Alongside the Federal Government’s development of 320 Foreign Credential Referral Offices across the country, Provincial Governments have also been working to ease labour shortages by streamlining skilled migrants passage into the workforce.

This month, Alberta released A Foreign Qualifications Recognition Plan for Alberta. The plan was developed through consultation with stakeholders and various government departments.

The key features of the plan are:

• “To create a $1-million Innovation Fund to encourage the development of innovative and flexible approaches to foreign qualifications assessment;
• To improve access to information and resources for employers, immigrants and potential newcomers;
• To develop International Education Guides which will include comprehensive information on educational systems and credentials in other countries, along with comparisons to Alberta standards; and
• To develop occupational profiles detailing the certification, licensing, or assessment process.”

“Streamlining foreign qualification recognition is a ‘win-win’ scenario for newcomers to our province and for Alberta,” stated Doug Horner, Alberta Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. “This plan will help expand our labour market, strengthen our economy and provide opportunities for immigrants to make the most of the skills they’ve brought to out province.”

Canada is working hard to make your emigration dreams realise as smoothly as possible. If you have skills and an ambition to live and work in Canada, visit www.workingin-canada.com, right away!

Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, who is attending the APEC Leaders Week in Peru, announced yesterday that Canada is joining the APEC Business Travel Card programme.

The system allows business people to have streamlined entry into participating countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Holders of the card only have to apply for one every three years and avoid having to gain multi-entry visas to the countries in which they conduct business. There are now 18 countries participating in the scheme, which include Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Another step towards making international business and travel a little easier. Interested in emigrating to Canada? Take a look at www.workingin-canada.com!

Speaking in the Ukraine last Friday, Jason Kenney, Canada’s Immigration Minister, said that the current economic climate would not affect the numbers of skilled immigrants entering Canada.

“Obviously, the economic crisis worries us a great deal… But we believe it would be counterproductive, from an economic growth point of view, to cut off a labour supply from those sectors of the economy that are still growing by reducing immigration levels,” he said.

“We intend to maintain a robust immigration programme but we’ll obviously monitor the situation closely to make sure it is working for Canada and our economy.”

The federal government in Canada has recently been working very closely with its provincial counterparts to ensure that the country’s labour shortages are being addressed. Consultation with these governmental departments, in conjunction with labour heads and industry leaders, has led Mr Kenney to believe that skilled migrants are key to ensuring economic growth in Canada.

If you have skills and an interest in moving to Canada, you may find it easier than you imagine. Visit www.workingin-canada.com. It’s all there – information, links and useful relocation tips.

The Canadian government has signed deals with Alberta, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, and Labrador to fund settlement programmes aimed at better integrating migrants to the country. Agreements with other Provinces are also being negotiated, which will total around $500 million each year for six years.

The agreements are part of Advantage Canada, the federal government’s long-term economic plan to create the “best-educated, most skilled, and most flexible work force in the world”. They will aim to get the most out of migrants by encouraging them to upskill and to contribute fully to the economy.

Canada is working hard to encourage skilled migrants into the country to ease labour shortages. For details on visas and other information on how to emigrate to Canada, visit www.workingin-canada.com today!

Jason Kenney, Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multi-culturalism recently addressed the Canadian Club in Winnipeg and emphasised his government’s dedication to current immigration policies and settlement programmes.

Highlighting recent improvements to the immigration system, including the new Canadian Experience Class visa, the creation of the Foreign Credentials Referral Office and the $1.4 billion immigrant settlement scheme, Mr Kenney spoke of the importance of a streamlined system.

‘Just as immigration has played a strong role in our past, it will continue to be important to our future. Canada is respected around the world for the way we’ve managed to bring in people from all over the globe. We have done this with a spirit of openness and tolerance, embracing diversity and becoming stronger for it.’

People just like you, with skills needed to fill labour shortages and strengthen Canada’s economy, are being welcomed into Canada to live and work. Some skilled migrants are even being fast-tracked in to the country if their skills are deemed in demand. Perhaps yours are? Take a look at www.workingin-canada.com for information on visas and much much more!

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has very recently released a report entitled Building a Twenty-First Century Workforce: A Business Strategy to Overcome Canada’s Skills Crisis, in which it calls upon the Canadian Federal Government to take serious strategic steps to address the country’s labour shortages.

“The quest to attract talent and the drive for competitiveness are closely linked. If we don’t have the brightest and the best, we will be neither competitive nor productive. It is that simple. We simply must do better,” said Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber.

Among recommendations made in the report are some directly aimed at tackling the problem through immigration, including improving the country’s immigration system in order to attract the world’s best talent and streamlining systems to cut down on processing times.

There has never been a better time to emigrate to Canada. The government there is working extremely hard to make sure that your move is a smooth one. Interested? Visit www.workingin-canada.com for details!

The Conference Board of Canada has recently reported that its research shows that Canada will need 110,000 more visas issued to skilled migrants per year by 2025 in order to stave off the predicted critical labour shortage.

Currently Canada issues 250,000 visas each year but the Conference Board expects this figure to rise to 360,000 in order for the economy to continue its stable growth.

There are masses of opportunities in Canada right now. If you have transferable skills and are interested in creating a new life in Canada, check out www.workingin-canada.com today! The government recently made changes to its immigration policies to fast-track some skilled migrants through its system. You could be one of them….

Last week a coalition, entitled Investing in Skills, was launched in Ottawa in order to raise awareness amongst voters of Canada’s labour shortage in the run up to the October 14th Federal election.  Taking the form of a national coalition of business, education, health and labour associations the coalition is tasked with creating greater attention on the country’s skilled staffing issues.

“The shortage of skilled workers is crippling our country’s economy,” said Paul Charette, chairman of the Canadian Construction Association, and coalition chair. “In the construction sector alone, close to 260,000 new workers are needed over the next eight years.”

If you have ever had dreams of living and working in Canada, your time could be now.  The government there is seriously streamlining the entry process for migrants with relevant skills to industries that are suffering shortages.  Take a look at www.workingin-canada.com to see whether your skills are in demand.

Canadian Immigration Minister Diane Finley has held talks with key stakeholders from business, industry, labor and non-governmental organisations to get a really clear picture of which occupations can benefit from skilled immigration.  The talks are designed to clear the way for fast tracking of vital skilled workers entering Canada.

“There are shortages of workers in many professions and trades. These broad consultations with stakeholders have provided us with a picture of the most common and acute pressures across the country, and how immigration can play a role in addressing them,” Finley said in a release.

Canada is suffering from a skills shortage which the Federal Government there is trying to address through an immigration overhaul that will encourage skilled migrants to come and live and work in Canada.  If you are interested in emigrating, check out www.workingin-canada.com!

In response to the enormous influx of skilled workers into Alberta, the province has established two Temporary Foreign Worker advisory offices in Edmonton and Calgary, to provide employment standards and help resolve occupational health and safety issues.

In addition, pilot schemes have been initiated in 6 cities to provide even more detailed support to new temporary residents. “These services include orientation, which covers things like taking the bus, banking, grocery shopping and how to dress in cold weather. It will also provide referrals for housing, education, legal services, interpretation and job applications,” explained Jennifer Raimundo, spokesperson for the Alberta Ministry of Employment and Immigration.

Alberta Employment and Immigration Minister Hector Goudreau has said that he would prefer permanent migrants to enter the province but that the current labour shortage meant temporary workers would have to do. 

Permanent migration to Canada is being actively encouraged.  If you have skills and experience it may be possible for you to make a new life in Canada, without very much hassle.  Check out www.workingin-canada.com!

A report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business has concluded that within the next 10 years Canada’s labour shortage is likely to become critical, thanks largely to the retirement of the Baby Boomers.  The study focussed on Alberta but the trend is likely to be national as Baby Boomers account for one third of Canada’s workforce.  The report predicts trouble for the Canadian economy unless labour shortfalls are filled.

If you are skilled and experienced and interested in migrating to Canada, it may be well worth your while investigating making your dreams come true.  Visit www.workingin-canada.com – it’s all there – jobs, migration advice, help with visas and useful links.  You’ve got it, they want it – what on earth are you waiting for?

There is so much to consider when you are emigrating to Canada.  You have to find a job, then a house, schools for the kids and precious belongings, like the dog, need to be carefully packed up and entrusted to relocation firms.  One thing that is often overlooked is driving licence requirements. 

Depending on which province you are moving to, immigrants are allowed to drive in Canada on their foreign driving licence for between 6 and 12 months, as long as it is accompanied by an International Driving Permit (which you can obtain in your home country).  However, after this time immigrants are required to apply for a Canadian Licence and to forfeit their foreign one. 

To avoid having to work your way through the Canadian graduated licence programme, which is extensive and includes restrictions and tests, it is really  advisable to bring a letter from the licence issuer from your home country, showing your driving history, including prosecutions and accidents.

For much much more information on relocating to Canada, visit www.workingin-canada.com.

The Canadian department for Citizenship and Immigration has announced two changes to its Permanent Residency Card application process.  The card is used to confirm a person’s status in Canada and is used by Permanent Residents to board transport and to re-enter the country after trips overseas.

The first of the changes mean that applicants applying for renewal of PR cards no longer have to submit their old cards while the application is being processed.  This change frees up Permanent Residents to be able to continue to travel whilst their application is in process. 

The second change states that applicants applying for a new or replacement PR card no longer have to have their application signed by a guarantor.  This change will simplify the process “without compromising security as CIC can confirm their residence and identity with other documents.”

For all visa queries and information visit www.workingin-canada.com.

Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, the Honourable Diane Finley, has announced changes to the immigration system which will speed the visa application process for highly skilled workers, to get them into the country and working in high demand areas faster.

It is estimated that there are currently around 950,000 applications backlogged in the Canadian immigration system and this number was expected to reach 1.5 million by 2012 if the announced changes had not been implemented. 

The skills shortage is rapidly increasing in Canada.  If you have high demand skills and are interested in migrating, things are just about to become easier.  Go to www.workingin-canada.com and see whether migration to Canada might be right for you.

Migrants planning to move to Canada stand to benefit from the current changes afoot in immigration policy. The current policy will change, allowing migrants with skills needed to support and grow Canada’s economy given priority in visa applications.

The Star reports that  “Bill C-50 contains a contentious proposal to give the immigration minister the power to issue “instructions” to her department to give priority to categories of skilled workers deemed in demand. The department would also have the power to refuse applications in other categories.”

This proposed law change is beneficial to anyone planning to apply for  a job under the skilled migrant category.

Find out the occupations in demand in Canada.