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So you want to stay here, eh?

Foreigners seeking to stay and work in Canada need to understand the process Many who call Whistler home have gone through it, but almost everyone who comes here from another country to work has contemplated it.

Foreigners seeking to stay and work in Canada need to understand the process

Many who call Whistler home have gone through it, but almost everyone who comes here from another country to work has contemplated it.

Such is Whistler's beauty that most foreigners that arrive here will contemplate getting a visa extension or even immigrating to Canada.

Many of these people, like Ben (not his real name), find the process too obtrusive and stay here illegally. Others try to get around the process, or at least attempt to speed it up, by getting married earlier than they might have planned.

Then there are those people, like Alex Hester, who spend time on the Immigration Canada Web site, print all the forms, pay the fees and wait patiently for the reply.

Ben's case is a common one that frustrates many capable young people in Whistler who plan to come for a short time and realize too late they need to do some research if they want to stay.

"I know you have to pay a fair amount before you even start and it can take a year to go through the process," Ben said.

"Then you've only got a 50 per cent chance of getting it, so it's a bit of a shot in the dark I think.

"I reckon at least 10-15 per cent of people who work here are here illegally but they get all the sh--- jobs done."

Ben has been successful with several job applications since arriving in Whistler but he was forced to quit most of those jobs because he is an illegal worker.

"I think this place would struggle without us because I don't know many people who want to rough people up in nightclubs or shovel snow, but that's what a lot of us have to do," he said.

"I'd say 75 per cent of jobs I apply for I can't get because I don't have a visa.

"I understand they have to have some protection but I don't think that just because you're not a Canadian citizen you shouldn't be given a chance to earn a descent living if there's work there."

Ben's other concern with immigration is that he is now engaged to a Canadian citizen.

"I know a lot of people who have gotten married to get around it (immigration)," he said.

"But I'm not getting married just because it makes it easier for me to stay - they're the wrong reasons."

Hester confirmed that getting married or even being in a long-term de-facto relationship can make things easier when attempting to immigrate, but the process remains extensive regardless of how or why people apply to stay.

Hester's positive reply from Immigration Canada came 14 months after she made her initial application.

During this time she was rejected once and lost a $500 application fee.

"I had a law degree so I made my application for a landed visa as a paralegal," Hester said.

"But the government then decided they didn't need any paralegals so I was rejected and I lost a $500 application fee as well," Hester said.

"I ended up getting in on a sport and recreation visa."

Most people that visit the region and want to stay in Canada contact Whistler-Blackcomb's ski school and get involved with their sponsorship program for instructors.

Hester had already worked for Whistler-Blackcomb's ski school when her application was rejected so she was able to slide into their sponsorship system.

This allowed her to commute between Whistler and Thredbo in Australia for several seasons.

"I was coming backwards and forwards for a while there as a sponsored person but I'm not skiing as much anyone."

Rather than continue her work with the ski school, Hester decided to pursue a permanent visa so she could work in other fields.

Hester has now been a permanent resident in Canada for almost three years and this means she will soon be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship.

"The funny thing is that I'm going back (to Australia) to work in human resources soon but I'm pretty sure I'll come back for the citizenship because I worked hard for it."

There are several different ways foreigners can get a visa to stay in Canada but generally there is certain criteria every applicant must meet.

"It's a points system and you get points based on your educational background, what demographic you want to live in, your language skills in either French or English, work experience and whether or not you have any family here," Hester said.

Some applicants opt to employ lawyers and while this might expedite the process it doesn't necessarily mean it will be successful.

"My advice is to get a lawyer or find a husband," Hester said.

"Then again, my friend has a lawyer and he's spent $6,500 already; but he's applied twice before."

Chief of Whistler-Blackcomb Employee Experience Kirby Brown conceded that he would like to see some changes to the work-visa system.

"I fully support Canadians getting work first but having said that the system certainly could provide better value for skilled people who want to stay here for longer than a year," Brown said.

"If people could stay here for two or three years and be sponsored by companies based on their performance I'd say that could be a great benefit for Canadian companies."

Brown said his department had recently dealt with an immigration case that meant a lot to Whistler-Blackcomb.

"We rarely go through the effort (of sponsoring) for an individual because the process is so rigorous," he said.

"You have to show that you've performed a rigorous nation-wide recruiting search, which includes showing the newspaper clippings, to prove you're not displacing Canadian workers.

"Then you have to show that you've put training programs in place so you can train people for that job, so the application process can become uneconomical unless you're part of a really rare skill set.

"We thought we had a really strong case in our IT section recently because the guy had basically set up a new program for us and he was the only one who knew all about it, but it (the application) was rejected."

Another concern for local businesses is the expected labour shortages leading up to the 2010 Olympics.

Brown said Whistler-Blackcomb was well placed to cope with the onslaught of people and competitors during the Olympics but he admitted it was hard watching staff leave every year.

"These aren't just workers, they're our friends that you get to know and many of them are a great fit culturally, so it's a real drag, frankly, when they have to leave," he said.

Paul Giroux from Immigration Canada said people could avoid having to leave by studying the information on the immigration Canada Web site at www.cic.gc.ca .

"Most people can't apply for permanent residence from within Canada but there are some exceptions to that rule so that's why the best way to find out is to look at the Web site," Giroux said.

With regards to costs, Giroux said an application for a permanent visa costs around $1,600.

"For a permanent residence visa, it's $550 for the principle application and. then it's $50 for the permanent resident card," he said.

"The other cost is for the acquisition of your permanent resident status and that costs $975, but this can also be waived in exceptional circumstances.

"I would say that applying to be a permanent resident is a great option for most people because you get all the same rights as every other Canadian except you don't get a passport and you don't vote."

Giroux urged anyone considering immigration to take action as soon as possible because, although it might take them some time, when Immigration Canada does locate a person staying here illegally the process of removal is "quick and efficient."