Canada’s federal government has been urged to deliver its promise of permanent residency for a greater number of international workers in protests across Canada on Sunday.
The day-long demonstrations were uniformly observed in 16 major cities ahead of Parliament’s resumption on Monday, to draw consideration to issues faced by hundreds of thousands of temporary foreign workers, asylum seekers, and immigrants.
These included advocacy for more protections for foreign workers and undocumented migrants, and better healthcare access despite one’s immigration status.
Another protestor – Jane, who is an undocumented worker with Migrants Rights Network – told the Toronto Sun that “we live in fear. We are hopeless sometimes. I have been spat at, pushed, abused and denied fairness at work but I can’t leave because I am undocumented and no one else will hire me.”
“I worked to save so many people in COVID-19.”
Kwa further expressed their disappointment with a “lack of action” on the Liberals’ promised regularization program for undocumented people, migrant students, and foreign workers in Canada.
Parliament’s private member’s bill from last year urged Ottawa to “publicly release a plan to expand economic immigration pathways” for migrant workers “at all skill levels,” as per the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website.
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“This plan increases the opportunities for more temporary workers to transition to permanent residence,” stated the ministry’s website on the plan.
The protests come in the wake of Canada’s temporary foreign worker program being labeled a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery” by Tomoya Obokata, UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery.
He further urged the Trudeau government to streamline the pathway for permanent residency for temporary foreign workers.
Despite Prime Minister Trudeau having issued a mandate letter towards exploring ways of “regularizing status for undocumented workers” to the former Immigration Minister Sean Fraser in 2021, activists said that regularization pledges have remained unfulfilled.
Exploitative Workplaces
Sanctuary Health spokesperson Omar Chu said that “we haven’t seen movement on holding their promise.”
“We’ve been waiting far too long and … migrants are dying, migrants are afraid.”
The protestors at the rally in Vancouver brought forth concerns about living precariously as temporary migrant workers in Canada, such as suffering from exploitative workplaces, living in fear of potential detention, and deportation.
Gauri Sreenivasan, who is co-executive director of the Canadian Council for Refugees, said that Trudeau needs to keep the promises he has made to migrants to Canada.
“The federal government committed almost two years ago to regularize the status of a range of vulnerable migrant populations who are living, working and contributing to Canadian society without access to a permanent residence — from seasonal workers to caregivers to those fleeing persecution and exploitation. The silence on this file is deafening,” she said.
Points are awarded based on the following attributes:
Level and field of education and where they completed their studies.
Proficiency in English or French.
Intention to settle outside of the Greater Toronto Area.
Skill and work experience level, earnings history, other factors relevant to prospects in Ontario job market.
Labour market needs in the province or region of the province.
Masters Graduate Stream
This stream offers an opportunity to obtain permanent residence to international students who obtained a masters degree in Ontario without requiring a job offer.
To be eligible to apply, a candidate must meet the following criteria:
Graduated from a Master’s degree program from an eligible institution in Ontario, that was at least one-year full-time.
Obtained minimum language CLB/NCLC level 7 or above in English or in French.
Resided legally in Ontario for at least one year in the last two.
Have sufficient settlement funds.
Intend to live and work in Ontario.
Must have legal status in Ontario or abroad.
Applications from elsewhere in Canada will not be accepted.
Application must be submitted within two years of completing the requirements to graduate from the master’s degree.
PhD Graduate Stream
This stream offers international students an opportunity to become a permanent resident for who hold a PhD degree from Ontario without requiring a job offer.
To be eligible to apply, a candidate must meet the following criteria:
Graduated from a PhD degree program in an eligible institution in Ontario, and have completed at least two-years full-time.
Resided legally in Ontario for at least one year in the last two.
Have sufficient settlement funds.
Intend to live and work in Ontario.
Application must be submitted within two years of completing the requirements to graduate from the PhD degree.
The latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveals arrivals to Canada under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) plummeted in July, falling by more than a third compared to the previous month.
After dropping from 3,755 new permanent residents under the PGP in May to 3,630 in June, the monthly number of new arrivals fell to only 2,380 in July.
Despite that recent downward trend in the PGP, though, the number of new permanent residents coming to Canada under that immigration program closed the month of July up 10.7 per cent at 18,855 compare to the 17,030 new permanent residents that used it to immigrate here during the comparable seven-month period last year.
That puts Canada on track to welcome 32,323 new permanent residents under the PGP this year, provide the trend in the first seven months of the year continues throughout the rest of 2023.
That level of PGP immigration this year would see the program close 2023 up 18.5 per cent over the 27,275 parents and grandparents who arrived last year.
Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, saw the greatest number of arrivals under the PGP in the first seven months of this year with 8,955 parents and grandparents settling there.
The other provinces and territories attracted the following number of new permanent residents under the PGP during that period:
Newfoundland and Labrador – 30
Prince Edward Island – 5
Nova Scotia – 130
New Brunswick – 35
Quebec – 1,655
Manitoba – 765
Saskatchewan – 550
Alberta – 3,625
British Columbia – 3,075
Yukon – 20
Northwest Territories – 10
Nunavut – 0
With Ottawa’s much-higher immigration targets for the coming years, there’s little doubt the PGP numbers will close 2023 much higher than they did in 2022.
PGP Growth Expected To Continue As Immigrations Targets Rise
In its 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan, Ottawa has set the target for 2023 at 465,000 new permanent residents. The country is to welcome 485,000 new permanent residents in 2024 and another 500,000 in 2025.
That’s a total of 1.45 million immigrants to Canada over the coming three years.
Under the PGP, applicants pay $1,050 to sponsor a parent or grandparent and the process takes up to 23 months, with the people being sponsored required to provide biometrics after they apply. That processing time includes the time to provide those biometrics.
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Once a Canadian citizen or permanent resident has submitted an interest in sponsoring these relatives, he or she is sent an Invitation to Apply (ITA0 and must then submit two applications to the PGP:
the sponsorship application, and;
the permanent residence application.
If those applications get the green light, the sponsor signs an agreement called an undertaking which starts on the day the sponsoree becomes a permanent resident of Canada.
Among the several requirements which need to be met to determine eligibility to sponsor a parent or grandparent, are:
a receipt of an Invitation to Apply;
being at least 18 years old;
Canadian residency;
being a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act;
sufficient funds to support the parent or grandparent;
proof of income, although a spouse or common-law partner can co-sign to combine their income with that of the sponsor, and;
meeting all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
Sponsors Ink Deal With Government To Financially Support Parents And Grandparents
All sponsors living outside of the province of Quebec, which has its own immigration system, must promise to financially support the sponsorees for a period of time.
This undertaking commits the sponsor to:
providing financial support for sponsored family members for 20 years, starting when they become permanent residents;
repaying any provincial social assistance (money from the government) sponsored family members get during that time, and;
agreeing to certain responsibilities during the undertaking period in a sponsorship agreement.
That sponsorship agreement means that the sponsor will provide the basic needs of the sponsoree, including:
food;
clothing;
utilities;
personal requirements;
shelter;
fuel;
household supplies, and;
healthcare not covered by public health insurance, such as eye and dental care.
Sponsors Remain Financial Responsible For Relatives Even In Tough Times
The sponsorship agreement is not one to be entered into lightly as it is obliges the sponsor to meet those requirements even in the case of:
separation or divorce;
family rifts;
unemployment;
change in finances, and even;
death of the main applicant.
Sponsors who live in Quebec must meet that province’s immigration sponsorship requirements after the IRCC approves of the sponsor. The length of the undertaking is 10 years for Quebec.
Due to the need for sponsors to accept responsibility for their parents and grandparents through sponsorship agreements under the PGP, past criminality and serious financial troubles can render a Canadian citizen or permanent resident ineligible for this program.
Applicants may not be eligible to sponsor their parents or grandparents if the sponsors:
are in a jail, prison or penitentiary;
didn’t pay back an immigration loan or performance bond;
failed to make court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support;
didn’t give the financial support specified under a sponsorship agreement to sponsor someone else in the past;
declared bankruptcy and are not discharged;
receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability;
were convicted of a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada, or;
can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because they received a removal order.
The applicant cannot sponsor his or her spouse’s parents or grandparents, aka their in-laws, but can be a co-signer on that spouse’s application to bring to Canada his or her parents and grandparents.
The PGP program also does not allow a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to sponsor someone who is otherwise inadmissible to come to Canada.
The PGP is restricted to the applicant’s own parents and grandparents, related by blood or adoption.
IRCC Urges Applicants To Keep Their Information Current To Avoid Delays
“In case of divorce, you’ll need to submit separate applications if you sponsor divorced parents and grandparents,” notes the IRCC on its website.
“If your divorced parents or grandparents have a current spouse, common-law partner or a conjugal partner, these people become dependants on the application and can immigrate to Canada with your parents and grandparents, if approved.”
A PGP application can include the sponsor’s own brothers and sisters, or half-brothers and sisters, or step-brothers and step-sisters – but only if they qualify as dependent children of the sponsor’s parents.
Delays in processing can quickly occur when the IRCC is faced with information which is no longer accurate and so Canadian immigration officials encourage applicants to keep their contact information and application details up to date.
Important information which must be updated includes:
changes in relationship status;
birth or adoption of a child;
death of an applicant or dependant;
contact information such as e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses.
The applicant is responsible for going into the application and updating it with this information him or herself.
“Don’t mail us changes to your contact or application information,” notes the IRCC. “If you do, we won’t acknowledge your request and we won’t update your application.”
Canadian immigration officials notify applicants under the PGP as soon as they begin to process the application, sending them both an application number and an acknowledgement of receipt of the application.
The IRCC then assesses both the applicant’s eligibility as a sponsor and the person being sponsored for permanent residence.
“If we refuse you as a sponsor, you can choose to have us keep processing the application for permanent residence for your family members,” notes the IRCC.
Choosing to have the IRCC continue processing the application at that point means the sponsor forgoes all fees which have been paid.
By choosing to withdraw the application in the eventuality of being deemed ineligible to sponsor, the applicant can get all of his or her fees back, minus the $75 sponsorship fee.
Once Canadian immigration officials have approved a sponsor under the PGP, they then turn their attention to the people being sponsored to determine their eligibility under the program.
The IRCC will typically request documents from those being sponsored, including:
medical exam results;
police certificates, and;
biometrics.
Letters requesting that biometric information are sent to the parents or grandparents and their dependent children as named in the application and they then have 30 days to provide the biometric information at the closest collection point.
GTA Homes blog Realinsights is reporting the current Ontario construction worker shortage has peaked at 72,000 missing personnel.
While the labour shortage within this sector – in combination with a booming housing and infrastructure demand – is nation-wide, the effects of the same are being felt by each individual province; Ontario’s dire need to recruit the aforementioned number of construction workers by 2027 is a prime example of this phenomenon.
Ontario’s construction worker shortage is primarily being contributed to by a high retirement rate within the industry.
According to a BuildForce Canada report, in fact, upwards of 80,000 Ontario construction workers are to retire in the next decade. However, while a vacuum is created by worker exit, there is not enough inflow to fill it.
Last month’s StatsCan labour survey unearthed the fact that Canada construction saw a loss of 45,000 jobs in July – a 2.8 percent from the month before that. Since January 2023, construction employment decreased by 71,000.
If the shortage continues, the report postulates that roughly 118,900 construction positions will be left vacant by 2033. CIBC Chief Economist Benjamin Tal estimates 300,000 workers to be retiring in Canada over that time.
The province’s desperation to change the course of this trend is evident in the fact that its government was announced to be investing $3.6 million to support three innovative projects to assist 2,200 women and young people across Ontario prepare for “meaningful and well-paying careers” in construction.
“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government will continue to invest in training programs that spread life-changing opportunity to anyone who wants a hand up to a bigger paycheque and a better life,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
“We are proud to support these new projects that help women and young people enter the trades and find purpose-driven careers.”
MPP of Etobicoke-Lakeshore Christine Hogarth additionally said that “Our province – and my Riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore – are facing unprecedented challenges when it comes to managing the significant economic and population growth most experts expect for Ontario in the years to come. Chief among them are the housing crisis and a corresponding shortage of skilled labour.”
The housing crisis’ increasing urgency is also reflected in the fact that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has cited in June that the country needs 5.8 million new homes to restore housing affordability. If the current rates of new construction projects continue, Canada’s housing supply could increase to 2.3 million units by 2030.
However, to achieve affordability, the CMHC estimates that 3.5 million more homes are needed. While Doug Ford has set forth ambitious plans to construct 1.5 million homes in the next decade, the mass retirement and its resultant labour shortage may complicate this aim.
To fix that, Ontario has extended additional goals. For example, one of its key strategies is allowing high school students to access training and certification programs. The government has allowed trade recruiters go to high schools and expose students to the “opportunities and benefits of pursuing a career in the trades” early on. Rules regarding the age high school students can start an apprenticeship have been relaxed to further this goal.
This prioritizes those who have held trade experience – including contractors, electricians, and welders. These changes further help Canada construction to attract skilled foreign trade workers to the country.
One of the government’s initiatives to encourage women in construction has been to implement women’s’-only bathrooms and provide more accessible and suitable bathrooms under new regulations to the Construction Projects Regulation O. Reg. 213/91 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, O. Reg. 61/23.
While all the above-mentioned initiatives are “a step in the right direction,” according to Chavez-Gallardo, more is needed than what is being done currently. Otherwise, the 72,000-strong construction worker shortage – with 80,000 more on the horizon – will create housing shortages that would inevitably drive-up home costs.
Canada jobs are available for construction trades contractors and supervisors, providing an opportunity for qualified foreign nationals 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 contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers are expected to total 19,800, while the number of job seekers arising from school leavers, immigration and mobility is expected to total 15,000,” notes the Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) website of the federal government.
That’s a shortfall of 4,800 jobs that are going to be going begging for a want of qualified workers – unless immigrants to Canada pick up the slack.
“Projected job openings are expected to be substantially higher than job seekers, creating a shortage of workers over the 2022 – 2031 period,” notes COPS.
“Job openings are expected to arise mostly from retirements.
“As workers in this occupational group tend to be older than average, the retirement rate is expected to be slightly higher than the national average.
“As such, retirements will account for about 70 per cent of total job openings, a proportion that is significantly higher than the average of all occupations of about 50 per cent.”
When Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced Canada’s Express Entry system would begin targeting 82 jobs in healthcare, technology, trades, transport and agriculture this summer – including contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers, it 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.
Are you an employer looking to hire foreign workers in Canada? Immigration.ca can help through its sister company, skilledworker.com. We provide a comprehensive recruitment package to help you identify and hire the best individuals from abroad. Contact us now.
Candidates hoping to immigrate through Express Entry occupation-targeted draws will 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.
Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers, categorized under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 system with the code 72014, supervise and coordinate the activities of tradespeople, including bricklayers and insulators, concrete finishers, tilesetters and plasterers, roofers, glaziers, painters, decorators and floor covering installers and building maintenance installers, servicers and repairers.
The Jobbank federal job-hunting and career-planning website gives a ranking of very good, its highest rating, for the job prospects of these workers in Quebec and Saskatchewan and a ranking of good for Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
In late August, the Indeed.ca job-hunting website listed 2,760 jobs for contractors across Canada.
Contractors Can Earn Up To $89,992 Per Year In Canada
The median hourly wage for contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers in Canada is $35 but that varies from a low of $22 right up to $46.15, reveals Jobbank.
Based on a standard, 37.5-hour work week, that means contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers can expect to earn up to $89,992 per year in Canada.
If you are a candidate looking for a Canada job, or an employer looking to recruit foreign talent from abroad, immigration.ca can help. Access our expertise through our in-house recruitment enterprise skilledworker.com, “the leader in foreign recruitment”.
“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.”
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.
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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.
Are you ready to live and work in Canada? Fill out our free evaluation form to find out if you are eligible.
Become the right candidate with the job you always wanted with our online IELTS and EECP packages at skilledworker.com.
We are accepting international entrepreneurs to join our Start-Up Visa projects in Canada. Read more here.
Immigrants to Quebec are now more likely to have university degrees than Canadian-born Quebeckers, analysis has found.
Basing himself on the 2021 Canadian census, demographic researcher Jack Jedwab conducted an analysis that showed newcomers to Quebec were more likely to be university-educated than the rest of the population.
“There’s a substantially widening gap between immigrants and non-immigrants and it’s largely being fuelled by our immigration policies,” Jedwab reportedly told the Montreal Gazette.
The findings of the president of the Association for Canadian Studies, gleaned from looking at the census responses of people aged 35 to 44 years of age, run counter to the discriminatory notion held by some people that immigrants are poorly educated.
“That’s clearly not a stereotype that has any basis in our reality in the 21st century.”
In his analysis, Jedwab discovered 51.5 per cent of immigrants had at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 28.5 per cent among the rest of the population, and immigrants were also more than twice as likely to have master’s degrees with 15.7 per cent of them holding these advanced degrees compared to just six per cent of the rest of the Canadian population.
Immigrants were also found to be twice as likely to have degrees in the health sciences, in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or optometry.
Although they are more likely to have degrees qualifying them to work in healthcare, immigrants in Canada were also found to be much less likely to work in that field.
Jedwab cautions that Canada must make better use of immigrants’ education.
“As we attract more people with these higher-education degrees, are we running the risk that they’ll be underemployed because the type of education they’ve received does not align with the skills that we require to meet our labour force requirements?” he reportedly said.
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The demographic researcher’s analysis of the immigrants’ levels of education and success in the job market comes as Quebec is undertaking a public consultation process to determine its immigration strategy for 2024 to 2027.
During the three-week consultation process that started Sept. 12, a committee of the National Assembly of Quebec, the province’s legislative body which is officially called the Assemblée nationale du Québec, is to consider the 77 briefs which have already been submitted and listen to roughly 70 experts and organizations that have asked to make presentations.
Business groups in the province are solidly in support of increased immigration to the province.
The latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveals Quebec in fact welcomed 68,720 new permanent residents last year and had already received another 33,550 new permanent residents by the end of July this year,
That level of immigration, if the trend seen in the first seven months of this year were to be continued throughout the rest of 2023, would see 57,514 new permanent residents settling in Quebec by the end of this year.
Business Groups Want More Immigration To Quebec But Province Holding The Line
And Michel Leblanc, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, wants Quebec to raise its immigration target to 60,000 to help resolve labour shortages.
“This need, which is quite predictable, can be explained by the demographic tightening of Quebec’s population, which is occurring at a time when our economy is experiencing strong structural momentum,” Leblanc has reportedly said.
“Our society as a whole has to contend with a sustained increase in the number of vacancies in all areas, from health care to education to high-tech sectors.”
But Quebec Premier François Legault and Christine Fréchette, the Quebec minister responsible for the Ministre de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI), the province’s immigration department, have been adamant that immigration to the francophone province must be limited to 50,000 new permanent residents yearly to ensure the survival of the Quebecois culture.
In the run-up to the last provincial election, Legault told a business audience that raising immigration levels would be “suicidal” to the French language and insisted Quebec must not accept substantially more than 50,000 new permanent residents annually.
After the election, the premier doubled down on that vision of Quebec by putting forth a plan to limit economic immigration to the province to only those foreign nationals who already speak French.
“As premier of Quebec, my first responsibility is to defend our language and our identity,” said Legault. “During the past few years, the French language has been in decline in Quebec. Since 2018, our government has acted to protect our language, more so than any previous government since the adoption of Bill 101 under the Levesque government.
“But, if we want to turn the tide, we must do more. By 2026, our goal is to have almost entirely francophone economic immigration. We have the duty, as Québécois, to speak French, to daily pass on our culture and to be proud of it.”
Under the proposed changes to Quebec’s immigration system, all adult applicants for economic immigration would have to demonstrate they can speak French.
Occupation-targeted Express Entry system draws include railway carmen and carwomen with Canada jobs available in the field, creating an opportunity for qualified foreign nationals to gain their permanent residence.
“Over the period 2022-2031, the number of job openings arising from expansion demand and replacement demand for railway carmen and carwomen and aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors is expected to total 8,200, while the number of jobseekers arising from school leavers, immigration and mobility is expected to total 5,800,” notes the Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS).
“Although this occupational group has had a balanced market in recent years, projected job openings are expected to be substantially higher to job seekers, creating a shortage of workers over the 2022 – 2031 period.”
Retiring Baby Boomers and growth in the transportation sector across Canada is expected to drive demand for these workers.
“The outlook for the fabrication of railroad equipment also looks quite optimistic as the transportation of oil by train is increasing at a rapid pace in North America due to the lack of pipeline capacity,” notes the COPS website.
When Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced Canada’s Express Entry system would begin targeting 82 jobs in healthcare, technology, trades, transport and agriculture this summer – including railway carmen and carwomen, it 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.
Candidates hoping to immigrate through Express Entry occupation-targeted draws will 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.
Are you an employer looking to hire foreign workers in Canada? Immigration.ca can help through its sister company, skilledworker.com. We provide a comprehensive recruitment package to help you identify and hire the best individuals from abroad. Contact us now.
The Job Bank federal job-hunting and career-planning website gives a ranking of very good, its highest rating, for the job prospects of railway carmen and carwomen in British Columbia and Ontario over the next three years.
The median hourly wage for railway carmen and carwomen in Canada is $37.10 but that varies from a low of $25 right up to $41, reveals Job Bank.
Railway Carmen And Carwomen Can Earn Up To $79,950 Annually In Canada
Based on a standard, 37.5-hour work week, that means instructors of persons with disabilities can expect to earn up to $79,950 per year in Canada.
“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.
If you are a candidate looking for a Canada job, or an employer looking to recruit foreign talent from abroad, immigration.ca can help. Access our expertise through our in-house recruitment enterprise skilledworker.com, “the leader in foreign recruitment”.
“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.”
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.
Video
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.
Are you ready to live and work in Canada? Fill out our free evaluation form to find out if you are eligible.
Become the right candidate with the job you always wanted with our online IELTS and EECP packages at skilledworker.com.
We are accepting international entrepreneurs to join our Start-Up Visa projects in Canada. Read more here.
Statistics Canada says the Canada jobs market softened somewhat during the second quarter of this year but remains tight compared to the situation prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Job vacancies decreased in the second quarter (and) the number of unemployed persons … increased by 44,300, following three quarters of little change,” notes the statistical and demographic services agency.
“As a result, there were 1.4 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in Canada in the second quarter, up from 1.3 in the previous quarter and from 1.1 in the second quarter of 2022.
That softening of the labour market is expected to be enough to reduce the upward pressure on wages.
“Nevertheless, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio in the second quarter remained below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, which were typically above 2.0,” notes Statistics Canada.
While the average hourly wage offered to workers grew 4.4 per cent to $25.10 year-over-year in the second quarter, that’s a drop in the rate of wage increases from the first quarter during which wages were rising by five percent.
Not all of those increases, though, were due to employers paying workers more to do the same jobs.
“Part of these wage increases were due to a shift in the relative composition of job vacancies from occupations offering lower wages to those offering higher wages,” reports Statistics Canada.
“Using a method that holds the composition of job vacancies by occupation at the average of the second quarter of 2022, offered hourly wages grew three per cent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2023, down from 3.5 per cent in the previous quarter.”
Nurse Aides, Orderlies And Patient Services Associates Got The Biggest Raises In Q2
Among the occupations that saw the biggest raises in the second quarter of this year were nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates whose wages rose by 8.6 per cent to $22.80 and public works and maintenance labourers who got raises of eight per cent to $23.05.
Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors, though, saw their average wages fall by 4.3 per cent to $32.40 and residential and commercial installers and servicers’ average wages fell by 4.2 per cent to $22.90 on a year-over-year basis.
Are you an employer looking to hire foreign workers in Canada? Immigration.ca can help through its sister company, skilledworker.com. We provide a comprehensive recruitment package to help you identify and hire the best individuals from abroad. Contact us now.
With the softening of the labour market in the second quarter of this year, there were significant job losses in four sectors.
Sales and service occupations fell by 30,400, or 11.1 per cent, to 243,500 jobs, the biggest quarterly decline of any of the broad occupational groups.
“Within this broad occupational group, food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations, lost 24,400 jobs … and retail salespersons lost 12,900 jobs,” notes Statistics Canada.
Natural and applied sciences and related occupations also saw a loss of jobs with the sector losing 5,100 positions in the second quarter of this year, the fourth consecutive quarterly decline.
If you are a candidate looking for a Canada job, or an employer looking to recruit foreign talent from abroad, immigration.ca can help. Access our expertise through our in-house recruitment enterprise skilledworker.com, “the leader in foreign recruitment”.
“In the second quarter of 2023, the largest year-over year decreases in vacant positions within this broad occupational group were among computer programmers and interactive media developers, down 6,700 jobs or 54.5 per cent, software engineers and designers, down 5,100 jobs or 53.5 per cent, and information systems analysts and consultants, down 4,900 positions or 40.1 per cent,” notes Statistics Canada.
During the second quarter, there were also drops in job vacancies in business, finance and administration, manufacturing and utilities, natural resources, agriculture and related production, and the trades, transport and equipment operations.
“Construction trades helpers and labourers … reported the largest drop in job vacancies, followed by material handlers … and transport truck drivers,” notes Statistics Canada.
Healthcare Is The Only Sector That Saw An Uptick In Job Vacancies In Q2
The healthcare sector was the only broad occupational group to see a rise in job vacancies in the second quarter with 90,000 vacant positions in health occupations, up by 7,800, or 9.5 per cent from a year ago.
“It was also the only broad occupational group to see a year-over-year increase in full and part-time unfilled positions; as well as in permanent … and temporary … vacant positions,” notes Statistics Canada.
“At the national level, the bulk of the year-over-year increase in job vacancies in health occupations in the second quarter was attributable to registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses … and licensed practical nurses.”
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Foreign nationals can gain their permanent residency in Canada during tight labour markets by immigrating through the country’s many economic immigration programs.
PNPs Offer Route To Economic Immigration For Skilled Workers
Candidates’ profiles then are ranked against each other according to a points-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The highest-ranked candidates will be considered for an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. Those receiving an ITA must quickly submit a full application and pay processing fees, within a delay of 90-days.
Through a network of Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP), almost all of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories can also nominate skilled worker candidates for admission to Canada when they have the specific skills required by local economies. Successful candidates who receive a provincial or territorial nomination can then apply for Canadian permanent residence through federal immigration authorities.
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.
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The September 19 draws were split into two categories: general and targeted.
In the general draw, which included tech occupations, 147 invitations were issued through five BC PNP streams for skilled workers and international graduates. Minimum scores ranged from 89 to 111 points.
In the targeted draw, a further 51 invitations were issued to skilled workers and international graduates scoring at least 60 points in a draw targeting Early Childhood Educators and Assistants under NOC 42202.
A draw targeted at Healthcare workers saw 27 invitations issued to skilled workers and international graduates, also with a minimum score of 60 points.
There are plenty of Canada jobs available for occupational therapists and Ottawa is hoping foreign nationals will see that as an opportunity to gain their permanent residence in Canada through occupation-targeted Express Entry system draws.
Earlier this year Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced Canada’s Express Entry system would begin targeting 82 jobs in healthcare, technology, trades, transport and agriculture this summer – including occupational therapists.
That gave foreign nationals hoping to immigrate to Canada a new pathway to immigration as the flagship Express Entry selection system had previously only conducted draws based on immigration programs, not by targeting specific occupations.
Occupational therapists in other countries can expect to be increasingly wooed by Canadian employers as the demand for their services shoots up in the coming years.
The Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) website projects that demand for occupational therapists is going to spike. In the years leading up to 2031, the COPS website projects a shortfall of 1,500 occupational therapists in Canada.
“Over the period 2022 – 2031, the number of job openings arising from expansion demand and replacement demand for occupational therapists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment are expected to total 9,100, while the number of job seekers arising from school leavers, immigration and mobility is expected to total 7,600,” notes the COPS website.
“It is expected that the shortage between labour supply and demand seen in recent years will continue over the projection period. Job openings are projected to arise primarily from employment growth. Population growth and the rising share of older people will have an important impact on job creation in this occupational group.”
If you are a candidate looking for a Canada job, or an employer looking to recruit foreign talent from abroad, immigration.ca can help. Access our expertise through our in-house recruitment enterprise skilledworker.com, “the leader in foreign recruitment”.
Candidates hoping to immigrate through Express Entry occupation-targeted draws will 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.
Occupational therapists, categorized under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 system with the code 31203, develop individual and group programs with people affected by illness, injury, developmental disorders, emotional or psychological problems and aging to maintain, restore or increase their ability to care for themselves and to engage in work, school or leisure.
Are you an employer looking to hire foreign workers in Canada? Immigration.ca can help through its sister company, skilledworker.com. We provide a comprehensive recruitment package to help you identify and hire the best individuals from abroad. Contact us now.
The Job Bank federal job-hunting and career-planning website gives a ranking of good for the job prospects of occupational therapists in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. The website ranks the job prospects for these workers as moderate in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In late August, the Indeed.ca job-hunting website listed 1,609 jobs for occupational therapists in Canada.
Occupational Therapists Can Earn Up To $80,398 Annually In Canada
The median hourly wage for occupational therapists in Canada is $41.32 but that varies from a low of $30 right up to $49.23 reveals Job Bank.
Based on a standard, 37.5-hour work week, that means instructors of persons with disabilities can expect to earn up to $80,398 per year in Canada.
“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.”
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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.
Are you ready to live and work in Canada? Fill out our free evaluation form to find out if you are eligible.
Become the right candidate with the job you always wanted with our online IELTS and EECP packages at skilledworker.com.
We are accepting international entrepreneurs to join our Start-Up Visa projects in Canada. Read more here.
