little hiccup was just that, and won't have an influence at all.

Wonderful. Not long to go now.

How long does it normally take to get a workpermit?
Also what checks/requirements have to be filled?

Also what paperwork will they need from me?

Steve

It depends on the type of work, province (that will influence the LMO timeline), etc, etc. Quickest will be 4 weeks (if no LMO or medicals are required, but medicals are required for any position over 6 months, and certain occupations, even if the contract is for less than 6 months). The longest - pick a date. We "might" get our work permits within 6 weeks, but it could take a week or two longer.

As for documentation needed and a better explanation about the process, it is best to visit the CIC website: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/apply-how.asp

Hi Dedre
Just a quick note to update the wating periods.I recieved my positive LMO on the 8th of May, and have submitted all the docs for my work permit. So we'll continue to wait patiently for the the good news.

Andre

Received our Confirmation of Permanent Residence today! Final step is the long drive to the US border to Land.

In total it has taken us 13 months and one week from applying for Temporary Work Permit to receiving CoPR.

Island Life,

Hearty CONGRATULATIONS to you and your family!!!!!!!! Well done

Congrats!
It's an awesome feeling, not so?!

Congrats man! I am sure you and your family are ecstatic! Well done!!

Thanks all! I got the Fedex package yesterday with the CoPR letters (one for each member of my family) plus our passports, and being the impatient person I am, I called my wife and told her to get ready as we are driving down to the Montana border this weekend to flagpole (an 11 hour drive roundtrip). As I'm lurking on the forum and writing this, you can see I lost (as I usually do). She wants to plan it properly and go for a few days and see a bit of Montana, so we'll go in June. So a few more weeks of a SIN starting with 9! Wander what the price per litre of petrol will be then?

Also, for those wandering about this possibility - I went to the Edmonton International Airport and tried to flagpole there, but no luck - they wouldn't even think about it.

What about your local CIC office? I heard this was possible for people who were already inside Canada.

Hi Island Life, Congratulations with getting the PR papers.
Although I agree with your wife to see a bit of Montana, the big sky country, I didnt think it was necessary to do the flagpole trip anymore. I certainly did not do it.
I had a similar situation. Got PR after 18 months of work permit. But I only had to go to Canada Place in Edmonton to get the PR activated. That was somewhere in 2003.
Iv been to Montana twice since then - it is a beautiful place especially in the mountain ranges.

Well, Island Life (Kevin), it seems like you might just be lucky by going to Canada Place downtown.

It was great being an eyewitness to all of this. Thanks for inviting me in. (Folks, Kevin took me along with him when he went to fetch the big envelope at FedEx at the airport. You should have seen that broad smile on his face when he came out of the office! We also celebrated it afterwards with a braai and beer at his house.)

Congratulations to you and your family again.

Natalie (and Pierre) - Yes, I'll definitely check that out. However when I was at the airport, the immigration person I spoke to asked me how long I had been in Canada on a work permit before I applied for PR. I thought that was a strange question, but they explained to me that if you are in Canada for one year on a work permit, and only then apply for your PR, you are allowed to land (flagpole) in Canada. Apparently this is written in the CIC website as well - I haven't checked yet.

Island Life,

Congratulations to you and the family with receiving your PR.

Kind Regards,

Been requested to submit our passports - will do so first thing tomorrow morning.

congrats!!!! this is fab news, you guys must be jumping over the moon!!!!!

All the best, Regards

Congratulations Nirak! You guys must be very glad!

If you don't mind, how did they contact you? Phone call or letter in the mail?

Cheers!
Charl

Awesome news!

We received an email.

Duh... the only option I didn't think of. Thanks for informing us.

Our medicals was done on 8 May and sent of on 9 May. Hope we hear during this week or next week because the house was sold on paper today and we will know within the next 2 weeks if the buyer's loan was approved. Would be nice to get the passport request and some good news about the sale of the house.

Good luck to all the other people that has been waiting as well!!!!

P.S. I completely forgot!!!! Congratulations Nirak!!!!!!

Our file is going for final decision this afternoon.

Thinking of you Nirak! Hope everything will be finalized tomorrow!

Our timeline:

11 April - Job Interview
18 April - Job Offer via e-mail as well as e-mailed acceptance
Beginning May - Finally got paper job offer via courier (who took forever due to all the public holidays), sign and return via courier.
10 May - LMO application submitted
11 June - LMO approved (just short of 5 weeks)

We're leaving tomorrow morning for Jo'burg so that we can be at CHC bright and early on Friday morning to hand in our work permit applications :-)

Anelle

Hi Nirak,

That's strange? Doesn't a request-for-passports imply that your work permit will be put into your passport?

For those that are wondering - we are still in SA. Our passports are still with CHC. Out of desperation I drove there this morning and we will have a final answer by the end of the week.

Nirak

You are lucky to stay close enough to make a turn there in person. We have now been waiting for 5 weeks and 2 days since our medicals arrived in Nairobi and we still have not heard anything. PNP medicals is supposed to be as quick as the work permit medicals but it seems that we will have to wait the normal 8 week period before we will hear anything.

Good luck!

As far as I know there is no difference in the processing time for medicals regardless of what visa you are applying for. The processing time for medicals is 6-8 weeks. Even 18 months ago when we had our work permit medicals it took a full 6 weeks before we heard anything.

Hope your wait is over soon.

Hi Cathy

Monday will be 6 weeks but I doubt if we will hear soon because apparently CHC has got loads and loads of work permit applications that they are currently processing. The Doctor that we went to said that she cannot beleive the number of people that are currently visiting her for medicals to go to Canada.

It seems the flood gates have opened and everyone that can is trying to get off this sinking ship called South Africa at the moment.

Will keep you informed if our status change!

Dude, I'm telling you... one more week... and then you will get the news. If after 8 weeks you haven't heard anything, send them an e-mail asking for a status report. They are very helpful, but it might take a few days for them to respond to your query.

Don't lose faith, you guys are almost there.

Thank you Charl

It is getting more and more difficult to wait as the days and weeks drag on. Doubt is setting in. I am suddenly not so sure if we passed the medicals etc.

The only thing that we are still sure of is that we have made the right dicision to try and move to Canada.

Any news yet Karin? I don't understand why it takes so long for them to make a decision.

Got an email today saying that it went to the officer for final decision (which according to a previous email should have happened last week already) and that we should hear from them early next week (after being told yesterday that we should hear from them by tomorrow at the latest). It seems like they have an issue with the fact that the position is permanent. I'm really getting very frustrated...

Nirak, both Dedre and I are praying for you guys for a speedy and positive outcome. We are REALLY thinking of you. Keep the faith!!!

Uh oh, you should have put a start and an end date on your application and on the employment contract. You can only get a work permit for a position which is temporary, even though it is permanent for all intents and purposes.

All they want to know is that when your work permit comes to an end you will leave the country, even if your intention is to apply for PR once you are in Canada. Their concern is that if your PR application is declined, you will stay on without status.

If you are by any chance called for an interview just say you made a mistake and that the position is temporary for now however your employer will consider permanent employment if you obtain PR.

Not to alarm you but If I were you I would start looking at applying for either Manitoba PNP or Skilled Worker PR with Arranged Employment in case your work permit application is turned down.

The contract I arrived with in Canada, did not have an end date. It specifically stated "permanent", which then allowed me to immediately make an application for PR. My LMO had the start and end date, and my work permit had the same dates inserted as specified on the LMO.

I guess sometimes they are more strict. In South Africa particularly it seems to be the case.