I want a job! How can I get a job in Canada?

We were prompted to write this blog by the many emails we receive from applicants looking for jobs or asking how to obtain a work permit.

The first thing all applicants need to understand is that jobs in Canada are primarily for permanent residents and citizens of Canada.  Canadians first!  Foreign nationals are invited to apply ONLY when there are no Canadians to fill the opening.  Thus, ONLY a Canadian employer may initiate the process to employ a foreign national to fill that labour shortage; a foreign national can’t apply for a job without a Canadian employer.

So how do foreign nationals get work permits? The process is complicated and lengthy, but here’s a general summary:

  1. First, the employer needs to meet the requirements in order to be eligible to employ a foreign national and submit a Labour Market Impact Application (LMIA).
  2. The Canadian employer must then advertise for four consecutive weeks in accordance with the prescribed requirements and meet other requirements.
  3. Then the employer needs to submit an application to Service Canada, provide financials and other applicable documents, and, to undergo an intensive interview.
  4. If the application to hire a foreign worker is successful, an application for a work permit for the foreign national will need to be submitted to Immigration and prove that the applicant has the required qualifications to perform the job.

In many instances, Canadian employers are not familiar with the process themselves, if they have not dealt with foreign workers in the past. They may issue a letter of offer of employment, but such letters have little or no value, unless the employer is willing to go through the LMIA process.

If someone offers you a job in Canada without the necessary steps, be extra careful. As we’ve written about before, there are many fraudulent companies posing as legitimate businesses. They will go so far as to steal the logos of world-wide corporations and create similar email addresses and social media pages to seem legitimate, but ultimately all they want is your money. These companies will often go by many different names and have various online accounts in order to scam as many people as possible. Artful scammers even use address of local immigration offices and Canadian government logos on their websites or marketing material sent to prospects; their websites trying to look affiliated to the Government.  Red flags should be that they guarantee visas, guarantee quick file preparation time, and many more tricks used by these fraudsters. They may also state that an attorney has been assigned to your case, they appeal to your emotions and create urgency. Please be aware of multiple and creative tactics being used.  As the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Don’t be fooled — there’s no real job being offered. Make sure you go through the proper process when applying to work in Canada.

There are some exceptions to the usual work permit process. Foreign workers hired through the International Mobility Program are not required to obtain an LMIA but are required to obtain a work permit. We invite you to read more about this program on our website at https://milmantasimmigration.com/services/temporary-residence/work-permits-and-extensions.

Furthermore, a job offer is not required for immigration to Canada. As per the latest report issued by IRCC, 90% of the applicants in the first half of 2017 who were issued an Invitation to Apply had no job offer.  However, if you lack points, a job offer approved by Service Canada might gain you either 50 or 200 points.

Studying in Canada can also increase your chances of success in applying for a permanent resident status. You can read more about study permits at https://milmantasimmigration.com/services/temporary-residence/study-permits-and-extensions/.

To learn more about your immigration options and the best route for you, please complete our questionnaire, located at https://milmantasimmigration.com/questionnaire and contact us to book a consultation.

Immigration Canada

How NOT to Have your Application Refused

At first, applying for something like a study permit seems simple. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website provides a guide and document checklist for study permits or any other application; one would assume these requirements would be all an applicant would have to satisfy.

But as Now Toronto’s Reasonable Doubt column explains, many issues that an immigration officer may consider when making a decision aren’t addressed in the guide or checklist at all: “Insufficient family ties to the home country; presence of family ties in Canada; absence of employment prospects in the home country; purpose of visit” and more may be considered as well. These factors can be found in the Program Delivery Instructions, which every immigration officer receives and which applicants can find if they do some digging on the IRCC website in the section for Operational Bulletins and Manuals.

Even if applicants know about these instructions, however, they still have to contend with the often arbitrary reasons an officer may find to reject their application. And there’s no efficient and cost-effective means by which to contest these decisions. Requesting that the officer reconsider is allowed, but if they gave the negative decision in the first place, the likelihood of them changing their minds is low. Appeals can only be done through federal court, and that requires the funds for a lawyer and the patience and privilege to wait to be heard, with no guarantees of success even if the case is heard and ruled in favour of by a judge. And re-applying, while granting something of a new opportunity, leaves the applicant back where they started before all the work that went into their first attempt, not to mention facing the possibility of another refusal they can’t predict by a different officer. And past refusals will look bad on an applicant’s future applications to come to Canada, even if they aren’t related to studying.

These issues aren’t limited to study permits, either. Applicants are always at a disadvantage when dealing with Immigration on their own, because the power and knowledge are both in the hands of the government, and the officer reviewing an application has far less to gain or lose than the applicant. The immigration officer is part of the system that the applicant is trying to work with and therefore knows how to navigate the system, while the applicant is a newcomer to the maze of Immigration forms and lists.

One way to help level the playing field is to seek representation. A regulated Canadian immigration consultant (RCIC) can provide legal knowledge and support through this difficult process, making dealing with Immigration less stressful and helping to improve the chances of success. With many years of experience, we know what to anticipate from Immigration officials, and we build your case based on its individual merits, going beyond the checklist provided by Immigration in order to successfully advocate on your behalf.

If you’re hoping to come to Canada and need help submitting an application, contact us.