A Couple Gets PR After a Last-Chance Working Holiday

For a long time, both of us had longed for a way of life that wasn’t tied only to Japan and that let us see the world freely. We thought that if we obtained permanent residence in Canada, a Commonwealth country, we would also gain English skills and have more options in life after getting PR, so we decided to pursue permanent residence.

We had both studied in London a few years earlier, so we had a rough idea of what living abroad would be like, but this was our first time living in Canada. To be honest, for the first few months after arriving in Vancouver we had no friends, and since we started job hunting and working right away, we couldn’t really find entertainment around town like in Tokyo, and there were times when we felt a bit bored.

As our circle of friends gradually grew and we were able to get more information, we began to enjoy life more. We also came to love Vancouver’s unique relaxed atmosphere more and more, and became convinced that it’s the ideal place to live for a long time.

We both applied for the working holiday in our late 30s, a so-called “last-chance working holiday,” so there was pressure to find work “immediately” after arriving in order to get permanent residence.

We had heard that the less time is left on your visa, the fewer chances you have of being hired, and there was no guarantee we would find a good workplace right away. The one-year limit of the working holiday visa felt very short. If we had had more time, we might have been able to attend language school, volunteer, work at a cafe, or take short trips to enjoy Vancouver, and have time to get used to an English environment…

But as a couple we had decided that our first priority was getting jobs in order to apply for permanent residence, so everything else came second. We were lucky, and because we started with the job search, we found a wonderful workplace where it is easy to work. We had been consulting Jinzai Canada (人材カナダ) right after starting work, so the path to immigration after finding jobs was very smooth and we didn’t feel any particular hardship.

We had the goal of wanting to live here permanently, but in reality we had no idea what specifically to do. A coworker of mine recommended Jinzai Canada, so we first went for a free consultation, and once we were both working in earnest, we switched to an individual consultation with a consultant. Following the consultant’s advice that my husband’s occupation and workplace gave a better chance of reaching a permanent residence application than my job, we decided to move forward with the plan with my husband as the principal applicant.

We were happy that the plan was moving forward, but since we were both applying while still not comfortable with English, it was really great that we could hear explanations about the documents and anything we were worried about all in Japanese. The fact that all the staff are Japanese gave us a real sense of security.

We had no disagreements at all, but even now we both feel lonely about leaving Japan and being apart from our family and friends. However, in Japan we were so busy that it was hard to make time for the two of us, which sometimes caused stress, but here in Vancouver we can enjoy relaxing time that we couldn’t have in Tokyo, and we are happy. We also find the new and diverse ways of thinking of Canadians and people living in Canada, which we never heard in Japan, interesting and inspiring.

We came on a “last-chance working holiday,” weren’t good at English and had no connections, but Visa JP Canada suggested every possible route to permanent residence. While many people struggle to get permanent residence, we obtained it just 2 years after arriving on our working holiday! I think this is thanks to starting consultations early and receiving all kinds of advice and support. For those aiming for permanent residence from now on, I recommend starting consultations as early as possible.