Foreign Workers | Macropus Immigration & Visa Services

Immigration for foreign workers

Over the past few years, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) have streamlined the process of hiring workers internationally and made it increasingly time-efficient.

A foreign worker is a temporary resident who is legally allowed to work in Canada on a temporary basis. Employers looking for global talent markets are able to hire foreign workers, both temporary and permanently, to fill temporary labour and skill shortages. The Canadian government provides a pathway from which employers can offer a full-time job and at the same time support a skilled worker’s immigration to Canada.  This pathway supports a foreign worker’s Express Entry profile thus enabling him/her to obtain additional points to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.

The hiring of a temporary foreign worker begins with employers requesting ESDC for a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Without a positive LMIA, Citizenship and Immigration Canada cannot issue a work permit.

The LMIA assessment includes verifying whether the foreign worker fills a labour shortage, whether the employer has tried to recruit and hire Canadian citizens or permanent residents first, and whether the wages offered commensurate with what Canadians or permanent immigrants are earning for similar type of work.

In addition to this, for jobs that require no more than a high school diploma or up to two years of on-the-job training (low-skilled workers) employers must provide a contract, with the following information:

• salaries are within the market standard and are comparable to those being paid to Canadian citizens or permanent residents
• appropriate working conditions
• travel costs from the home country and back will be shouldered only by the employer
• employer will not recoup recruitment costs from the worker
• employer will help the worker find suitable and affordable housing
• employer will provide temporary medical coverage until the worker is eligible for provincial health coverage

Immigration options for Foreign Workers

If you are interested in coming to Canada either as foreign worker or permanent resident, you have several options to choose from depending from your qualifications.

Express Entry System

There are three federal economic immigration programs processed through the Express Entry system:

• Federal Skilled Worker 
  Employers requiring highly skilled professionals and are unable to recruit from among the local talents (Canadian citizens or permanent residents) may be able to recruit internationally through this program.  The National Occupation Classification (NOC) determines highly skilled professions/trades falling under levels 0, A or B.

• Canadian Experience Class 
  This program is specifically designed for foreign workers who have worked for at least a year in Canada or international students who have completed their program of studies in post-secondary or graduate levels.

• Federal Skilled Trades Program
  Employers requiring highly skilled trades’ professionals may use this program to recruit foreign workers or international students meeting their specific trade requirements.
  

Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program

Atlantic Immigration Pilot

The Atlantic Provinces and the federal government are working together on immigration programs to meet your needs and the region’s needs. If you are an employer in the Atlantic region, you can hire skilled workers and international student graduates who want to permanently live in one of the Atlantic Provinces:

• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island

Provincial Nominee Program

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) provides an accelerated process for skilled and/or experienced workers, experienced business persons and their family members who want to settle permanently in a particular province of Canada.

If you choose to immigrate to Canada as a provincial nominee, you must:

• apply to the province where you wish to settle and complete its provincial nomination process.
• If you meet the province’s criteria, you will be invited to apply for PR.
• Your provincial nomination certificate along with your other credentials and supporting documents will be used for your PR application.
  Each province and territory has its own “streams” (immigration programs that target certain groups) and criteria for their PNP specific to their needs, to recruit workers from abroad who intend to settle as permanent residents in a given province or territory.

Temporary Work Permit

If you are interested in working temporarily in Canada, a work permit is required.
A Temporary Work Permit (TWP) may be issued for a period of time ranging from a few days to a few years. In most cases, the process of applying for a TWP is two-fold.

• The Canadian employer must receive government permission to hire outside Canada.
• Once permission is granted, the designated employee must apply for and receive his/her TWP.

Interested in applying for Canadian Work Permit? Contact us today!