Going to Live and Work in Canada as a Skilled Migrant: Update

Image via WikipediaIf you’re thinking about starting a new life in Canada, and you’re going to apply for a visa as a skilled migrant, the latest news from the jobs market and immigration department will be of interest and use to you

If you’ve decided that 2011 is the year you finally turn your dreams of relocating abroad into reality, and Canada is your destination of choice, this update on the jobs market, employment landscape and changes to immigration rules in Canada is for you.

As a skilled migrant hoping to move to live, work and start a new life in Canada, it’s imperative that you keep abreast of any changes that could impact on you.  As we all know, Canada’s economy has faired far better than America’s or Great Britain’s over the past few years, but the latest job statistics show that some employment sectors are cutting workers.
Depending on your skill set and where you want to work in Canada, it may be time for you to speed up your visa application and get moving before job opportunities dry up.  Alternatively, if you’re hoping to work in some regulated professions in Canada, there is good news relating to skill matching and international qualifications recognition.
The unemployment rate in Canada in December held steady at 7.6% - but if you look much more closely at the statistics, you can see some notable developments.  For example, the construction sector seems to be constricting, which is not good news if you’re a skilled migrant potentially planning on working in the construction trade.
To date Canada’s property market has been relatively steady compared to our own for example, but a sharp downturn in numbers employed in the construction industry in December 2010 suggests that this sector could be weakening.  27,000 jobs were lost in this sector alone at the end of 2010, and the number of new starts was down.
Other sectors that saw a decline in numbers included healthcare and social assistance, wholesale and retail trade, business building and agriculture – although this may be a seasonal downshift.
The good news in terms of increasing jobs numbers and employed persons is to be found in the following sectors however: - manufacturing, transportation, warehousing and natural resources – and there has been a really marked increase in the numbers of Canadians working in private sector jobs.  The public sector has held steady in terms of the number of employed persons, and there was a fall back in terms of the numbers of self-employed in Canada.
Employment has increased most notably in Quebec, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador.
In terms of other positive marked changes to make note of, there has been a steady increase in the numbers of both young people and those over 55 who are in paid employment.  Therefore, no matter what age you’re at, you should not face any discrimination based on your date of birth!
Reviewing employment figures along with certain immigration statistics recently resulted in Canada Statistics revealing that there is a strong and disappointing mismatch between skilled migrants’ qualifications and professional training, and the jobs they end up doing once they move to live in Canada.
The delivery of the report has proved very positive however, as it has led the authorities to make some key changes.  Canada Immigration is now beginning to implement a fast track system of recognising foreign professional qualifications and credentials to knock down the barriers many professionals face when trying to get work in their sector in Canada.
So, whether you’re a doctor, a dentist, a teacher or a lawyer, in future your professional accreditation should be recognised in Canada, allowing you a smoother path into work in your chosen sector.
According to Canada Immigration: “The first group of occupations, which includes accountants, medical laboratory technicians, occupational therapists and pharmacists, will get access to the programme by the end of the year with the remainder of the professions such as doctors, engineering technicians, nurses and teachers having access by the end of 2012.”
All in all, by the end of this fast track scheme’s implementation at the end of next year, 15 occupations will be evaluated under the system.

Related articles

• Foreign labour levels squeezed as financial crisis shrinks job market (guardian.co.uk)
• Federal cuts to immigrant services won’t impact B.C., says minister (theglobeandmail.com)
• B.C. loses jobs as Canada gains in December (globaltvbc.com)
• Immigration cap: Too low for business, but too high to meet Government targets (leftfootforward.org)
• Montreal draws 3,000 Haitian immigrants in year (cbc.ca)
• Immigration cap to cut migrant workers by a fifth (guardian.co.uk)

Come from aways are moving to P.E.I

Just before Christmas, Statistics Canada published its third-quarter 2010 estimate of the population of Canada and the provinces. The report confirmed that New Brunswick's population continues to edge up and was estimated to be 752,800 as of October 1, up by 1,100 over the previous quarter.

Enlarge Photo

Peter Walsh/Telegraph-Journal

While New Brunswick's population continues to grow, it is being outpaced by Prince Edward Island. On a proportional basis, this province would have to attract 15,000 newcomers a year to match the Island's rate.

Encouragingly, the increase was mostly attributable to immigration, as the province received around 700 immigrants, the highest quarterly level observed since the second quarter of 1976.
As I have pointed out previously, this growth is important but not nearly enough to provide replacement workers for the current employment base in the province, let alone provide the workforce for an economic growth agenda.
It's also worthwhile to point out that, despite modest population gains on a quarterly basis for the last three years, the estimated New Brunswick population in October 2010 just came back to its high watermark which was hit way back in October 1996. Since that time, the Canadian population has grown by 4.5 million people (a 15.6-per-cent increase).
Clearly, New Brunswick needs to build on recent positive trends.
There is one interesting story coming out of the latest population data. Little Prince Edward Island is in the middle of a population mini-boom. In the most recent quarterly estimate, the Island had the third-highest growth rate among the provinces. Its population increased by nearly 1,000 (up 0.7 per cent) to 143,200. Statistics Canada reports the increase was primarily due to immigration, as the province received 1,200 immigrants, the highest number since 1971.
In the last year, the population on P.E.I. has grown faster (up 1.3 per cent) than Canada as a whole (up one per cent). This is the first time the Island has outperformed the country as a whole over a 12 month period since the early 1980s.
While New Brunswick's population in October 2010 is the same as it was in October 1996, P.E.I. has registered a respectable 5.5 per cent population growth rate during that period. This was better than four other provinces including Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick.
The recent mini-boom in population on the Island has been fuelled mostly by immigration, which is up four fold in recent years compared to the mid-2000s and inward interprovincial migration (people moving in from other provinces) which is up 25 per cent compared to last year.
Will P.E.I.'s population growth story continue? As I have argued in this column, population growth efforts (such as immigrant attraction) have to be linked to employment growth efforts. Having a job is foundational to keeping an immigrant from leaving the province.
Prince Edward Island has been less successful on the job creation front, showing a slight decline in total employment from December 2009 to December 2010 and only a modest, two per cent growth in the past five years.
However, like New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island is aging quickly and many of the new people moving in could be absorbing the jobs left behind by the increasing number of retirees.
In the end, it is very good news that a small, Maritime Canada province can demonstrate an ability to attract people. P.E.I. has attracted nearly 2,500 immigrants in the past year. Adjusted for population size that would equivalent to New Brunswick attracting nearly 15,000 per year.
In other words, for New Brunswick just to match P.E.I.'s immigrant attraction efforts over the past year, we would need to see a seven-fold increase in our immigration efforts. At that point, it starts to get interesting.
We now have concrete proof the Maritime provinces can attract immigrants in significant numbers. Now we need to have the economic opportunities and social infrastructure to keep them here.

David Campbell is an economic development consultant based in Moncton. He writes a daily blog, It's the Economy Stupid, at www.davidwcampbell.com.