Canadian Immigration Questions and Answers with Attorney David Cohen

Every month, Attorney David Cohen will answer a few general Canadian immigration questions submitted by our readers. Here are this month’s questions and answers:

How long must I stay in the province I choose to “land” in as a Permanent Resident before I am free to move?

As a general rule, Canadian citizens and permanent residents can live and work in any province they choose to. This is guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That being said, if you applied under the Federal Skilled Worker category, you should have the intention to reside in a province of Canada other than Quebec during the entire application process. Likewise, if you have applied under the Quebec Skilled Worker category, then you should have intent to reside in the Province of Quebec.

I want to leave my children in the care of a relative while I come to Canada as a temporary worker. Is this allowed?

Yes, temporary foreign workers are not compelled to bring their children to Canada.

I got into an immigration dispute while living in the UK (I had mistakenly failed to disclose part-time work). After an appeal process, I chose to voluntarily leave the UK for my home country rather than take my claims to a higher court. Will this legal battle affect my chances of Canadian immigration?

It all depends. If one committed an act that was contrary to a foreign law and that also would have been a violation of a Canadian federal statute, then that person may be inadmissible to Canada.

I am referred to by my middle name. Supporting documents from employers list this name and my last name. However, my passport mentions my official first, middle, and last name. What should I do to alert immigration officials of this discrepancy?

Your name as it appears on your passport is how your name should appear on an immigration form. A letter of explanation should be submitted to immigration authorities along with written confirmation from employers, if possible.

If you would like your general immigration question to be featured in our newsletter, please email your question to QNA@CICNEWS.COM

If you would like to be assessed for Canadian immigration, please complete CanadaVisa’s free Canadian immigration assessment form.