Do i need a job?

i am currently looking for work and want to possibly look over seas, in particular the UK. My question is alot of the jobs I am finding on the job boards state that I must have a visa to work in the UK if I am applying from another country like Canada. Am I understanding this correctly? I only ask because i am to old for the youth traveling visa as i am over 30 years old. I thought I needed a job offer to get a work visa, and needed to prove the job offer before i can be approved for a visa. I also understand that a company can sponsor me for a visa, does this happen often?

Thanks for all responses.

i am currently looking for work and want to possibly look overseas, in particular the UK. My question is a lot of the jobs I am finding on the job boards state that I must have a visa to work in the UK if I am applying from another country like Canada. Am I understanding this correctly?

Broad brush response

Yes, unless you are exempt from immigration controls that would allow you to enter, stay, live & work in the UK without restriction.

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas ... n/working/

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas ... 2/general/

Is it possible that you may qualify for a UK or a EU ancestry visa on the basis a grandparent that may have been born in one of the EU countries?

If you have a spouse, does he/she have any ties to one of the EU countries?

I only ask because i am to old for the youth traveling visa as i am over 30 years old. I thought I needed a job offer to get a work visa, and needed to prove the job offer before i can be approved for a visa. I also understand that a company can sponsor me for a visa, does this happen often?

Thanks for all responses.

you can apply for a points based (PBS) work visa or a temporary work visa (see the UKBA links above)

This is how the sponorship works, a follows

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/busin ... gmigrants/

In general terms the employer must get a license, then you, under a tier 2 visa, a job offer kinda goes hand in hand with the visa stipulation & yes, a UK employer can sponsor you & it does happen ... this is generally the tough route, because it's one that the employer is stating they have advertised the job locally in the UK, that there is no one skilled or qualified for the job opening and/or that you have the qualifications & experience to fill the job.

Once you have that letter (certificate of sponsorship), you have the offer in hand, then you apply for the work visa.

Another option, is meeting a UK or EU citizen and becoming their partner or spouse ... some folks do this

Trust this helps

Thanks for the response. Another few questions i hope someone can help with as well.


I am in Canada and have applied for a job in the UK with a non profit agency. I understand the tier system and I also understand that I will need the company to give me a job offer after they have exhausted a search in the UK to find a suitable match for the job. So all these things I get but what i am really questioning is the following:

The types of jobs i will be applying for in the UK are of the social work type and they all say i need an enhanced CRB which I know is basically a criminal record check. Obviously I will not have one in the UK. Problem is I am pretty sure I would need to have local police check done here in Canada where i live.

About 8 years ago i did a few really stupid, yet criminal things- theft over $5000 and uttering a forged document. I have completed all sentences going on 6 years ago now. What I am wanting to know is a.) will this prevent me from getting a working visa through UK immigration and b.) would this prevent me from working in this field in the UK, I do not know how things like this are looked at over there.

I have tried to do some research on my own and found out that in the UK these convictions would be considered spent convictions because the 5 year time frame has lapsed, but does that really matter if i am from out of the country?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I know this is a difficult post and i am looking for some difficult information but I thank anyone in advance who can provide some insight into my situation as I am very much interested in working over seas.

I believe Canada does not have the same "spent" records forgiveness as the UK. From the RCMP website I'm seeing the records retention is there indefinitely, which would suggest that even after several years the record could show past offenses

You may want to get your own criminal records check from the RCMP to see what it has on it

The following RCMP link mentions the records kept timeframe

In the section "Policy On The Retention/Disposal Of Criminal Records"

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cr-cj/pp-er-eng.htm

If you are thinking about working in the UK in the social services field - related to where you are dealing with people in a trusted position, that involves work either in the medical field, with children, the elderly, financial or education - then an employer (as you know) would want a clean record. And coming from Canada to work in the UK they would surely ask for criminal records report.

Again suggest first that you pull your own record & see what it has on it

Good luck to you

Just a little precision regarding the first post: there's no such thing as EU Ancestry visa based on a grand-parent born in a EU country.

VisaWise | Immigration Consultancy
OISC Registered Immigration Advisers
Members of the Quebec Bar
London, United Kingdom
info@visa-wise.co.uk
www.visa-wise.co.uk

Just a little precision regarding the first post: there's no such thing as EU Ancestry visa based on a grand-parent born in a EU country.

VisaWise | Immigration Consultancy
OISC Registered Immigration Advisers
Members of the Quebec Bar
London, United Kingdom
info@visa-wise.co.uk
http://www.visa-wise.co.uk

thanks for tweek VW

I was actually meaning (didn't get it out correctly though) of someone that qualifies (excluding the UK) for citizenship ancestry/descent of a particular EU country from having a parent or grandparent born in one of those EU countries

Those that I am aware of from personal experience are Malta, Greece & Ireland - there are other EU countries have this also. I dont have the full list - do you Visawise?

Applications for family members of European citizens exercizing their Treaty Rights in the UK can only be made by:

-spouses, civil partners, unmarried partners who have lived together for 2 years
-children
-parents and grand-parents

Grand-children of European citizens cannot apply for EEA Family Permits.

However if they can get their own European passport, they'll be allowed to live and work in the UK. As far as we know, European countries who grant citizenship to people who have a grand-parent who is national of their country are quite rare and apply to a few people who meet very precise requirements only. Most of the time, citizenship by descent is granted to children and not to grand-children of nationals.

VisaWise | Immigration Consultancy
OISC Registered Immigration Advisers
Members of the Quebec Bar
London, United Kingdom
info@visa-wise.co.uk
http://www.visa-wise.co.uk