Working in a foreign country such as Canada is often financially rewarding.  Further, a foreigner’s work experience in Canada can sometimes be seen as a foothold to acquiring permanent resident status in Canada.    There are steps to determine whether the Canadian employer has explored the possibility of finding a Canadian to work in the job prior to reaching out to a  foreign worker.  Similarly, given the financial rewards to a foreign worker, as well as the enviable work environment, there are steps the Canadian government must take to determine if the foreign worker is able and willing to take the job and comply with the immigration laws of Canada.

Work History

If you are seeking to work in Canada you must have some skills that are desirous to a Canadian employer.  The skills can be specific, or can be relatively low, as long as the Canadian employer is unable to find a Canadian to perform the job (thus necessitating the need to hire a person foreign to Canada).  In other words, have relevant work history sought by  a Canadian employer.

Proof of Work History

Merely having a work history is not enough.  You must have proof of that work history in the form of a job reference letter and proof of being paid a salary.  The job reference letter should be detailed enough to show your job title,  the duties you performed, and the salary you were given for those job duties.  In some cases, the person who signed the letter may be contacted to verify the genuineness of that job reference letter.

Acquire a would-be or Potential Canadian Employer

The Canadian bureaucratic vision of how this unfolds is as follows.  A Canadian employer has a specialized need.  For example, a Canadian Optometrist has a need for a lens grinder with specialized skills.  The Optometrist places advertisements (also known as  want ads) in three places to advertise, such as Kijiji/Craigslist,  Indeed, and the  Canadian government site JobBank.  The optometrist reviews potential Canadians with skills but does not find Canadians with specialized lens grinding skills.  However, one Candidate from, for example, Pakistan answers one of the advertisements and presents her résumé.  The optometrist notices that the skills presented in said résumé correspond to the optometrist’s employment needs.  The optometrist then embarks on the process of sponsoring the foreign worker to work at the optometrist’s business in Canada.   You can  contact us about the process of such a sponsorship.

By contrast, the reality is often that the foreign worker has a connection to a potential Canadian employer who knows that the skills of the foreign worker are a good fit for the Canadian employer.  The Canadian employer subsequently embarks upon the process of sponsoring the foreign worker.

Less Skilled Canadian  jobs for Foreign Workers from Caribbean or Mexico

The processes for sponsoring a foreign worker  from certain countries such as mentioned in the heading above invariably require using the Labour Market Impact Assessment process.  Workers from other countries seeking to work in a less skilled job in Canada may require the potential Canadian employer to utilize the various provincial nominee programs of Canada.  Such provincial  programs may allow persons working in less skilled jobs such as truck driver to fulfill an employment need of a Canadian employer.  In such situations there is a similar process of vetting the employer that is done by a provincial department rather than a federal official deciding on an LMIA.

Next Step: Professional Assessment of The Canadian Business & the Foreign Worker

If you’re thinking about the bringing a foreign worker to Canada for a Canadian business, contact us.