How To Immigrate To Canada As An Internationally-Trained Database Analyst

The latest Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data shows Immigration to Canada by internationally-trained database analysts and data administrators is booming, almost doubling in the first two months of this year compared to the same period of 2022.

In January and February this year, 400 database analysts and administrators became new permanent residents of Canada, up 90.5 per cent from the 210 who immigrated during the comparable period last year, IRCC data reveals.

In a record-breaking year for immigration by database analysts and administrators in 2021 when immigration to Canada roared back to life, the country welcomed 1,405 new permanent residents who came to fill such jobs. 

Last year, that level of database analyst immigration sagged somewhat, falling roughly 2.1 per cent to 1,375 new permanent residents in 2022. That level of immigration, though, was still up 59.9 per cent over the 860 new permanent residents who came to Canada to do these jobs in 2019, the last full year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the current level of immigration of database analysts and administrators to Canada, the country could welcome 2,400 of these information technology professionals in 2023 if the current trend holds for the rest of the year.

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Ontario, Canada’s most populous province and a growing tech sector in North America, is unsurprisingly drawing the lion’s share of database analysts interested in immigrating to the country.

Last year, that province attracted 970 new permanent residents to work as database analysts and administrators, aided by its immigration program designed to recruit tech talent, the Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) Express Entry-linked Human Capital Priorities stream.

Ontario selects eligible applicants for tech draws from the Express Entry pool from among candidates who must meet the:

• eligibility criteria for one of its streams, and;
• the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.

Selected receive a Notification of Interest (NOI) from Ontario and then submit an application for nomination within 45 days.

If the application is approved, the candidate receives a nomination certificate and 600 points under their Express Entry profile.

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On the following Express Entry draw, they will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence which must be submitted within 60 days.

British Columbia, which welcomed 180 database analysts and administrators as new permanent residents last year, has its own Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) immigration stream to recruit these internationally-trained IT professionals.

Under the BC PNP Tech stream, British Columbia immigration officials can expedite the processing of immigration candidates for in-demand technology occupations.

Through weekly draws, invitations are issued to candidates with work experience in one of 35 eligible occupations in the BC technology sector. Candidates must still meet the basic requirements of an applicable British Columbia immigration category or stream, including a minimum one-year job offer from an employer in the province.

Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway Helps Highly-Skilled Workers Immigrate To That Province

Next door, Alberta also has an immigration stream to help employers recruit these skilled workers. Last year, that Prairie province welcomed 40 new permanent residents who came to fill database analyst and administrator positions.

The Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway, which falls under the Express Entry stream of the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) offers a fast-track to Canada immigration for candidates with jobs offers in one of 38 technology occupations, including software developer.

Under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system, software developers are listed as NOC code 21223.

Foreign nationals seeking to immigrate to Canada through the Express Entry system, including through the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), and Federal Skilled Trades (FST) programs, and all linked PNP programs need to ensure they are using the right NOC 2021 code now that Canada has upgraded to the new classification system.

Certainly, the demand is strong for database analysts and administrators in Canada.

“As digital dependency increases and new technologies drive change across all industries, tech jobs are rising,” reports human resources giant Randstad. “Companies continue to report skills shortages, leading to shifts in the average salary expectations for top jobs in tech.

“Employers are looking for qualified candidates who can develop and refine technology solutions and use data analysis to streamline existing systems. Other trending jobs in the tech sector involve developing security systems that reduce the risk of data breaches and building the architecture to support stable business cloud computing systems.”

In April, the Indeed.ca job-hunting website listed 1,139 jobs for database analysts and another 594 jobs for database administrators across the country. The federal government’s Jobbank job-hunting and career-planning website rated the prospects for jobs in this sector as “good” to “very good” across most of the country for at least the next three years.

“Salaries are very competitive in the tech sector, in part due to severe skills shortages,” notes Randstad.

Tech Companies Paying An Average Annual Wage Of $102,300

“In 2022, average salaries ranged from $51,900 to $154,300, though certain positions might pay even more. Expectations for salaries in 2023 have shifted slightly, with an average range of $74,000 to $130,600 and a median of $100,100.”

Database analysts and administrators are among the most often sought-after by employers looking to recruit foreign nationals through the Express Entry system.

Foreign nationals who want to immigrate to Canada can do so through one the three Express Entry system programs and apply for permanent residency online if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Canadian employers can also recruit and hire foreign nationals through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the International Mobility Program (IMP).

The Global Talent Stream (GTS), a part of the TFWP, can under normal processing situations lead to the granting of Canadian work permits and processing of visa applications within two weeks.