Resources for Immigrants in Alberta

Immigrant Employment Councils and Networks

Immigrant Employment Councils (IECs) bring together local stakeholders to address the many challenges of integrating skilled immigrants into the labour market. IECs connect skilled immigrants to local employers with the support of other community, educational and government organizations.

Calgary: Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council (CRIEC)

Edmonton: Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC)

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Government Portals

AlbertaCanada.com
Alberta’s official immigration website has various resources for employers looking to hire and retain immigrants.

Government of Alberta – Employment and Immigration
The official site for Alberta Immigration has information and resources for immigrants but also has sections for employers, including the province’s International Qualifications Assessment Service. Also, the Employment Supportsection for immigrants can be of use to employers looking for bridging programs or language training for employees.

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Community Resources

Settlement Roadmap – Alberta
A searchable database of immigrant services (including settlement, languages and employment) in each province.

InformAlberta
This website is an online directory of community services in Alberta.

211 Edmonton
211 is a three-digit phone number and website that provides information and referral to community and social services in Edmonton and the surrounding area. It also has a resource list specifically for new Canadians, which can also be helpful for employers looking to hire skilled immigrants.

211 Calgary
211 is a three-digit phone number that provides information and referral to community and social services in Calgary and the surrounding area. To search for services online, visit InformAlberta.

Resources for Immigrants in Saskatchewan

Government Portals

Saskatchewan ImmigrationThe official site of Saskatchewan immigration has resources for immigrants looking to settle and work in the province. The employer section has information on the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program.

Government of SaskatchewanThe government website has a list of resources specifically for employers in the province, including links to job boards, employment services and skills training.

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Community Resources

Settlement Roadmap – SaskatchewanA searchable database of immigrant services (including settlement, languages and employment) in each province.

SaskNetWorkThis website has information and resources about Saskatchewan jobs, training and the workplace. The employer section of this website has information on best practices in hiring, interviewing and keeping your employees. You will also find links to provincial regulations and opportunities for employers to take human resource training.

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The Working in Canada Tool, created by the federal government, provides information on job descriptions, wages, skill requirements, language training and job opportunities based on occupation and location.

Resources for Immigrants in Ontario

Immigrant Employment Councils and Networks

Immigrant Employment Councils bring together local stakeholders to address the many challenges of integrating skilled immigrants into the labour market. IECs connect skilled immigrants to local employers with the support of other community, educational and government organizations.

Kingston: KEYS Job Centre

London-Middlesex: London-Middlesex Immigrant Employment Council (LMIEC)

Niagara: Niagara Immigrant Employment Council (NIEC)

North Bay: The North Bay & District Multicultural Centre (an additional resource is North Bay Immigration).

Ottawa: Hire Immigrants Ottawa

Peterborough: Workplace Integration Centre and New Canadians Centre

Toronto Region: Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC)

Waterloo Region: Waterloo Region Immigrant Employment Network (WRIEN)

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Government Portals

Ontario Immigration
This site, developed by Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, contains links to resources for immigrants and employers looking to tap into this talent pool.

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Community Resources

211 Ontario
211 is a three-digit phone number and website that provides information and referral to community and social services in Ontario. Under the topics list, you can find resources related to employment, education and training as well as settlement and newcomer services.

Settlement Roadmap – Ontario
A searchable database of immigrant services (including settlement, languages and employment) in each province.

Settlement.org
Settlement.Org  provides newcomers with information and resources to settle in Ontario and has a section specific to employment.

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The Working in Canada Tool, created by the federal government, provides information on job descriptions, wages, skill requirements, language training and job opportunities based on occupation and location.

Federal Court gives Minister the Green Light to abolish current Investor Applications

On December 18th, Justices Roger Hughes and Elizabeth Heneghan jointly denied four investor
(IIP) applicants’ motions for an injunction to bar Jason Kenney from introducing legislation to
abolish their investor applications so long as their court cases existed. In so doing, both justices distorted
the applicants’ arguments in order to find case law on which to rely to justify giving the Minister
the green light to abolish current IIP files and, in so doing, to encourage the Minister to deprive
the Federal Court of its jurisdiction to dispose of litigation which comes before it.

Justice Hughes held: “… Applicant's Counsel has conceded that the Court does not have jurisdiction to
order that Parliament should not pass legislation, particularly legislation that has not been drafted
or is in bill form only. Counsel said that what was being sought is an Order that the Minister negotiate
with the Applicant or exempt the Applicant from any unfavourable effects of new legislation. The
Applicant has not requested such an exemption from the Minister. There has not been shown before
me any basis upon which the Court could order such negotiation or an exemption.”

This “finding” was entirely contrary to the evidence before Justice Hughes. The motion sought to bar
the Minister from introducing legislation, not to force him to negotiate. Applicants’ counsel had stated
that, if the Minister was intent on issuing such legislation, he had four ways to comply with such
an injunction and to legislate the abolition of the investor files. One means was to settle with the
applicants. However, Justice Hughes, in pursuit of his personal agenda, chose to pervert the actual
argument in order to give the chimera of legitimacy to his ruling.

Justice Hughes, likewise, held: “the Applicant has failed to provide in the record, any substantial
evidence as to delay or procrastination by the Minister or Minister's officials”. However, the
applicant had provided the relevant dates, including the date of Justice Hughes’ own order, issued in
July 2011, ordering CIC to finalize the case at its own somnolent pace; and the Minister’s lawyers did
not dispute those facts. Thus, the undisputed relevant facts were before Justice Hughes, but he preferred
to ignore the truth in order not to impede the Minister from abolishing over 20,000 investor files.

Justice Heneghan joined Justice Hughes in distorting what the applicants were seeking in order to
justify abdicating the Court’s duty to protect its own jurisdiction. Justice Heneghan held: “The
Applicant's arguments are premised upon the theory that the [Minister] may introduce legislation that
will ‘abolish’ his outstanding IIP application before the Court can deal with the application for an
Order of mandamus. I accept [the Minister’s] submissions … that there is no evidence that legislation
is proposed that will affect the outstanding IIP applications. The Court cannot enjoin proposed or
potential legislation” and proceeded to rely on case-law saying that the Court may not interfere
with legislation before Parliament. There is, however, no case law which holds that the Court may
not restrain a minister from stripping the court of its jurisdiction by legislating away the underlying
court cases. Therefore, Justice Heneghan distorted the actual motion in order to deny it. In so doing,
she distinguished herself from Justice Hughes who claimed, contrary to fact, that the case law before
him contained such decisions when it does not.

Before both of the judges was CIC’s official acknowledgement that it is considering abolishing the
investors’ files just has it had the skilled worker files. The Minister’s lawyers did not deny that the
Minister was planning to legislate the investor applications into oblivion.
The IIP applicants will continue their cases, asking the Federal Court to order CIC to finalize their
cases in 2013, hoping that they will find a judge who cares more about the duty to the Law and to
Canada than to being in Jason Kenney’s good graces. The race is now on to see who will act faster:
The Federal Court or Jason Kenney’s allies in Parliament. The fate of 20,000 investor applicants
and their families – as well as their billions of dollars of investments in Canada – hang in the balance.
 Source: unfairCIC.com

An Immigration System that Works for Canada: New Federal Skilled Worker Program to Accept Applications Beginning May 4, 2013

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 19, 2012) - The new selection system for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) will take effect on May 4, 2013 at which time the program will re-open for applications, Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.

"The government's number one priority remains jobs, economic growth, and long-term prosperity," said Minister Kenney. "The new Federal Skilled Worker Program criteria will ensure Canada is selecting the skilled immigrants our economy needs, who are the most likely to succeed and fully realize their potential in Canada."

The improvements to the FSWP points grid are based on a large body of research which has consistently shown that language proficiency and youth are two of the most important factors in the economic success of immigrants.

The final changes to the FSWP selection criteria include:

• Minimum official language thresholds and increased points for official language proficiency, making language the most important factor in the selection process;
  
• Increased emphasis on younger immigrants, who are more likely to acquire valuable Canadian experience, are better positioned to adapt to changing labour market conditions, and who will spend a greater number of years contributing to Canada's economy;
  
• Introduction of the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), so that education points awarded reflect the foreign credential's true value in Canada;
  
• Changes to the arranged employment process, allowing employers to hire applicants quickly, if there is a demonstrated need in the Canadian labour market; and
  
• Additional adaptability points for spousal language ability and Canadian work experience.
  

"For too long, too many immigrants to Canada have experienced underemployement and unemployment, and this has been detrimental to these newcomers and to the Canadian economy," said Minister Kenney. "Our transformational changes to the FSWP will help ensure that skilled newcomers are able to contribute their skills fully to the economy as soon as possible. This is good for newcomers, good for the economy, and good for all Canadians."

There are two new steps to the new selection system. First, applicants will have to demonstrate that they meet the minimum language threshold, which is level 7 of the Canadian Language Benchmark assessment system. Applicants will be able to get a language assessment from existing agencies designated by the Minister and listed on the CIC website.

Second, applicants will have their education credentials assessed prior to arriving in Canada. A list of assessment organizations designated by the Minister will be made available early in the New Year. The assessment of foreign educational credentials will provide prospective newcomers with a more realistic understanding of how their credentials compare to education standards in Canada. It will also give them the opportunity to upgrade their education prior to coming to Canada if they choose.

It is important to note that these changes will not apply to people who have applied to the FSWP prior to May 4, 2013 with a qualifying arranged job offer or under the Ph.D. stream.

As recently announced, due to the actions taken over the past months, new applications under the FSWP will be processed in a few months, rather than a few years. In order to ensure fast processing times and to avoid backlogs, the new FSWP will accept a fixed number of applications each year.

In the medium term, the Government is also moving forward to develop and implement an Expression of Interest (EOI) model, which will provide employers with access to a pool of skilled workers.

Related articles

• Canada To Speed Up Entry Of Skilled Immigrants Into Country
• New Federal Skilled Trades Stream to Begin Accepting Applications on January 2, 2013
• Skilled trades stream targets 3,000 foreign workers in 2013
• Immigration Changing: Provinces Need More Skilled Workers