WORK OPPORTUNITIES IN CANADA


This month Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that the government of Canada is reviewing current work opportunities in Canada immigration procedures to ensure that they continue to meet Canada’s economic needs. The review will probably result in a change in the 38 occupations that are currently ‘open’ under the Federal Skilled Worker program.

In 2008 the Immigration Minister issued new instructions for processing Federal Skilled Worker applications. His goals were to speed up application processing times and to provide work opportunities in Canada which meet its immediate economic needs.

Under the 2008 instructions, an application is eligible for processing if the applicant:

1. Has at least one year of continuous full-time or equivalent paid work experience in the past 10 years in one of 38 qualifying occupations, which were been identified as the most in-demand occupations in Canada in 2008; or
2. Has been living in Canada with legal status as a Temporary Foreign Worker or an international student for at least one year; or
3. Qualifies for Arranged Employment with a full-time permanent job offer from a Canadian employer.

According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the instructions have reduced the work opportunities in Canada by almost 40 per cent. Presently, Kenney is consulting with federal and provincial government representatives to determine whether those 38 occupations are still highly in demand and whether new occupations need to be added or removed from the list.The final decision on skilled worker immigration will be published later this month.