Jul 1, 2013 | Featured
Today we celebrate Canada’s birthday, the anniversary of the day (July 1, 1867) in which Canada became a country. The beginning of Canada’s eventual complete independence from England, on this day four provinces joined together to form the great country we know and love, giving us some of the many freedoms we enjoy today. If this is your first Canada Day, we want to welcome you to our beautiful country and urge you to go out and explore the many events that you will certainly find happening in your area. Similar to the Fourth of July holiday celebrated in the United States, Canada Day is a day dedicated to outdoor celebrations like parades, carnivals, barbecues, fireworks, and many more fun activities to enjoy with your loved ones. Since it is a federal holiday, most offices and businesses will be closed today. This makes today a great day to forget about work, school, and other responsibilities and spend some quality time with your family doing… well… whatever you like, really. Much like the country itself, Canada Day is a mixed bag of fun things to do; there are no specific rules on how to celebrate the holiday, so everyone is free to celebrate as they wish. Children may enjoy a day at the park or the beach. Newcomers celebrating for the first time might take the opportunity to meet fellow Canadians, both young and old, by attending an organized celebration in your town. An evening spent partying at your local club may be the choice for the adults once the kids are in bed. Whatever you like to do, today is the day to do it!
For more information, ideas, and to find activities in your area, follow this link: http://www.canada-day.ca/ or simply do a Google search to find events happening near you. However you choose to celebrate our nation’s 146th birthday – whether it be partying like a rock star or relaxing in the sun – make sure to pack plenty of Canadian pride and your maple leaf flag!
On behalf of our team here at Can-Am Immigration, we wish you a very Happy Canada day, whether it be your first or your 50th.
May 3, 2013 | In the News, New Laws, Skilled Workers, Why you need an immigration specialist, Work Permits, Working In Canada
In an attempt to prevent foreign workers from displacing Canadian workers, the government is making some big changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. These changes will give Canadian citizens and permanent residents first shot at filling a position once it becomes available. Additionally, “these reforms will require that greater efforts be made to recruit and train Canadians to fill available jobs.” (Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism).
The main purpose of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is to fill positions which Canadian employers are unable to fill due to lack of education, training, or experience on the part of the Canadian workers; or perhaps the lack of Canadians interested in working in certain fields. Temporary foreign workers are brought in to do the jobs that Canadians are unable or unwilling to do. There are major shortages in some of Canada’s necessary occupations and temporary foreign workers are needed to fill these gaps. However, in order to prevent misuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the government has decided to implement changes to the program which may make it more difficult for Canadian employers to hire temporary foreign workers from here on out.
Following is a list of updates to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Some of these changes have already been put into effect, while a few of them will be put into effect soon:
- Employers must pay temporary foreign workers the prevailing wage. There will no longer be any flexibility in the wages of temporary foreign workers. This will prevent employers from seeking temporary foreign workers as a way to cut costs.
- The Accelerated Labour Market Opinion (A-LMO) process has been put on hold indefinitely. Further review will assess whether the A-LMO process is beneficial to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and to the Canadian economy. The A-LMO allowed Canada employers who received a positive LMO in the past to apply for expedited processing of any additional LMOs, thus allowing them to hire more temporary foreign workers in a shorter period of time. With the suspension of the A-LMO process, employers must now wait months instead of days to receive an LMO each and every time they apply for one.
- The government will now have more authority to suspend and revoke work permits and LMOs if they believe that the employers and/or temporary foreign workers are misusing the program.
- Employers will now be required to pay a fee for processing an LMO; in the past, employers did not pay for LMO processing. Additionally, the fees for work permits will increase, making it more difficult for temporary foreign workers to find employment and obtain a work permit. Employers may be less likely to seek temporary foreign workers now that they will have to pay for the LMO and in many cases, employers who were willing to cover the costs for the temporary foreign worker to obtain a work permit may not want to pay the increased work permit fees on top of the LMO fee. This will ensure employers will try harder to find Canadians to fill the positions in their company instead of rushing into hiring temporary foreign workers.
- LMO applications will be updated to include more questions that will help prevent the misuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program by Canadian employers and their workers.
- English and French will be the only languages allowed to be used as a job requirement for temporary foreign workers.
The government asserts that these new regulations will strengthen and improve the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and prevent its misuse. As stated, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program was designed to temporarily fill the gaps in positions which could not be filled by Canadians and to help Canadian businesses train and eventually hire Canadians for these positions. By design, this program is only meant to employ temporary foreign workers for a finite period of time (as is implied by the name of the program). So temporary foreign workers who come to work in Canada must be willing to return to their home country once they have finished doing the temporary job that they came here to do. At the end of the day, what this all boils down to is preventing temporary foreign workers taking jobs away from Canadians.
Some Canadian workers may be thrilled by this news, but it could mean disaster for Canadian employers as well as temporary foreign workers who are in Canada or wishing to enter Canada on a work permit.
Canadian employers will need to make stronger efforts to hire Canadians before being allowed to hire temporary foreign workers, making the decision to hire temporary foreign workers much more difficult. And they must prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have made the utmost efforts to recruit Canadian workers, that the temporary foreign worker is absolutely necessary for the success of the company, and that these temporary foreign workers will eventually lead to more jobs opening up for Canadians. Additionally, they must show that the temporary foreign worker is really being brought in to fill a temporary position and that they will leave Canada once this task has been completed. The decision to hire a temporary foreign worker is intended to be a last resort for employers. The changes made to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program should prevent Canadian employers from choosing a temporary foreign worker when there are Canadians willing and qualified to do the job.
Further changes will continue to be made to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program based on ongoing reviews by the government and the input provided by Canadians regarding this program. The changes being made are intended to strengthen the economy and help Canadian workers and businesses be successful.
If you are a temporary foreign worker or someone who wishes to apply for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, this news may be frightening to you. We urge you to share your thoughts and concerns with us here on our blog or by calling our office at 416-665-3939 (toll free at 1-888-808-7338).
Additionally, if you are wondering whether you are at risk of losing your work permit; or if you are waiting to get a response on an LMO application; or even if you just have questions about the changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program, please contact our office to speak with an immigration consultant. Canadian businesses who rely on foreign workers should also contact us to discuss these changes and how they may affect your business.
Whether you are a Canadian citizen, a temporary foreign worker, a Canadian employer, or any person interested in Canada immigration laws; we would love to hear your opinions on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program changes. If you have questions, your answers are just a mouse click or phone call away. We look forward to speaking with you soon.
May 3, 2013 | Immigrate to Canada, Immigration, New Immigration Programs, New Laws, Permanent Residency, Policies and Problems, Skilled Workers
The Federal Skilled Worker Program, one of Canada’s most sought-after immigration options, is now being re-opened to allow foreign workers, in 24 qualifying applications, to apply for immigration to Canada. This program, which allows immigrants to apply for permanent residence based on a points system, was closed to anyone that did not have a job offer or meet the criteria of the Ph.D. stream since July 1, 2012. New applications for the Federal Skilled Worker Program will be accepted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) beginning on May 4, 2013.
With the re-opening of the Federal Skilled Worker Program comes a new set of rules and requirements. Professionals who wish to apply for Canada immigration through the new Federal Skilled Worker Program must be sure that they meet the new criteria. Do not assume that you qualify now just because you may have qualified in the past. The points system that was previously in place has been amended to put more emphasis on language and age. But before you can assess your points, you must be sure that you fit into one of the following categories of the new Federal Skilled Worker Program:
- You are working in one of the 24 eligible occupations for a minimum of one (1) year;
- You have a job offer from a Canadian Employer;
- You are eligible to apply under the Ph.D. stream.
If you meet the criteria for one of these three options, you will then be required to meet the minimum eligibility requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Your eligibility will be assessed based on your language abilities, age, education, work experience, arranged employment, and adaptability. Points are awarded in each category with a maximum of 100 points available and a minimum of 67 points required in order to qualify for the program.
Another major update of the Federal Skilled Worker Program is in the way the points are assessed. With the new emphasis being on language and age, some people who qualified under the old Federal Skilled Worker Program may not qualify for the new program.
Research has shown that individuals adapt better in Canada if they are proficient in at least one of the country’s two official languages – English and French. As such, more points are now being awarded for language (the same is true for age as younger people have shown better adaptability as well as having more years to be in the workforce). In order to qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you must be able to prove your proficiency in one of the two languages. To do this, you must take and pass one of the following language tests:
- Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP)
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
- Test d’évaluation de français (TEF)
Each test will assess your language skills in reading, listening, speaking, and writing. You must obtain the required score for one of these tests in order to apply for immigration through the Federal Skilled Worker Program.
In addition to language skills, your education will be assessed using the new Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). If you wish to apply for the Federal Skilled Worker Program using educational credentials from an institution outside of Canada, you will be required to get an ECA. This process will assess that the foreign education you have is equivalent to the required education in Canada for your field of work. For example; if you are an engineer with an engineering degree from a foreign institution, your foreign engineering degree would have to be equivalent to the Canadian engineering degree in order for you to work as an engineer in Canada. In some countries, less education may be required for certain occupations. Therefore, you may be ineligible based on your education if you do not meet the minimum requirement for your occupation in Canada. Confused? You don’t have to be. Contact our office to speak to a qualified immigration consultant who can help you to understand the new system and determine whether you qualify to apply for the new Federal Skilled Worker Program.
For those applicants who are eager to get started, you may get a jump-start on your Federal Skilled Worker application by starting the process of getting an ECA now, as long as you meet all of the other requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker Program. CIC has designated organizations which can provide ECA reports for immigration purposes. If you would like to get started on this process and/or just get an idea of how your foreign credentials will be recognized in Canada, contact us today to get started. Our immigration consultants can assist you in obtaining an ECA and preparing your file early so that your application is ready to submit when the program opens. It is important to note that application forms for the Federal Skilled Worker Program will be updated upon the opening of the program so having an immigration consultant working on your case will prevent you from submitting outdated or incorrect forms.
Applicants for the Federal Skilled Worker Program should also note the cap of 5,000 applications – including a maximum of 300 applications for each of the 24 eligible occupations. With this cap in place, you do not want to risk having your application returned over a small clerical error as you may not have another chance to submit your application. With the CIC cracking down on even the tiniest of errors (not to mention large errors or missing information), it is always a good idea to have more than one pair of eyes reviewing your application. More than just another pair of eyes, our immigration consultants have a trained eye for even the most minute details. We have years of experience in dealing with these types of applications and the constant changes of the immigration system. With an immigration consultant by your side, you can rest assured that your application will be completed accurately and efficiently so that your time and money do not go to waste on a returned or refused application.
Don’t miss this opportunity to obtain your permanent residence in Canada. Applications are already being submitted and the doors may close on you if you do not act quickly. Contact us to get started right away and be ready when the new Federal Skilled Worker Program opens.
Mar 22, 2013 | In the News, New Immigration Programs, Permanent Residency, Skilled Workers, Working In Canada
A new immigration program, the Skilled Trades Immigration program, for skilled workers interested in immigration to Canada, has been added this year, opening up the door for candidates in specific occupations which do not require university education (e.g. carpenters, electricians). The previous immigration program for skilled workers was the Federal Skilled Worker Program. This program requires work experience in an occupation which is of a higher level (usually requiring university-level education). With the Skilled Trades Program in place, workers who are certified in a specific trade may qualify to immigrate to Canada without the need for a university education. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has come up with a list of 43 skilled trades which are eligible for the Skilled Trades Immigration program.
While this new immigration program may provide an opportunity for those who previously had no options, there is a limit on how many applications will be accepted for the Skilled Trades program and only applications which are put together properly will be considered. If you qualify for the Skilled Trades Program, you must submit your application quickly and accurately as you may not get a second chance. Applications submitted with errors or missing information will be returned and will not be processed. Additionally, there is a cap of 3,000 applications for the Skilled Trades Program as a whole and in some trades, only 100 applications will be considered. So if you apply too late, you may miss your chance for this year. The Skilled Trades Program will be available again next year but we do not know which jobs will be on the list. Your job may be on the list for this year and not be on the list next year. So those who do not get their applications in on time may not have another opportunity to do so.
We recommend that you contact a licensed immigration consultant to discuss the qualifications and requirements of the Skilled Trades Program. If you have experience and training in one of the 43 listed occupations for the Skilled Trades Program, you should start the application process as soon as possible so as to not miss your chance to immigrate to Canada. Our knowledgeable immigration consultants can assess your situation and get the ball rolling quickly for your skilled trades immigration application. We can help you prepare your application properly so there is no risk of errors causing your application to be returned to you. Give us a call today to get started.
Feb 7, 2013 | Featured
