New federal immigration program to support middle class jobs in rural and northern communities

News release

January 24, 2019—Ottawa, ON— The Government of Canada is committed to supporting
 immigration strategies that will enable smaller communities to enhance their economic, social
 and demographic vitality.

Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Canada, announced the creation of the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, a five-year federal
 immigration pilot involving communities and selected provincial and territorial governments that
 works to help participating communities gain access to a range of support to help newcomers
settle in as part of the local community.

This innovative economic immigration pilot is aimed at testing new, community-driven approaches
 to address the diverse labour market needs of smaller communities. This initiative builds on the
 success of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot that was launched in March 2017 to help drive
 economic growth in Atlantic Canada. As of today, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
 Canada (IRCC) is seeking applications from interested communities in Ontario, Western
Canada, and the territories in order to select communities to participate in the pilot. Interested
communities must work with a local economic development organization to submit an
application, demonstrating how they meet the eligibility criteria and how immigration will
promote economic development in their community.

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot will complement other economic immigration initiatives,
 including the Atlantic Immigration Pilot and the Provincial Nominee Program. It will also provide
 an opportunity for IRCC to support the Government of Canada’s commitment to support the
vitality of Francophone communities outside Quebec.

Help for internationally-trained IT professionals

When you planned on immigrating to Canada, you might not have considered the challenges of getting your Information Technology credentials recognized and finding a job in the field.

You may have arrived in Canada with several years of hands-on experience and internationally-recognized professional qualifications. But after your first job interview, you probably realize that Canadian experience and international credentials are the stumbling blocks you’d have to overcome to find employment in IT. After sending out dozens of résumés, browsing job websites over and over, and going to a series of interviews, you may find the world becoming pretty depressing.

But there is help. The following steps, gathered from experience, will help you to overcome the obstacles, and find the IT job you’re looking for in Canada.

Step 1:

It is very important to find your specific occupation or job title before initiating the job hunt. Some occupations have different names in Canada than they do in other countries. Visit the website of Human Resources and Skills Development to map your occupation against the National Occupational Classification.

Most IT professionals require the following qualifications to work in Canada:

• A Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related discipline, or a college program in computer science.
• Several years of experience in the IT industry.
• A Master’s degree or Doctorate with supervisory experience, if you’re applying for management and engineering positions.

Some IT professionals may require special certification provided by software vendors (Microsoft, Oracle, Etc.). Requirements vary, depending on employers. The following is a list of some occupations that may require special certification, education or licensing:

• Informatics/ IT/System consultant
• Computer Systems/Business/Security/MIS/QA Analyst
• Systems Auditor
• Database Administrator (DBA)
• Database Analyst/Architect
• Computer Engineers/Technicians (Hardware)

Read more at http://www.cnmag.ca/help-for-internationally-trained-it-professionals/