Lack of Canadian experience calls for creative job hunt

JULIE LABRIE

Special to Globe and Mail Update

The greatest obstacle that new immigrants face when job searching is having Canadian work experience. Employers want to hire people who can hit the ground running, and some feel experience in this country is pivotal for this. As a result, many new-to-Canada job seekers struggle to find their first big break. While your task ahead may not be an easy one, you will need to work hard and take a creative approach. 

First, research companies that are leading the way in hiring for diversity. Each year, various studies announce Canada’s best diversity employers. See if companies in your field made those lists. Explore companies that market their services to the new-to-Canada segment, too. Many industries, including the financial and telecom sectors, are serving the immigrant population as a key part of their business strategy. Also consider applying for relevant government jobs related to your past experience.

Once you’ve identified the target organizations you want to work for, it’s time to start networking. This task is all the more feasible in today’s social media world, even from a distance.

Identify people to connect with online (e.g. Canadian leaders from your industry, diversity managers at your target employers’ organizations, fellow immigrants in your profession who have already established themselves in Canada, etc.). Engage them in smart conversations via LinkedIn and Twitter, for example. Learn more about them, and share your insights as well to create strong networking relationships. This is a considerable time investment, but it’s well worth it. Join relevant LinkedIn groups, and participate in their discussions. Network with the South Asian community in Canada too – e.g. make connections with groups such as the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Through all of this, seek out virtual mentorship opportunities, and let people know about your job search.

Some job seekers ask me about getting a company to sponsor them to Canada. Honestly, for most, this is not a viable option, because companies will only sponsor a foreign worker if their specific skills are not available locally. Conduct research to see if you would qualify for such an opportunity.

Finally, work with specialized recruiters who focus on placing foreign-trained professionals and also research non-profit organizations that are dedicated to getting newcomers hired in Canada. Utilize all of the resources available to you, to the fullest extent. Stay positive, stay focused, and stay the course to realize your goal.

Julie Labrie is the vice-president of BlueSky Personnel Solutions.

GMS Immigrants & Visitors to Canada Plan upgraded to suit newly introduced Super Visa program

REGINA, SK, Dec. 19, 2011 /CNW/ - Group Medical Services (GMS) has expanded its Immigrants & Visitors to Canada (IVC) emergency medical insurance plan to meet the medical insurance needs of Super Visa applicants.

Following the recent announcement by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) of its new Parent and Grandparent Super Visa program, GMS is offering visitors to Canada more flexibility on their medical insurance coverage during their stay in Canada.

The Super Visa —a multiple entry visa valid for up to 10 years—has been created by CIC to allow family members to remain in Canada for up to two years at a time. The visa is conditional on a number of requirements, one of which is a proof of private Canadian medical insurance coverage. The medical insurance purchased must be valid for a minimum period of one year (365 days) and must provide a minimum of $100,000 in coverage.

On December 19, 2011, with the revised GMS Immigrants & Visitors to Canada plan, applicants age 55 to 79 will now have the option to obtain coverage for 365 days. Coverage for this age group was previously limited to 180 days. Moreover, the medical insurance coverage will be continuous throughout the 365 days—regardless of the number of times a parent or grandparent returns to their home country. Best of all, GMS will continue to provide competitive rates on the IVC plan. "It's exciting to be able to react this quickly to provide our customers with the products they need the most," says GMS President and CEO George Tsiklis. "We want immigrants and visitors coming to Canada as well as their families to feel comfortable knowing that they will be taken care of in the event of a medical emergency. Being able to accommodate the requirements of the Super Visa program is just one of the ways we're achieving this."

The updated GMS Immigrants & Visitors to Canada Plan - medical insurance of choice for the Super Visa - will be available for purchase through the GMS website and Customer Care Centre. You can also contact one of our experienced and knowledgeable brokers.

Group Medical Services (GMS) is Canada's expert in health and travel insurance since 1949. Based in Regina, Saskatchewan, GMS is a leading provider of a complete range of health and travel insurance to individuals and groups across Canada.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/528077#ixzz1hDnVg6w8

New policy in Canada fast-tracks processing of work permits for caregivers

Canada has shortened the procedures needed for foreign caregivers to obtain permanent resident status and has enacted several measures to protect the caregivers from abusive employers.
 
Canadian Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney said this was the Canadian government’s response to reports of abuse to foreign caregivers by their employers.
 
He said it is “frustrating” that many live-in caregivers have to stay in their employer’s home even though they have already completed their work obligations because they are waiting for their application for permanent residence to be reviewed. He said in several cases, this set-up had resulted to maltreatment of workers.
 
“This is understandably frustrating,” Kenney said. “That's why we have started issuing open work permits to live-in caregivers as soon as they have completed their obligations and submitted an application for permanent residence.”
 
Under the new procedure, a foreign caregiver can obtain permanent resident status in 18 months or less. They can apply for permanent residence after 3,900 work hours, rather than two years of work, to ensure overtime is appropriately recognized.
 
The need for second medical examination when the caregiver applies for permanent residence has likewise been eliminated in the new guidelines. Also, a standardized employment contract has been adopted so that both the employer and the caregiver agree to the salary, hours of work, vacation time, overtime, holidays, sick leave, and the terms of termination and resignation.
 
The new policy also defines the costs the employer is obliged to pay, including the caregiver's travel expenses in coming to Canada, medical insurance, workplace safety insurance, and third-party representative fees. It also provides for emergency processing of work permits and employer authorizations to hire live-in caregivers who have been abused and need to leave their employment immediately while a dedicated phone service for live-in caregivers has been set up.
 
To assess the legitimacy of a job offer, Canadian authorities would verify if caregivers would be residing in a private residence and providing child care, senior home support care or care of a disabled person in that household without supervision, as well as whether the employer has sufficient financial resources to pay the wages of the caregiver and whether the accommodations being provided are adequate.
 
For employers who have failed to live up to the terms of past job contracts, they will be banned from hiring foreign workers, including live-in caregivers, for two years. 
 
Philippine Ambassador to Canada Leslie Gatan said the revised labor policies for caregivers demonstrates “the continued trust and confidence of the Canadian society on the skills and dedication to work of Filipinos in general.”
 
Government estimates Filipino caregivers in Canada to be more than 100,000, some of them have complained of labor abuse from their employers ranging from non-payment of salaries to physical maltreatment.
 
Kenney said the Canadian government has taken action to protect live-in caregivers from exploitation with regulatory improvements implemented under its Live-in Caregiver Program in 2010 and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in 2011. — KBK, GMA News

New super visa is 'super disappointing'

By: Carol Sanders

For many Canadians waiting to bring parents overseas for a visit, a government promise to speed up the process with a new "super visa" is a "super disappointment," critics say.

"There are so many, so many requirements, you're prevented from coming in. And you have to have a lot of money," said Fred DeVilla, who works in the insurance industry and is a prominent member of the Filipino community.

Moratorium on family reunification

THE federal government has slapped a two-year moratorium on immigration applications from parents and grandparents. To make up for that restriction, it created a 10-year "super visa" allowing parents and grandparents of permanent residents to enter Canada multiple times as visitors and stay for up to two years at a time -- if they and their families can get the health insurance and meet income requirements.

The federal government requires that one year of $100,000 in health coverage for those 55 and older has to be purchased up front, he said. It costs at least $1,200 a year and there's no monthly payment plan. If your parent stays for just a few months, there are no refunds, DeVilla said.

The 10-year super visa was announced last month. At the same time, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney froze for two years sponsorships for parents wanting to immigrate to Canada. The super visa was supposed to take just eight weeks to process and give the feds time to deal with a lengthy backlog of sponsorship applications.

"There was a huge amount of excitement and no one, including myself, thought we'd get blindsided," said Winnipeg North MP Kevin Lamoureux. The Liberal immigration critic later learned about the cost involved -- an average $1,500 per parent, per year.

It was a "sucker punch" by the federal government that hailed super visas as a fast-track plan to bring parents and grandparents for a visit, he said. It softened the blow of Kenney's unprecedented freeze on sponsoring parents to immigrate and isn't going to help bring families together as promised, Lamoureux said. "There will be hundreds, ultimately thousands, who will not be able to get it" across Canada, he said.

"Not only for Winnipeg North but for anyone who had any hope of getting a parent or both to come under the super visa, he's taken away their hope," Lamoureux said.

The MP said he is starting a petition demanding changes to the super visa. In the past, visiting parents have been OK with $25,000 in medical coverage that costs a few hundred dollars, he said. The super visa demands too much, he said.

DeVilla said you don't get much with $100,000 coverage. "The medical insurance covers nothing but emergencies," said DeVilla. "It's only good for when you have an emergency like a stroke and you get into the hospital then," said DeVilla, who hosts a monthly breakfast meeting for the Filipino community. At a recent meeting they wanted to know why the federal government is demanding so much.

On Tuesday, the director of Citizenship and Immigration in Winnipeg couldn't comment on the politics but explained the policy. The department looked at what other countries require for medical coverage and the average cost of general health-care services and came up with the $100,000 requirement, John Nychek said.

"It was determined $100,000 would be fair for the applicant and the Canadian taxpayer."

On top of paying for the insurance, the host family has to meet super visa income requirements. A family of four has to make $45,000 a year, whether they live in high-priced Vancouver or low-cost Winnipeg.

"It's based on a national average," Nychek said. The same test is applied for sponsoring people. Having different income requirements for different regions would be difficult, he said.

Lamoureux said that inflexibility is hurting homesick new Canadians. "They miss their mom, they miss their dad.... It can be lonely." They're scraping by in low-paying jobs and saving for their parents to come for a visit.

"We're pricing it out of their reach," Lamoureux said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 21, 2011 A4

Information on Parent and Grandparent Super Visa

About the Super Visa

On November 4, 2011, CIC announced a temporary pause on all new sponsorship applications for the parents and grandparents category. With the introduction of this pause, CIC implemented a long-term Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) for applicants seeking to visit their child or grandchild who is either a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

The single or multiple-entry Super Visa allows visitors to stay for a period of up to two years.

Important information. Applicants who do not require a visa must also submit an application to the visa office.

Who may apply for a Super Visa?

To apply for the Super Visa you must either be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.

Note: You cannot include your dependent children in this application. Only your spouse or common-law partner is eligible to accompany you under this provision.

What must I do to obtain a SuperVisa?

In order to obtain a Super Visa, you will need to apply at a visa office and provide:

• evidence of the parent or grandparent relationship to the Canadian citizen or permanent resident you wish to visit (e.g. birth certificate, baptismal certificate or other official documents naming you as parent),
• a letter of invitation from your child or grandchild which includes arrangements for care and support,
• proof from your child or grandchild that he meets the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO)
• proof that you have private medical insurance valid for a minimum of one year from a Canadian insurance company and that:
  • covers health care, hospitalization and repatriation,
  • provides a minimum coverage of $100 000, and
  • is valid for each entry to Canada and be available for review by a port of entry officer.

Note: You will be required to undergo a medical examination. Medical instructionswill be provided to you by the visa office. You are not required to complete a medical examination before you submit your application forms.

What must my child or grandchild do to meet the LICO minimum?

You child or grandchild’s income must meet or exceed the minimum necessary, as identified annually in the Income Table.

In the letter of invitation he must calculate his family size. This factor determines the amount of income required of him to provide care and support for you and your spouse, if applicable. He may use the table below to calculate the family size:

1. Your child or grandchild counts:
   • Himself
   • His spouse or common-law partner,
   • His dependent children,
   • any person he may have sponsored previously and for whom the sponsorship agreement and undertaking are still in effect.
2. He counts the number of persons he will be supporting :
   • You, and
   • Your spouse or common-law partner, if applicable.
3. He adds the number of persons covered by steps 1 and 2. The total represents his family size.
4. He looks at the LICO in the Income Table in this guide to determine if he meets the minimum required for his family size.
5. To demonstrate that he meets the minimum income required, your child or grandchild may include one of the documents listed in the Document Checklist (IMM 5484).

Effective from January 1 to December 31 2011

Your child or grandchild may use the following income scale to assess their ability to meet the income requirements.

Low Income Cut-Off (LICO)

Size of Family Unit	Minimum necessary income
1 person (your child or grandchild)	$22,229
2 persons	$27,674
3 persons	$34,022
4 persons	$41,307
5 persons	$46,850
6 persons	$52,838
7 persons	$58,827
More than 7 persons, for each additional person, add	$5,989

Canada issues first 'super visa'

OTTAWA: The first Parent and Grandparent Super Visa has been issued by the Canadian government, a minister announced on Monday. 

"We pledged to process the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa in less than eight weeks," Jason Kenney, minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, said in a statement. "We've issued the first of the Super Visas in just two weeks and we remain committed to reuniting families through the Super Visa in a timely manner." 

The Parent and Grandparent Super Visa allows parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to visit their families in Canada for as long as 10 years, reported Xinhua. The visas need to be renewed every two years. 

Until the Super Visa was launched Dec 1, 2011, visitors to Canada usually could only visit for six months at a time and visitors who wished to stay longer had to apply for extensions and pay a new fee every six months. 

Super Visa seekers use the same application form as applicants for the standard six-month visitor visa. They must also submit proof that the host child or grandchild meets a minimum income, demonstrate that they have purchased comprehensive Canadian medical insurance and undergo the immigration medical examination. 

The first Super Visa was issued at the Canadian mission in Manila Dec 14, two weeks after the Citizenship and Immigration Canada began accepting applications, Kenney said. 

"With the Super Visa, we have taken a common sense approach that allows parents and grandparents to spend extended periods of time with their loved ones in Canada, while at the same time, acting responsibly in protecting Canadian taxpayers," Kenney added. "I'm pleased that the response to this program has been so positive." 

The new visa is part of the Conservative government's plan to battle an enormous backlog of about 165,000 parents and grandparents who are trying to join family in Canada. 

Earlier this year, Kenney told a parliamentary committee that the new system will help many families to be re-united. He said the requirement that visa holder buy health insurance will prevent them from abusing Canada's medicare system. 

"The department informs me that they're confident that the approval rate for these parent Super Visas will actually be very high," Kenney told the committee. 

"One of the reasons we are requiring that people demonstrate they have health insurance when they come into Canada, is to add greater certainty for our visa officers that admitting people is not going to end up representing a net cost to Canadian taxpayers," he said.

Fewer jobs, income for newcomers: bank

BY DARAH HANSEN, VANCOUVER SUN DECEMBER 20, 2011

 

 

Higher-than-average education levels have not spared new-comers to Canada from experiencing higher unemployment rates and lower incomes than their work colleagues who were born in the country, according to the Royal Bank of Canada.

If immigrants' skills were rewarded in a manner similar to that of Canadian-born workers, it would have resulted in $30.7 billion in increased incomes, the bank found in a new study that examines the immigrant labour market gap.

"It is a big number," said Dawn Desjardins, RBC assistant chief economist, in reference to what she called an "untapped" economic contributor.

"Obviously, if people are earning more, they are buying more things. They are buying homes, that type of thing. So you get a spinoff," she said.

Published Monday, the report updates a 2005 RBC study of immigrant employment rates and wages. The estimated earnings gap at the time was measured at $13 billion.

Desjardins said the bank used 2006 census data this time around to get a clearer educational, demographic and geo-graphic profile of immigrants to Canada, relative to the Canadian-born.

The latest report cites a "substantial" deterioration in the relative outcomes of newcomers over the past 30 years, "even as immigrant education levels have increased."

By 2006, new immigrants experienced a "significantly higher" unemployment rate of 6.9 per cent compared to 6.4 per cent among those born in Canada.

Immigrants were also seeing less on their paycheques: In 2005, the entire population of immigrants working full-time in Canada earned an average of $45,000 a year - about $700 (two per cent) less than the average wage for Canadian-born workers, the report found. Since then, the average wage for new immigrants has fallen further to $28,700.

Male newcomers were found to earn, on average, about $16,500 (24 per cent) less than Canadian-born workers, while the earnings gap for immigrant women was closer to $7,000 (17 per cent). At the same time, immigrant women were more likely to be unemployed than immigrant men.

Desjardins said the report was not intended to identify why the gap exists, though quality of education, language skills, credential recognition and discrimination are all considered contributing factors. Rather, the findings suggest the potential benefits from addressing the differences could be significant. "We really want people to know that there is hope. As demographics change and we have less people working in the labour force because they are aging and retiring, we do have a pool of really qualified people around us," Desjardins said. "We want to see everybody working to their full productivity, and that is good news for the economy."

dahansen@vancouversun.com Twitter: @darahhansen

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Read more:http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Fewer+jobs+income+newcomers+bank/5885804/story.html#ixzz1h7YFLvjW

Immigrants main driver of Manitoba's population growth: Statistics Canada

WINNIPEG - Statistics Canada figures show immigrants are the main driver behind Manitoba's continued population growth.

Since October 2010, a record 15,770 people from around the world have come to the province.

Manitoba has a provincial nominee program that aims to speed up the process of applying for a permanent visa.

Trade Minister Peter Bjornson says the province's population growth is the third-best in the country.

There are now 1,254,700 people who call Manitoba home.