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There are myriad opportunities for qualified foreign nationals with skills and experience as natural and applied science policy researchers to gain their permanent residence here through occupation-targeted Express Entry system draws.
“Over the period 2022 – 2031, the number of job openings arising from expansion demand and replacement demand for natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers are expected to total 15,700, while the number of job seekers arising from school leavers, immigration and mobility is expected to total 8,000,” reports the Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) website.
“Although this occupational group has had a balanced market in recent years, projected job openings are substantially higher than projected job seekers, creating a shortage of workers over the 2022 – 2031 period.”
Retiring Baby Boomers will open up a lot of positions for new workers but there will also be a lot of expansion in this field, forecasts the COPS website.
“Employment growth is expected to be stronger than the average for all occupations over the projection period,” notes COPS.
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Attracted by relatively high wages and a growing interest in science and environmental issues, university students are forecast to enter into this field in much higher numbers than they have in the past. Immigrants are expected to make up 10 per cent of job seekers in this field in Canada in the coming nine years.
In May, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) changed Canada’s Express Entry system to allow it to target 82 jobs in healthcare, technology, trades, transport and agriculture starting this summer – including natural and applied science policy researchers – and so opened the door to a new pathway to immigration for them.
The flagship Express Entry selection system had previously only conducted draws based on immigration programs, not by targeting specific occupations.
“Everywhere I go, I’ve heard loud and clear from employers across the country who are experiencing chronic labour shortages,” said then-Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.
“These changes to the Express Entry system will ensure that they have the skilled workers they need to grow and succeed. We can also grow our economy and help businesses with labour shortages while also increasing the number of French-proficient candidates to help ensure the vitality of French-speaking communities.”
In late September, there were 41 job postings for natural and applied science policy researchers on the federal government’s job-hunting and career-planning website, Jobbank.
It ranked the job prospects of natural and applied science policy researchers as good over the next three years in the Yukon, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Nunavut and as moderate in Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Alberta.
Occupation-Targeted Draws Started For Express Entry Programs This Summer
In Canada, the median hourly wage for natural and applied science policy researchers, categorized under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 system with the code 41400, is $40.62 but that varies from a low of $26.64 right up to $59.86, reveals Jobbank.
Based on a standard, 37.5-hour work week, that means these workers could expect to earn a top median annual income of $116.727.
Candidates hoping to immigrate through Express Entry occupation-targeted draws need at least six months of continuous work experience in Canada or abroad within the past three years in one of these occupations to be eligible, experience that can have been gained while working in Canada as temporary foreign workers with a work permits or as an international student with a student visa.
Under the changes announced at the end of May, the Express Entry streams, including the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program and Canadian Experience Class (CEC), as well as parts of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) are now more responsive to labour market needs.
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Canada first signalled its intention to start occupation-specific draws through Express Entry in June last year, when changes were made to the Immigration, Refugee and Protection Act to allow invitations based on occupations and other attributes, such as language ability.
The majority of Canada’s provinces have been issuing occupation-specific invitations for several years.
Under the changes to the act, the immigration minister is required to consult provinces and territories, members of industry, unions, employers, workers, worker advocacy groups, settlement provider organizations, and immigration researchers and practitioners, before announcing new categories.
IRCC must also report to parliament each year on the categories that were chosen and the reason for the choices.
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) says the number of occupations facing shortages doubled between 2019 and 2021. From 2018 to 2022, federal high skilled admissions accounted for between 34 and 40 per cent of overall French-speaking admissions outside Quebec, which manages its own immigration intake.