Immigration Canada

New Immigration Pathway Created for International Students

The flag of Nova Scotia, flying in Amherst, Nova Scotia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

International graduates now have a route to immigrate to Nova Scotia after changes to the Provincial Nominee Program.

Beginning today, June 6, an international graduate from a Canadian college or university, with a job offer from a Nova Scotia employer, can apply for permanent residency through the nominee program’s Skilled Worker stream.

“This is great news for international students like me who will graduate soon and will be considering their options for what comes next,” said Durgesh Singh, NSCC construction management technology student.

“Now, because of these changes to the Nova Scotia Nominee Program, international graduates will have an avenue to immigrate to Nova Scotia that wasn’t open to them before.”

Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said international graduates are ideal candidates to immigrate to Nova Scotia.

“International graduates are educated, they’ve made friends, they know the language, and they’re already familiar with all the great things Nova Scotia has to offer,” said Ms. Diab. “Over the past year, there hasn’t been a provincial door open to help them stay. Today, that changes.”

Universities, community colleges and businesses are key to help ensure international students and graduates have information, community contacts and jobs that will make them want to settle and stay in Nova Scotia.

“Government cannot boost immigration alone,” said Ms. Diab. “We are grateful for the support of the many employers, business organizations, connector programs, communities and people across Nova Scotia who work to recruit and retain international graduates who will help enhance our economy and our culture.”

The Halifax Chamber of Commerce welcomes government’s move.

“This policy change aligns well with the chamber’s work, and has the potential to help international students make better connections with employers that could lead to more international graduates choosing to stay in our region,” said Mark Fraser, the chamber’s lead for the skilled workforce task force.

“We believe that if you can help an international student feel like they’re a citizen by building roots in the community, the likelihood of them choosing to stay in our region increases.”

The change will also help colleges and universities attract international students.

“This will improve Nova Scotia’s position as an outstanding education destination in the international marketplace, and our ability to attract those students to institutions and communities across the province,” said George Cooper, University of King’s College president and member of the Council of Nova Scotia University Presidents.

“Our universities commend government for taking this decisive action, and we look forward to working with government and others across Nova Scotia to explore and act upon the enormous potential of universities to attract and retain top talent to our province.”

The Nova Scotia Office of Immigration negotiated the change with Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Through the Nova Scotia Nominee Program, the province can nominate potential immigrants, but Citizenship and Immigration Canada makes the final decision.

The Skilled Worker stream helps employers recruit and hire foreign workers for positions they have not been able to fill with permanent residents or Canadian citizens.

- See more at: http://novascotiaimmigration.com/new-immigration-pathway-created-for-international-students/#sthash.5qNxl0YQ.dpuf

Source: http://novascotiaimmigration.com/new-immigration-pathway-created-for-international-students/#sthash.5qNxl0YQ.dpuf

Food Services Moratorium

MP Jason Kenney of the Conservative Party fields a question from a community member at the All Candidates Forum at McKenzie Lake Community Centre in Calgary's Southeast on January 14th, 2006. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On April 24, 2014, the Minister of Employment and Social Development announced a moratorium on the Food Services Sector’s access to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) as a result of serious allegations of abuse of the TFWP. Accordingly, Employment and Social Development Canada stopped processing any new or pending LMO applications related to the Food Services Sector. In addition, any unfilled positions tied to a previously approved LMO were suspended.

Effective immediately, the moratorium on the Food Services Sector’s access to the TFWP has ended.

Ending the moratorium now allows an employer to fill previously suspended positions tied to an approved LMO, unless the LMO expired during the suspension. Employers wanting to apply for a new Labour Market Impact Assessment to hire temporary foreign workers in the Food Services Sector need to submit new applications that will be subject to the new program requirements, including the cap on temporary foreign workers in low-wage occupations.

Work permit applications that were suspended from processing due to the suspension of the associated LMO will go back into the queue for processing by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Questions and Answers
Impact on employers

LMOs suspended under the moratorium are now unsuspended. As long as the LMO is still valid and has not expired, the prospective temporary foreign worker(s) named on that LMO may submit work permit applications to CIC, or, if eligible to apply on entry into Canada, to a Canada Border Services Agency port of entry.

No, employers with expired LMOs need to submit new applications that would be subject to new stricter program requirements, including the cap on temporary foreign workers in lower-wage occupations. Please visit esdc.gc.ca for details on applying under the new program requirements.
Impact on temporary foreign workers

Your application will go back into the queue for processing by Citizenship and Immigration Canada now that the suspension has been lifted.

If the LMO is still valid and has not expired, and you are named on that LMO, you may submit a work permit application as per normal procedures.

If the LMO is no longer valid or has expired, you may not apply for a work permit based on that LMO. Before you can apply for a work permit, your employer will need a valid Labour Market Impact Assessment (formerly the Labour Market Opinion).
[3:25:48 PM] Dirk Propp: http://www.esdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/foreign_workers/index.shtml

“Where the Jobs Are” in Canada

Tour CIBC (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to a recent CIBC report there is a growing divide between the number of high-vacancy job fields in Canada and the skills of the Canadian workforce. To combat labour shortages, Canadian employers and government officials are increasingly looking beyond their own borders to find the employees they need. In addition, the government is taking ambitious efforts to secure skilled foreign workers, on temporary or permanent bases, to close employment gaps across the country.

In its report, CIBC targeted 25 professions that are most in need of qualified employees. They are as follows:

Managers in Engineering, Architecture, Science and Info Systems
Managers in Health, Education, Social and Community Services
Managers in Construction and Transportation
Auditors, Accountants and Investment Professionals
Human Resources and Business Service Professionals
Professional Occupations in Natural and Applied Science
Physical Science Professionals
Life Science Professionals
Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineers
Other Engineers
Professional Occupations in Health
Physicians, Dentists and Veterinarians
Optometrists, Chiropractors and Other Health Diagnosing and Treating Professionals
Pharmacists, Dietitians and Nutritionists
Therapy and Assessment Professionals
Nurse Supervisors and Registered Nurses
Technical and Related Occupations in Health
Medical Technologists and Technicians (Except Dental Health)
Technical Occupations in Dental Health Care
Other Technical Occupations in Health Care (Except Dental)
Psychologists, Social Workers, Counsellors, Clergy and Probation Officers
Supervisors, Mining, Oil and Gas
Underground Miners, Oil and Gas Drillers and Related Workers
Supervisors in Manufacturing
Supervisors, Processing Occupations

These occupations are all considered skilled work by the Government of Canada. In general, these professions fall in the fields of healthcare, mining, and manufacturing or business services. When added together, these fields account for 21%, or about one-fifth, of jobs in Canada.

Canada’s need for qualified workers varies greatly from province to province. As demonstrated by the chart below, the need is most defined in the country’s rapidly-developing interior. It is reflective of Canada’s booming natural resources economy. Source: CIBC

By contrast, those who pursue employment in one of the above targeted professions have a high likelihood of employment.

The Canadian government has made efforts to offset employee shortages through a forward-thinking immigration system. Individuals with the education and skills most needed in Canada will find that programs for both temporary and permanent residence have been tailored to suit their profiles. Some recent immigration changes intended to bring in the workers Canada include:

The popular Federal Skilled Worker Program has overhauled its selection criteria to better target those individuals who have a high likelihood of succeeding upon arrival in Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Canada hopes to accept over 50,000 new permanent residents through this program alone in 2013.
A new class of immigration, the Federal Skilled Trades Class, has been created to more efficiently bring tradespersons to Canada.

Discussions are currently in place regarding the introduction of a new immigration system, known as an Expression of Interest system, that will directly connect Canadian employers and government officials with skilled workers interested in immigrating to Canada

Source: http://pdles.org/?mc_cid=23cf163d32&mc_eid=3cb254aa54

Temporary Foreign Worker Program Moratorium To End In June

By hbhadmin

A moratorium on Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program will be lifted at the beginning of June, Westlock-St. Paul MP Brian Storseth says.

He addressed a crowd of business owners and employees about that status of the program at a roundtable discussion at the St. Paul Legion Hall on May 20, listening to concerns and providing updated information to those gathered there about the moratorium that has been in place since April.

“We’re trying to give you guys a little bit of certainty when it comes to what’s being done with the program,” he said. “When the moratorium is lifted, I will go to each of our communities and go through all of the changes that are being made.”

Storseth described the moratorium as a chance for the federal government to look at better ways of enforcing laws, auditing and reviewing the way the program operates — with special attention paid to the service-sector jobs.

A focus of the discussion, and one of the most influencing factors leading to the moratorium was the Labour Market Opinion (LMO) portion of the Temporary Foreign Worker program. Storseth noted that the application process for LMOs coming under scrutiny was the reason the minister thought it important to put a moratorium in place.

“I wanted to push for certainty,” he said. “I said to the minister that these are businessmen and businesswomen, they can’t not know how long this moratorium is going to be in place for, how many of their employees it’s going to affect.”

Storseth added while he has heard 100 per cent support for the program from members of the business community, the support among residents-at-large is closer to 50 per cent.

He emphasized the need for business owners to advocate the program, with one of its biggest obstacles being public opinion outside of the business community.

“In polls, it’s consistently our friends and neighbours that don’t understand this program, and you have to let them know how important it is,” he said.

Storseth described changes that would improve the program, which included increased speed at which LMOs are processed and approved, and a regionalization of the program to fit the different needs of different municipalities and provinces with their own specific employment needs.

Westlock restaurant owner David Truckey — one of a half dozen from Westlock who went to St. Paul for the discussion — said he was happy with a lot of what he heard at the meeting. The coming end to the moratorium is good news, but he’s also happy with the idea of regionalizing the program.

“Obviously what people need in Alberta is not what people need in Ontario or the Maritimes,” he said.

“To put one system in place for the whole country makes it a little difficult to participate in the program.”

Truckey added one of his biggest concerns is the way the moratorium was enforced on an entire industry, rather than on a case-by-case basis for those employers who were abusing the program.

Not least of his concerns is what it means for workers who are affected by the moratorium.

“I think what has never been addressed is a lot of temporary foreign workers have been put in a very difficult situation,” he said.

One of the workers at his restaurant has been put in just such a situation, where the work permit has expired but that worker can’t get a new one — and therefore can’t work — because of the moratorium.

During the question period of the discussion, many in the audience raised concerns.

Brian Jones, a business owner from Smoky Lake, asked if about $8,000 in application fees from a declined application could be applied to future applications.

“It’s a different situation if someone applied and there’s been no decision rendered, compared to someone who already got rejected before the moratorium was in place,” Storseth replied.

Jones suggested the program was shut down before the official announcement was made, as he knows of many other businesses that were declined prior to the moratorium being announced — Storseth said he wouldn’t speculate on the topic.

Bonnyville mayor Gene Sobolewski asked whether there are specific concerns from the public about any aspect of the program, or whether public opposition is based on ignorance.

“A lot of it came about from …high-profile cases of abuse,” Storseth said. “It’s easier to show a seven-second clip on why it’s bad, and harder to take 10 minutes explaining the importance of the program.”

Another guest said, “We heard talk of an increased application fee for hiring workers, it was thrown out there, is there any information on that?”

Storseth also noted an application-free increase is being considered, but said he was concerned it could get expensive in this riding, where businesses are dependent on foreign workers. The application fee, however, has caused more businesses to be discerning in their use of the program.

“Employers around the country were aggressively pursuing the program when there was zero cost,” he said. “Since implementing a $275 fee, we’ve had 40 per cent fewer applications.”

Some in attendance expressed concern that temporary foreign workers are often described as unskilled, which isn’t necessarily the case — they’re skilled in whatever service they’re providing.

“They’re skilled in their own way, and if it wasn’t for them, the people from CNRL and all the oil companies wouldn’t be getting a cup of coffee and a Big Mac when they come through,” said Megan Land, the owner-operator of McDonald’s in Cold Lake.

“I have letters from people in our community, positive letters saying they contribute to our community,” she added. “Maybe you can help us get those stories out there too. We can’t attract negativity to us as businesspeople.”

Storseth reaffirmed it’s the business community that needs to advocate for the program.

“One thing I have noticed is the more temporary foreign workers there are in our communities, and the longer they’re here, the better the numbers are coming back from the poll,” he said. “One of the best things about this moratorium is that it scared people with what could happen and what the public perception is nationally.”

JOBS IN CANADA

Modern Autobody Paris Texas (Photo credit: In Paris Texas)

Position: AUTOBODY REPAIRERS (BODYMEN)

NOC 7322

Number of Positions 6

Years of Experience: 5+ years

Education: Trade school for Autobody Repairers

English Level: Active

Preferred Countries: No Preference

Needed by: ASAP

Length of Contract: 2 years

Location: Edmonton, AB

Starting Wage: 32/hour

Type of Immigration: LMO, AIT and Work Permit (Applicants will have to be approved for certification by an Alberta trade association before applying for a work permit)

Perm. Residence: Potentially

Employer pays for: Immigration Assistance with WP, Relocation & Settlement, and flight (reimbursed after 3 months of work)

Employee pays for: $450 AIT Certification Fee, $155 for Work Permit Fee, accommodation, day-to-day expenses

DESCRIPTION:

Autobody Technicians in the Autobody Repairer branch of the trade do frame and body structural repairs, body sheet metal work, plastic repairs, component replacement and alignment. Autobody Repairers are also responsible for restoring the structural integrity of the damaged vehicle during the repair process. This generally involves cutting away damaged components and welding in new or recycled replacements.

The successful candidate will enjoy working in a team environment and feel motivated to strive for continuous improvement. We offer a stable work environment and the opportunity to advance within the company; other perks include Health & Dental Benefits, Vision Care and Disability coverage. Compensation is based on skills, ability and performance – wages range from $32/h CAD (Starting Wage) - $40/h CAD. Standard work schedule is Monday to Friday, not including weekends.

Responsibility:

· Never repair a vehicle without a police sticker if the damage exceeds $2,000

· Read and verify the repair plan and perform all tasks listed for delivery date

· Inspect all parts for damage and correctness; report all missed, hidden or prior damages BEFORE REPAIRS ARE STARTED

· Ensure that a panel we are paid to do is PERFECT and rust proofed

· Close car windows and doors during repairs to reduce the amount of dust in the vehicle, cover the seat and do no place tools or parts in the interior

· Ensure proper use of frame measuring system and perform the repairs to the exact factory specifications

· If painting is required, inform the Quality Control Coordinator

· Repairs under mouldings, glass, bumpers, etc. are to be of the same quality as the rest of the vehicle

· Do not splice unless pre-authorised (rad supports, quarter, partial replace, aprons, door)

· Remove all combustible material from the welding area; cover glass, dash and wiring with welding blankets

· Apply the epoxy primer over rusting areas before applying the body filler or fiberglass

· Finish welds to ensure there are no pinholes or grinder marks; inspect for strength and appearance

· Final assembly to be done after painting to ensure concealed areas have the same quality of paint – NO SPRAY BOMBS

· Eliminate dents from the sheet metal as well as possible to ensure the least amount of filler is used; grind paint back a minimum of 2” from the filled area

· No metal bonding of truck box panels allowed; only partial bonding plus welding of roof skins, door skins and quarter panels

Requirements:

· Auto Body Technician Journeyman Certificate (Completion of Journeyman Certificate that includes Prepper, Refinisher and Repairer) or equivalent

· Complete working knowledge of the trade and related equipment along with the ability to apply the knowledge in diagnosis and repair work

· Able to understand, communicate, read and write English at a level needed to meet job related task and safety requirements

· MUST have your own tools (the company will assist with purchasing tools by providing finances and the worker will pay back)

· The ability to think logically and keep up with changes in technology

· Knowledge and understanding of Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental standards and procedures and a commitment to safe work habits

· Demonstrated excellent interpersonal and time management skills required

· Demonstrated ability to fulfill team objectives as an active positive employee and co-worker

· Strength and stamina required to handle heavy tools, manual dexterity, creativity, patience and a keen eye for detail. Please send your resume to nexuscanadavisa@gmail.com

Restaurants hope to get back to using foreign temp employees

Jason Kenney (Photo credit: mostlyconservative)

BARRIE MCKENNA AND JAMES BRADSHAW

OTTAWA and TORONTO — The Globe and Mail

Published Sunday, Apr. 27 2014, 8:18 PM EDT

Restaurants are bracing for significant new limits on their ability to hire temporary foreign workers, but are hoping to avoid a permanent ban.

Employment Minister Jason Kenney promised Sunday that the federal government would unveil more changes to the controversial program within weeks.

“We’ve been working on this for over a year,” Mr. Kenney said at the Sikh New Year parade in Toronto. “I don’t want to put a date for certain on it, but it’s more like weeks than months.”

Earlier, Mr. Kenney told CTV’s Question Periodhe’s reluctant to do anything that might impede the flow of higher skilled labour in a global economy.

“What we need is a balance,” Mr. Kenney said. “We need to mend this program, not end it.”

Last week, Ottawa imposed a moratorium on the use of the Temporary Foreign Worker program in the food service industry amid allegations of abuse by several McDonald’s outlets and a Saskatchewan pizza restaurant.

Among the options, the government could make better use of city-by-city unemployment rates to set different standards for employers across the country, said Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, whose members include many restaurant owners.

“We are really crossing our fingers that this is not going to be a long-term thing,” Mr. Kelly said.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said the Conservatives have made an “absolute mash” of the program at a time when too many Canadians are looking for work. “Now they’re trying to dig themselves out of a hole of their own creation,” he said.

The moratorium for the service industry will remain in place until the government completes a probe of abuse allegations, Mr. Kenney told CTV. He acknowledged that reforms could force some restaurants to cut hours of operation or even to close.

“That’s unfortunate,” he said, “but we need to send a message to them and every other industry that they have to redouble their efforts to hire Canadians.”

Employers must work harder to hire Canadians first, even if that means paying higher wages, investing more in training and encouraging prospective employees to move to get a job, according to Mr. Kenney.

But the CFIB’s Mr. Kelly urged the government not to use the program to force changes in the labour market. “These are complicated businesses,” he said of restaurant chains, which he pointed out must often charge national prices while paying variable wages across the country.

Experts warn the program is ripe for cheating by employers because of inadequate information about local labour markets, said Dominique Gross, a professor of public policy at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver who wrote a recent report on the program for the C.D. Howe Institute. “Employers make a claim of a shortage, but if government doesn’t have the information to prove it, there is a problem,” she said.

The government could also raise the current $275 per-worker administrative fee, Prof. Gross said. That would force employers to work harder to find workers within Canada, including paying higher wages.

Prof. Gross pointed out that Canada is much more tolerant of companies who use foreign workers to fill low-skilled jobs than most other developed countries. Many European countries use foreign workers mainly to fill high-skilled positions, while allowing them for only a limited number of specific low-skilled jobs experiencing temporary shortages, she said.

University of Ottawa labour economist David Gray said auctioning temporary foreign worker permits would make the program respond better to real labour shortages. That way, employers with the greatest needs would get foreign workers.

The number of temporary foreign workers has grown rapidly since the early 2000s and has become very popular in the restaurant and hotel industry, particularly in Western Canada. The number of new foreign entrants more than tripled between 2002 and 2012 – to 338,000, up from 101,000. Add in foreign workers already in the country on longer contracts and the number reaches nearly half a million.

Temporary Foreign Worker Program - Moratorium

The Centre Block on Parliament Hill, containing the houses of the Canadian parliament (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is a program of last and limited resort, to be accessed by employers facing genuine, acute labour shortages, and only after Canadians are not available to fill the job. In support of this Program mandate, on December 31, 2013 , the Minister of ESDC issued three Ministerial Instructions, one of which is the Refusal to Process Labour Market Opinions (LMO) if there is new information indicating that the employment of the foreign national in any portion, sector, region or occupational group of the labour market in Canada may or will have a significant negative effect on the Canadian labour market.

After careful analysis of significant new information, including from Canadians through Service Canada’s Confidential Tip Line, the Minister of ESDC has directed officials to establish a moratorium on the Food Services Sector’s access to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

Effective immediately, ESDC will no longer process LMOs for occupations in the Food Services Sector.

LMOs will not be processed for occupations classified by the 2002 North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS 2002) in Food Services and Drinking Places (NAICS subsector 722). Specifically, certain occupations related to sales and service and sales and service management as set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC 2006). Please see this list for further detail.

Employers that have submitted applications and paid the processing fee, but have not yet received an LMO, will be refunded the full processing fee.

Any unused positions on positive LMOs that have been issued to employers for these sectors will be suspended and therefore will no longer be able to be used to obtain a worker permit.

ESDC will continue to ensure that Canadians have first access to available jobs. Abuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program will not be tolerated. To report misuse or abuse, contact:

Service Canada Confidential Tip Line

1-866-602-9448

integrity@servicecanada.gc.ca

Anonymous tips can also be provided to the Employer Contact Centre: 1-800-367-5693

**List of all Sales and Services Occupations (Skill type 6 based on NOC-2006)**
NOC Code	NOC4 Title
6641	Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Occupations
0631	Restaurant and Food Service Managers
6212	Food Service Supervisors
6453	Food and Beverage Servers
6611	Cashiers
6241	Chefs
6242	Cooks
6252	Bakers
0611	Sales, Marketing and Advertising Managers
0621	Retail Trade Manager
0632	Accommodation Service Managers
0651	Other Services Managers
6211	Retail Trade Supervisors
6213	Executive Housekeepers
6214	Dry Cleaning and Laundry Supervisors
6215	Cleaning Supervisors
6216	Other Service Supervisors
6221	Technical Sales Specialists - Wholesale Trade
6251	Butchers, Meat Cutters and Fishmongers - Retail and Wholesale
6411	Sales Representatives - Wholesale Trade (Non-Technical)
6421	Retail Salespersons and Sales Clerks
6451	Maîtres d'hôtel and Hosts/Hostesses
6452	Bartenders
6484	Other Personal Service Occupations
6622	Grocery Clerks and Store Shelf Stockers
6623	Other Elemental Sales Occupations
6651	Security Guards and Related Occupations
6661	Light Duty Cleaners
6662	Specialized Cleaners
6663	Janitors, Caretakers and Building Superintendents
6681	Dry Cleaning and Laundry Occupations
6682	Ironing, Pressing and Finishing Occupations
6683	Other Elemental Service Occupations