To Foreign Job Candidates Seeking Work In Canada

In my job as Managing Director of PrintLink, I am often asked by candidates who live and work in other countries if PrintLink can find them a job in Canada.

The answer is:  Over six years as a professional recruiter have taught me that it is impossible for a foreign candidate to obtain a job (or a job offer for immigraton purposes) from any of our client companies unless the candidate has first obtained legal authorization to work in Canada.  Moreover, PrintLink cannot assist foreign candidates with this process since we have no expertise in Canadian immigration. 

If these facts puzzle you, consider that PrintLink's client companies pay PrintLink a substantial fee (typically 20 percent of the starting salary) to expedite their job search and target only the most qualified candidates.  Clearly, foreign candidates with immigration complications and lack of local Canadian business experience do not fit into this business model.

For further reference, I can only offer candidates seeking to immigrate and work in Canada the following links I found at random that might help them commence their own research:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/enGlIsH/immigrate/index.asp

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/ 

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/united_kingdom-royaume_uni/visas/immigrate-immigrer.aspx

http://www.settlement.org/sys/faqs_detail.asp?faq_id=4000345 

http://www.cic.gc.ca/enGlIsH/work/index.asp

Outside the normal channels described on the above sites, the only other way I've heard of someone succeeding in crossing international boundaries in the job market efficiently is:

1.  Either work for or be married to someone who currently works for a multinational  corporation with a branch in your target location.

2.  Successfully apply for (or have your spouse successfully apply for) a transfer to your desired location.

3.  Then the corporation's legal department will expedite the necessary work authorizations for both spouses.

Otherwise, I don't know of any other quick fixes. 

However, I invite anyone who has additional constructive information for foreign candidates on obtaining a job in Canada to post it in the Comments section of this post, so then we’ll all know. 

Sorry I can't be of more help to people without work authorization who aspire to work in Canada.  I wish you better luck through other channels.

Canadian government unveils revamped guide and Internet settlement tool for new immigrants

Yesterday Canada’s federal government unveiled “Welcome to Canada”, a revised 146-page guide for new immigrants.  

Compiled from academic research and consultation with immigration experts and new immigrants, the booklet is aimed at helping newcomers integrate and succeed in the Canadian economy and society as soon as possible.  It provides basic  practical information on such topics as Canada’s education system, justice system, laws, and labour market.  The new guide is available on line (either via download or as an e-book) and through settlement service providers (who often greet immigrants on arrival at the airport.)

Changes since the last guide (released in 2011) include descriptions of marriage fraud (marrying Canadian citizens or permanent residents only to gain entry into Canada) and human smuggling as criminal activities (against both of which crimes the federal government has recently launched crackdowns.)   Like the previous guide, the current guide also condemns such usually misogynistic practices as polygamy, spousal abuse, forced marriage, honour killings, and genital mutilation.

In addition, Minister Kenney announced the “Living in Canada Tool”, a new interactive Internet application that lets recently arrived newcomers produce a semi-customized settlement plan with tips, next steps, and links based on user responses to an initial questionnaire. Users can also locate immigrant services on a map and then supposedly bring along their settlement plan when they visit to receive additional, personalized support.

The “Living in Canada Tool” is the federal government’s second Internet immigration application.  The first was a tool for on-line assessment and application, called “Come to Canada Wizard”.

These latest initiatives have been launched under Canada’s current Conservative Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, whose other achievements have included:  eliminating a backlog of 280,000 applicants, decreasing health-care coverage for refugee claimants, freezing applications from grandparents and parents seeking to join children in Canada, cracking down on immigration consultants, tightening language requirements for newcomers, introducing harsh penalties for people who lie on immigration forms, and revamping citizenship documents to increase emphasis on Canadian culture and expectations.  Minister Kenney’s supporters credit him with changing Canada’s international status from a country with wide-open doors that asks few questions to a country that welcomes newcomers but has also raised its entry requirements and views citizenship as a privilege to be earned.

““To help newcomers integrate, the Government has tripled settlement funding since 2005-06 and remains committed to ensuring the distribution of settlement funding is fair, that immigrants receive the same level of service, regardless of where they choose to settle,”” said Minister Kenney in Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s official news release

http://www.scribd.com/doc/133478203/Welcome-guide-for-new-Immigrants-to-Canada

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/04/01/welcome-to-canada-new-guide-for-immigrants-highlights-the-queen-the-military-and-acceptable-marriages/

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/honour-killings-marriage-fraud-new-topics-in-revamped-immigration-guide-1.1221059

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2013/2013-04-02.asp?utm_source=media-centre-email&utm_medium=email-eng&utm_campaign=generic

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/03/01/kelly-mcparland-jason-kenneys-quiet-revolution-is-remaking-canada/

http://opinion.financialpost.com/2013/03/05/unwelcome-to-canada-were-setting-immigration-records-but-its-nothing-to-trumpet/

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/03/20/sometimes-marriage-is-a-scam-ottawa-launches-fresh-ad-campaign-targeting-immigration-fraud/

Global Experience Ontario Access Centre helps skilled international professionals get licensed to work in Ontario

I just found out about the Global Experience Ontario Access Centre (GEO), a department of Ontario’s provincial government that helps skilled newcomers obtain certification to work in Ontario in14 regulated professions. 

GEO’s services include:

·      Information about licensing, standards, and registration processes

·      Referrals to academic credential assessment agencies and language testing (for English and French)

·      Referral to the appropriate Ontario regulatory body for your profession

·      Links to language training programs nearest your home (in English and French)

·      On-site reference materials and resources, including “career maps” for each regulated profession and some trades

·      Information and referrals for retraining and bridge training programs

·      Information about alternative professional avenues where appropriate

·      Referrals to internships and mentoring programs

·      Computer terminals for clients’ use

·      Webinars for internationally trained individuals who have not yet moved to Canada but who wish to learn about the certification process in advance

·      Referral to relevant employment services.

The 14 regulated professions GEO handles are:

1.             Architects

2.             Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists

3.             Certified General Accountants

4.             Certified Management Accountants

5.             Chartered Accountants

6.             Early Childhood Educators

7.             Foresters

8.             Land Surveyors

9.             Lawyers and Paralegals

10.          Professional Engineers

11.          Professional Geoscientists

12.          Social Workers and Social Service Workers

13.          Teachers

14.          Veterinarians

For more information on GEO, click on:

http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/keyinitiatives/geo.shtml

A comparable service for internationally educated health professionals, called HealthForceOntario, is found at:

http://www.healthforceontario.ca/en/Home
Today’s post is intended as additional constructive commentary on my posts in the recent past about Canada’s urgent need to strengthen its skilled workforce through immigration at:

http://vicg8hr.blogspot.ca/2012/11/immigration-minister-kenney-says.html

http://vicg8hr.blogspot.ca/2012/11/printer-mpp-joe-dickson-says-ontarios.html