“How to Immigrate to Canada as an Engineer”online course has been developed to assist International trained engineers like you to learn how you can become eligible to apply for Canadian Permanent Residency via the Express Entry System under the different immigration programs available In Canada and what you will require in order to begin your application.
This course includes a basic overview of the Express Entry system, the different eligible immigration programs, the required language and acceptance tests. It also covers some resources design to assist professional immigrants to navigate the Canadian labor market and secure employment.
By the end of this course, you will know some of the strategies and resources used in your immigration journey, job search in Canada and how to integrate into the Canadian labor market and start your new life in the True North.
The course covers the following themes:
How to be eligible for the different Canadian Immigration programs.
How to apply using the Express Entry system.
How to get your professional license as an engineer in Canada.
How to understand the accreditation procedure for engineers in every province in Canada.
How to integrate into the Canadian Labor Market and get a job.
How to implement Pre-arrival strategies.
How to use settlement services for better opportunities.
This course is for internationally trained engineers with an intermediate level of English or French.
So take the course, tell your friends and send me some feedback, because I will be adding more material based on your feedback.
In celebration of the course’s launch, I’m offering up a limited time offer for the first 100 readers to enroll!
Use the coupon code BONUS100-1 for a 50% discount on the original price. Not too shabby, right?!
I’m looking forward to seeing how this goes, so don’t hesitate to holla back!
And thank you in advance for your support and feedback!
As requested by many readers and people interested in immigrating to Canada. We have put together the first online course of the series that we are creating to help internationally trained professionals to come to Canada.
Our first course is titled: How to immigrate to Canada as an Engineer.
We would like to invite our readers to add their social media support to the launch of this course. In return, everybody who participates will receive a discount coupon for the course.
It could not be any easier to help us get the word out. We are using a platform called Thunderclap. It is a new tool that allows people to pledge a tweet, facebook post, etc that will be posted along with all other supporter's messages at the same time. It is secure and will post a single one-time post on your behalf.
Whereas the old system treated applications on a first-come, first-served basis, Express Entry involves the government selecting candidates from a pool on a priority basis, according to a ranking score, using a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Points are awarded differently under the CRS than under the three immigration programs, and candidates have a large incentive to gain as many ranking points as possible. Doing so increases their chances of receiving the all-important Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence.
Express Entry candidates should know that increasing their score beyond the eligibility requirements is key, and that being eligible to enter the pool is a different thing than having enough points to obtain an ITA.
Distribution of Points within the CRS
The CRS awards points for a candidate’s age, level of education, language ability in English and/or French, work experience (both in Canada and abroad), whether he or she has a job offer in Canada, and whether a Canadian province has issued him or her a nomination certificate through one of the enhanced Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) categories. Additional points may be awarded to candidates who obtain a province-recognized certificate of qualification in a trade.
Certain factors, as well as combinations of factors, are rewarded more than others. Moreover, candidates with an accompanying spouse, common-law or conjugal partner (hereafter ‘spouse’) see a slight difference in how the various factors are weighted, as certain spousal factors are also taken into account.
There is a total of 1,200 points available, of which 600 may be awarded for a job offer or provincial nomination. Of the remaining half, up to 500 are available for human capital factors in their own right, and 100 for skills transferability combinations of those human capital factors. Of the 40 Express Entry draws that have taken place so far, 35 draws have seen ITAs issued to candidates who had neither a job offer nor a provincial nomination.
Increasing CRS Score
The nuances of the system dictate that there are numerous ways in which a candidate in the pool can increase his or her ranking. These nuances are important, as even a seemingly slight change in one factor—for example, improving a language ability from intermediate level to initial advanced—can have hugely positive effects on one’s ranking. Although many potential improvements may seem obvious, others are not so obvious.
Education
Let’s first look at education, a highly valued factor under the CRS. There is much to consider on this front, but we’ll begin with candidates who enter the pool under the CEC program. Although FSWC candidates who studied outside Canada must prove their education credential(s) by way of an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), CEC candidates may enter the pool without an ECA or Canadian credential. Some CEC candidates might enter the pool, sit back, and wait for an ITA. They could be waiting a long time, however, and often in vain, but they can increase their score by having their level(s) of education assessed. Doing so can bring up to 200 points—150 for human capital, with a bonus 50 in combination with Canadian work experience and/or language ability. Having a bachelor’s degree assessed can bring up to 170 points. So, educated CEC candidates in the pool with no ECA, I have a simple question: what are you waiting for? Get your ECA as soon as possible.
There are other potential ways in which candidates from all three programs may claim additional points through education. For candidates with more than one post-secondary credential, getting each credential assessed is recommended. Canadian equivalencies may vary from one credential to another, the CRS awards points for multiple credentials, and any credential may help a candidate become eligible under a PNP. If an Express Entry PNP category opens and you need to react quickly, it is crucial to have a fully updated education section in your profile. Proving all your education, and not just what might be deemed the highest level, can be important in this regard.
Furthermore, completing an additional level of education can also be beneficial. Some candidates are only a few courses or months away from completing a degree, diploma or certificate that, when assessed, would help to improve their ranking under the CRS. Other proactive candidates may consider enrolling in a higher level of education, knowing that completing the program would increase their chances of realizing their Canadian immigration goals.
Language
Language is another crucial factor, as it is worth up to 260 points. Fluent English and/or French speakers may have maximized their points potential on entry to the pool. Candidates with room for improvement in language test results, however, should consider preparing for and re-taking a test. Any improvement across any of the four abilities (speaking, writing, reading, and listening) may bring a corresponding improvement in CRS ranking, but the big payoff occurs when a candidate reaches initial advanced level (Canadian Language Benchmark 9) across the board. When this happens, he or she may trigger a higher threshold in the combination factors and receive up to 100 points, in addition to the points received for the language factor in its own right.
A final note on language—bilingual candidates, should take language tests in both English and French. By not doing so, they are leaving up to 24 points on the table, unclaimed.
Work
Although Canadian work experience is more valued than non-Canadian work experience, the latter is nonetheless a factor within the combinations. For example, a candidate with strong language skills (CLB 9 or better across the board), but who only has one or two years of skilled work experience outside of Canada, may be awarded 25 points. As soon as he or she adds a third year of experience, however, an additional 25 points may be awarded. So, a word to the wise—keep working!
For candidates with Canadian work experience, similar principles apply, only the potential for obtaining points is greater because of two things: Canadian work experience is valued as a factor in its own right (i.e., not only in combination with something else, as non-Canadian work experience is), and points may be gathered for up to five years of experience. If you’re working a skilled job in Canada, keep at it and ensure you maintain your legal work status throughout.
I would also advise candidates to update their profile with any additional work experience, even if it does not directly increase CRS score. I say this because doing so may help to make a candidate eligible for a PNP category. You may not increase your score by a few points today, but you may increase it by 600 points tomorrow.
Couples Increasing Their Chances
The improvements outlined above apply to all candidates, whether they have an accompanying spouse or not. Candidates with a spouse, however, may have additional potential for improving their CRS score because the spouse’s level of education, language ability, and Canadian work experience may all be rewarded. Up to 40 points may be awarded for the spouse’s factors, 20 of which may be awarded for language ability (and 10 each for education and Canadian work experience). Having a spouse sit a language test and/or obtain an ECA could bring hugely valuable points. Moreover, some PNP categories reward the spouse of an applicant for his or her education, work or study experience and/or language ability.
Furthermore, every couple should carefully review who should be the principal applicant. Indeed, there is nothing to stop both partners from each creating a profile. Consider the following scenario: a 36-year-old rocket scientist and his or her 29-year-old partner, who works as a cook, want to immigrate to Canada. The rocket scientist may appear to be the superior candidate, but, other things being equal, it is, in fact, the cook who would be awarded more points, simply because he or she is younger. We could substitute surgeon for rocket scientist and plumber for a cook, and the result would be the same. Also, it should be noted that three years of skilled work experience is worth the same as 10 or 15 years, as the number of points awarded ‘caps out’ at three years. With this in mind, it is worth seeing if a candidate’s spouse can obtain more points as the principal applicant.
Provincial Nominee Programs
Each of the above sections has touched on the reality that every improvement to a candidate’s profile may also bring the candidate closer to being eligible to apply to an Express Entry PNP category—and this is really where the big gains are to be found. We’re talking about 600 points, an ITA at a subsequent draw, and a straight pathway to permanent residence. To achieve this, however, it’s important to display your full education and work record, stay up to date on Canadian immigration news, and have all your documents ready and reviewed in preparation to make an application promptly. PNP categories often open and close quickly, sometimes within days or even hours.
Saskatchewan’s Express Entry-aligned PNP category, for example, has opened and closed seven times since it was first introduced last year. Not only that, but it recently changed its eligible occupations list—a change that came with no prior warning. Candidates who are not ready to apply to a PNP, or who do not keep their profile up to date, are in a far worse position than organized, knowledgeable candidates.
Combinations Are Key
As I have outlined above, the skills transferability factors (also known as combinations) are an oft-forgotten or underestimated area for boosting a CRS ranking. I can’t stress enough how much these combinations may be the key to success. Very often, candidates are so wrapped up in one or two areas that they miss the forest for the trees, so please consider combinations when looking at improving your CRS score.
Obtaining a Job by Networking and Visiting Canada
Obtaining a Canadian job offer from abroad is a difficult, though not impossible, task. The task becomes far more realistic, however, if your network, make connections, and secure interviews. Employers generally prefer to meet with potential employees in person, and therefore potential candidates in Canada have an advantage. Serious candidates for immigration to Canada should consider taking the time to make a visit to Canada in preparation for the major life decision they are taking. Before coming, they can set up interviews and networking opportunities, perhaps even coordinate the visit with a job fair or similar recruitment event.
Not only would visiting Canada increase a candidate’s chances of landing a skilled job, but it may also increase their PNP options, as certain PNPs reward individuals for their previous visit(s) to a province.
A Final Note
If I were to offer only one piece of advice to Express Entry candidates, it would be to not lose heart. Explore all your options across human capital factors, combinations, work in Canada a PNPs, and give this everything you’ve got. It will be worth it in the end.
Your previous education is one of the most important assets in your job search. It can be difficult to explain how a degree earned in your home country meets an employer’s education requirements.
How can you be sure a potential employer understands your educational qualifications and how it meets the requirements for a job? If you want your education to work to your advantage, you should make it easy for the employer to understand your foreign credentials. The best and most objective way to do this is to obtain a credential evaluation from a reputable credential evaluation agency.
What Are the Benefits of a Credential Evaluation?
A credential evaluation provides a U.S. or Canadian equivalency for your foreign education. This means that an employer who is unfamiliar with foreign credentials and institutions can understand your background—and you can compete fairly for jobs with other candidates. Even if you have interrupted your post-secondary studies, a high school equivalency may qualify you for an entry-level job that could lead to different opportunities. Having a credential evaluation gives you and potential employers confidence that you meet the job requirements even if you have a foreign degree.
How Do I Obtain a Credential Evaluation?
Ask potential employers if they have guidelines for foreign-educated applicants. Some employers may already ask applicants for a credential evaluation. A basic or general credential evaluation is usually sufficient for employment purposes. Employers don’t typically need to see transcripts or grades.
If there are no guidelines, or if you are not yet focused on a specific employer, you can obtain a credential evaluation from an agency accredited by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).
World Education Services (WES), a member of NACES, offers credential evaluations that verify and evaluate high school and post-secondary credentials from more than 150 countries. You can also learn the U.S. equivalency of your foreign education by using the free Degree Equivalency Tool from WES.
How Can I Use My Credential in My Job Search?
With a credential evaluation, you will know what jobs you are qualified for based on the degree equivalency statement on the report. Evaluate job ads with your evaluation in mind. For example, if you have the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree, you might be overqualified for a job that requires only a high school diploma. Now you can judge with confidence which employers will likely value your credentials and invest your time in the best prospects.
When you have a job interview, you can speak about your foreign education with confidence. Bring a copy of your evaluation to show the interviewer. Don’t forget to highlight your language skills and international experience as well.
If offered employment, ask if you should have your official report sent directly by the credential evaluation agency to the employer.
Are you ready to get started on your credential evaluation?
WES Global Talent Bridge is a program dedicated to helping skilled immigrants fully utilize their talents and education in the United States and Canada. Global Talent Bridge joins with institutional partners and community organizations to help skilled immigrants leverage their training, achieve their professional goals, and contribute their talents to their full potential.
Over the past decade, American and Canadian job markets have experienced a shortage of skilled workers. Despite this, there are many barriers skilled immigrants face in Canada and the U.S. when it comes to finding jobs in their respective fields. Some of these challenges include encountering employers who are unfamiliar with international work experience and credentials, navigating the often complex trade and professional bodies, and facing employee discrimination and language barriers.
Here are five common barriers skilled immigrants face and how to overcome them:
Language and Communication
Although skilled immigrants have years of experience in their respective fields, most of them do not have experience working in the U.S. or Canada. Being unfamiliar with common workplace lingo and terminologies could slow down your career progress, but there are many ways to overcome this gap.
For example, enrolling at a local college for a course in medical terminology could help you enter that job market.
In addition to language and communication development, the process of highlighting your relevant skills and marketing yourself effectively is also important in getting hired. In Canada and the U.S., the art of “pitching” is having the ability to summarize who you are. This includes describing your professional background, your skills, and the relevant experience you have that makes you the perfect candidate for a position. Some skilled immigrants may not be used to the idea of self-promotion. The goal with “pitching” is to showcase how perfect you are for a role and your passion and enthusiasm for it.
Credential Recognition
As a skilled immigrant, you may be confident in your educational credentials, but they may not be recognized by Canadian and U.S. employers. When you are applying for jobs, employers may overlook your credentials simply because they are unfamiliar with the name of the education institution you graduated from. The best way to overcome this barrier is by getting a credential evaluation to determine the Canadian or U.S. equivalency of your degree. This will help employers recognize the legitimacy of your degree because it was evaluated by a reputable credential evaluation service such as World Education Services (WES).
Getting Licensed in a Regulated Profession
If you are a skilled worker in a regulated profession (for example, an accountant, nurse, or teacher), then it may be difficult to start working in the same role in a new country. This is because many professional regulatory bodies are decentralized and have different licensing requirements based on each province/territory and state. The process of relicensing in Canada and the U.S. is costly and time-consuming. It is important to do the necessary research and make preparations before applying for a role. If you find out you are unqualified in a regulated profession, you may consider starting a non-regulated job in your field first. This is also a great chance to use your relevant skills to gain experience working in a new country. Check out our related post to learn more about regulated and non-regulated professions.
Networking
For skilled immigrants in Canada and the U.S., language and cultural differences can make networking difficult. In general, the goal of networking is to meet individuals in your field who can provide tips and information that could potentially lead you to your next job. Lacking professional connections continues to be an obstacle for skilled immigrants who are new to Canada and the U.S.
As a solution, consider the options below:
Join a professional immigrant network in your city or region to expand your connections.
Network with other immigrants by sharing your experience in approaching new job markets.
Network online with professionals by setting up a well-designed and up-to-date profile on LinkedIn.
Lack of Local Experience/Discrimination
Many skilled immigrants in Canada find themselves being discriminated against by employers because they do not have work experience in Canada. It can be extremely frustrating because skilled immigrants feel that this requirement for every position to apply to is “disguised discrimination,” as a way to screen out newcomers from the hiring process.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) created a policy to ensure that a lack of work experience in Canada cannot stand as a barrier for newly arrived skilled immigrants in Ontario. Regardless of this legislation, employers still consider local experience as an important factor in the hiring process. If you do not have any work experience in Canada or the U.S., you can try volunteering and participate in different community programs to increase your networking and learning opportunities.
The most important thing to keep in mind is to not lose confidence. Always be on the lookout for training and networking opportunities, and know that there are many different services available to help you achieve your employment goals.
If you are interested in building your career, making connections in your field, or even gaining work experience, taking advantage of the many free employment services available in Canada is a great way to start your journey. Employment services are offered by non-profit organizations, settlement agencies, and universities/colleges and they are focused on helping you meet your career goals.
If you have not yet arrived in Canada, you may be able to access services before you even get here. These services can help you understand the steps you can take even before arriving. They often provide information about how settle in Canada, how to re-license in your field, how to effectively market your skills, and they may connect you to employers before you arrive. You can start by looking up pre-arrival services that would be useful for you. Not only will they help you prepare for what to expect in Canada but they may also provide you with an opportunity to create new networks.
Once you have had help marketing your skills, you can seek additional support with your job search. Whether it’s researching the labour market, engaging in the application process, or following-up with employers, in Canada, there are employment services equipped with employment counsellors and job developers to help you. An employment counsellor is someone who helps you develop a career plan and provides resources and tools to help you meet your goals. A job developer works closely with employers to help develop employment opportunities for job seekers. Talk to your employment counsellor or job developer about the kind of opportunities you are looking for. For example, are you looking for opportunities that are short-term, long-term, specific to your field? Job search support is a great way to help you understand employer expectations as well as your role in the job search process.
Language-Specific Employment Training
If you are in a specific occupation and need to upgrade your English or French language skills, consider programs such as Occupation-Specific Language Training (OSLT). These programs are available to those who are new to the country and are residing in the province of Ontario. They offer language training that is geared toward a specific occupation; some examples of these occupations may include business, health sciences, technology, automotive trades, construction, and human services. These programs provide career planning, practical workplace communication tasks, and connections to resources including mentors and local employers. Also, consider enrolling in general language programs to help improve your language skills as well as your workplace communication skills. Improved language skills will be an asset to employers.
Bridging Programs
These programs offer a chance for internationally trained professionals to engage in skills training to land a job within their desired field. Bridging programs are in partnerships with colleges, universities, regulatory bodies, employers, and community organizations to provide skills training that is targeted and specific. They often have a classroom and workplace component to help with language training for the profession, preparation for certification or re-licensing, addressing any barriers to getting employed and hands-on experience in the workplace. Start by exploring Bridge Training Programs by sector.
Finding a Mentor
When starting to network in your profession, seeking a mentor is a great way to learn about your field in Canada. Organizations that specialize in mentorships can align you with a mentor that provides insider knowledge of the field you want to get into as well as coaching, advice, and connections to other professionals during your job search. Below are some organizations that can connect you with mentors in your field:
Employment services can be general or specific to your profession. It is important to consider your unique employment needs when researching employment services available to you. These services can provide the extra support you need to be successful in preparing yourself for employment opportunities.
