Edmonton Economic Development Corporation

Follow these steps to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class: Obtain an application package Read the guide Complete the application form and attach the necessary documents Calculate and pay your fees Mail the application form and documents

Canadian Experience Class: Who can apply - Requirements for temporary workers

As a temporary foreign worker, you must have two years of full-time (or equivalent) work experience in Canada. Your work experience must be gained within three years of applying.

Your work experience must be Skill Type 0, or Skill Level A or B on the NOC.

If you are a temporary foreign worker or a foreign student who graduated in Canada, you often have the qualities to make a successful transition from temporary to permanent residence. You are familiar with Canadian society and can contribute to the Canadian economy. You should have knowledge of English or French and qualifying work experience. Applying to stay in Canada permanently in your case is simple. You can do this under the Canadian Experience Class. All the guides, information and forms you need to apply are included here. Before you apply, make sure you get to know the requirements and current application procedures. After you apply, make sure you return to this website to find out about the steps that follow.

The International Qualification Network (IQN) website serves as a virtual space for employers, regulatory bodies, governments and organizations serving immigrants to capitalize on promising qualification assessment and recognition practices.

Eligibility to apply from outside Canada To apply for a work permit from outside Canada, you must submit the following documents: a job offer from a Canadian employer a completed application, that shows that you meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, and written confirmation from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) that the employer can hire a foreign worker to fill the job. This confirmation is called a positive labour market opinion. In most cases, it is up to your employer to get that written confirmation. Information on the labour market opinion is found under Information for Canadian employers on the right-hand side of this page. In some cases, you do not need a labour market opinion. (See Jobs that require a work permit but no labour market opinion.) You must also do the following: Satisfy a visa officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your work permit. Show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family while you are in Canada. Respect the law and have no criminal record. (You may have to provide a police clearance certificate. See Police Certificates for more information. Show that you are not a risk to the security of Canada. Be in good health. (You may have to have a medical examination.)

You may not need a work permit if you fall into one of the following categories:

Athletes and coaches Aviation accident or incident investigators Business visitors Civil aviation inspectors Clergy Convention organizers Crew members Emergency service providers Examiners and evaluators Expert witnesses or investigators Family members of foreign representatives Foreign government officers Foreign representatives Health-care students Judges, referees and similar officials Military personnel News reporters, film and media crews Performing artists Public speakers Students working on campus

Certain categories of workers have their own requirements. See: Information technology workers Live-in caregivers Business people

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have enormous potential as employers of skilled immigrants. At the same time, they can benefit from the skills, experience and innovation that skilled immigrants can bring to their organizations. ALLIES has undertaken research to better understand the programs and policies that can engage and influence the human resource practices of SMEs. Drawing on an examination of programs, policies and organizational efforts aimed at SMEs in ten provinces and 20 cities, and more than 50 interviews with key informants, this research proposes eight practical ideas for cities, governments and service providers.

A tailored strategy for SMEs is needed because SMEs are concentrated in different sectors than their larger counterparts. Recent immigrants are a large part of the workforce, and, overall, they have the skills, education and experience to contribute to Canada’s economy. Current programming does not focus on assisting SMEs to hire new workers. SMEs are motivated by immediate need and financial incentive. They want to mitigate the risk of hiring decisions, particularly when hiring outside of their personal networks. Because SMEs tend not to have formalized structures in place, they can easily and quickly adopt new practices. To be effective, programs for SMEs must be simple, straightforward, and available on demand. Hiring programs for SMEs should be targeted by sector or industry, or for growing businesses. SME programs need strong communications and marketing support to be successful.

Hiring Programs 1. Activity-focused internship – Positions for mid-level professional skilled immigrants will focus on a core business area (e.g. E-commerce, export activities, financial management). 2. One-stop shop for recruiting and HR support services – Gives SMEs a single point of access to a wealth of government and community programs, and provides screened, qualified candidates to employers ready to hire. 3. Online database of screened candidates – Provides on-demand access to qualified candidates in a particular industry or sector. 4. Wage and orientation subsidy – Encourages SMEs to hire a skilled immigrant, and enhances their capacity to provide orientation and training to new workers.

Compulsory and optional trades criteria

This site is a useful source of information for current apprentices and their employers, as well as for those considering apprenticeship for their career or workforce development needs. It also contains information for parents, post-secondary and K-12 educators, the media and others. Throughout this site, you will find information on: more than 140 careers for which industry training is available in BC how to become an apprentice or sponsor how to achieve certification as a qualified tradesperson forms and contact information links to industry training partners and other useful resources statistics and news about BC’s industry training system The Industry Training Authority is the provincial crown agency responsible for overseeing B.C.'s industry training and apprenticeship system, providing a skilled workforce for industry and career development opportunities for British Columbians. 

The assessment process In regulated occupations: The first step is to contact the relevant regulatory authority to determine what they need from you, and to discuss expected costs, timelines, and other requirements.

Some things that may be required during the assessment processes are: Complete an application form and provide necessary documentation.Required documents vary depending on the occupation; however, they often include educational transcripts, reliable references, employment history, resumé, and completed application form. Have your educational credentials assessed.Some regulatory authorities will perform the assessment of educational credentials internally. Others use external organizations to do this.The International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES) will assess your credentials (education) on a fee-for-service basis; however, an ICES assessment is not always required. Before paying to have your credentials assessed by ICES, contact the relevant regulatory authority to find out what they require. Regulatory authorities may also assess other aspects of your qualifications, using some of the following approaches: Verifying previous work experience by contacting work references Practical assessment of job-related competencies Oral interview with applicant to verify information and to determine job-related capabilities As part of the assessment process, you will likely be required to: Take exams Pay fees Provide additional documentation or clarify information upon request

The total cost for the assessment process varies, depending on the occupation and the regulatory authority’s requirements. You can expect to pay anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. The length of time that the certification process takes also varies depending on the occupation—anywhere from a few weeks to several months. It is recommended that you contact the appropriate regulatory authority (PDF - 94KB) prior to arriving in BC, or as soon as possible after you have arrived, in order to determine the process and requirements for the occupation in which you would like to work. To assist you in determining which regulatory authority is responsible for your occupation open the following: www.tilma.ca/pdf/BCRegulatoryAuthorities.pdf

Launched in January 2003, From Consideration to Integration is a three-phase project. In Phase I, work focused on understanding the international engineering graduates experience, examining provincial and territorial engineering licensing procedures, and learning from those who work with and employ IEGs. In Phase II, the Steering Committee analyzed the information, determined where the process of integration needs improvement and began to build consensus among stakeholders on possible solutions. In Phase III, Engineers Canada and its partners are working with key stakeholders to implement the recommendations and to develop supporting communications materials (i.e. fact sheets, Power Point presentations)

f you are currently working in Canada: your current employer must have made an offer to give you a permanent job if you are accepted as a federal skilled worker, and your temporary work permit must be valid both when you apply for a permanent resident visa and when the visa is issued.

In all other cases: You must not be working in Canada and you either do not have a valid work permit or you have a work permit, but your circumstances are different from those described in the first example.

and you meet all required Canadian licensing or regulatory standards associated with the job

Processing Times IN DAYS

Beijing - China 7

Chandigarh - India 35

New cap on Canada work permits for temporary foreign workers comes into effect on April 1 2 EmailShare  2EmailShareSome temporary foreign workers’ time in Canada limited New changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program are designed to protect temporary foreign workers but will also limit their time in Canada: temporary foreign workers who have worked in Canada for four years will not be allowed to work in Canada until another four-year period has passed. Among the new rules, employers who are unable to provide proper wages or working conditions will receive a two-year ban on hiring temporary foreign workers, and their names will be made public. The history of the employer will be looked at much more closely, ensuring that they have a history of following employment and Temporary Foreign Worker Program laws. Another change is that the government will be looking much more closely at the genuineness of the job offer. Employers will be required to sign a contract with their employees that covers wages, conditions and duties involved with the job, and all recruiting costs, airfare and medical coverage must be handled by the employer. Some exemptions for four-year limit The limit will not apply to seasonal farm workers under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program. The changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program will come into effect on April 1.

Canada has agreed to the inclusion of the following service sectors in the GATS agreement: business services, communication services, construction services, distribution services, environmental services, financial services, tourism and travel related services and transport services.

A GATS professional is one who seeks to engage, as part of a services contract, in an activity at a professional level, provided that the person possesses the necessary credentials and qualifications. There are nine accepted professions under GATS:

• engineers; • agrologists; • architects; • forestry professionals; • geomatics professionals; • land surveyors; • legal consultants; • urban planners; and • senior computer specialists.

Many TFWs will be exempt from the 4 year time cap, including: TFWs in managerial (NOC 0) or professional occupations (NOC A). Therefore, LMO-based work permit holders in occupations at these two NOC skill levels are not affected by the 4 year time cap. TFWs who are exempt from the Labour Market Opinion process. This includes two key work permit categories used by many Canadian employers: (1) the intra-company transferee work permit category; and (2) work permits issued under international agreements (such as NAFTA, CCFTA, the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program etc.)