Immigration Canada

Province of Manitoba in Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Canadian Provinces and Territories (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Businesses in Saskatchewan have hired over 280 skilled workers from Ireland. This is a direct result of a March 2012 recruitment mission, in which provincial officials and representatives from 27 Saskatchewan employers traveled to Ireland in search of employees.

“The response from Ireland was both positive and sobering,” said provincial immigration minister Rob Norris. “While thousands of people in Ireland continue to look for opportunities in Canada and elsewhere, we are pleased to be able to invite more than 280 of the skilled applicants to come and discover the Saskatchewan advantage”.

The province is one of many in Canada that is seeing a continued economic boom accompanied by a shortage in skilled labour. It was this need for skilled labour that inspired officials to travel to Ireland in an effort to recruit Irish workers looking for employment in key industries. This is part of a larger trend of some Canadian provinces looking outside the country’s borders for labourers who can help to grow the country’s economy.

As of yesterday, 8 May 2012, the maximum number of 10,000 Federal Skilled Worker applications has been reached. This cap on applications has been put in place for individuals applying under one of the 29 eligible occupations being targeted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Unless new Ministerial instructions are received, the cap will re-open on 1 July 2012.

This limit does not apply to all applicants to the Federal Skilled Worker program. Those with an offer of arranged employment are still welcome to apply. Individuals who are pursuing or have completed a PhD program in Canada may still apply as well. The cap for PhD applicants is 1,000, and currently 657 applications to this stream have been received.