wtf - architects don't qualify as skilled workers in Canada?

[woollymammoth]

I'm a Canadian citizen and my wife is American. We're currently living in California but want to move to Toronto in June.

Given that she has a masters in architecture and has worked for several prestigious architecture firms in London, Los Angeles and San Francisco - I figured it would make sense for her to apply for permanent residency as a skilled worker. I must have been reading some older documentation when we applied originally because all signs appeared to indicate that she qualified. Last month we received a letter back from Immigration Canada rejecting her application because the job code we specified for her experience did not match those on this list:

0111: Financial Managers
0213: Computer and Information Systems Managers
0311: Managers in Health Care
0631: Restaurant and Food Service Managers
0632: Accommodation Service Managers
0711: Construction Managers
1111: Financial Auditors and Accountants
2113: Geologists, Geochemists and Geophysicists
2143: Mining Engineers
2144: Geological Engineers
2145: Petroleum Engineers
3111: Specialist Physicians
3112: General Practitioners and Family Physicians
3141: Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists
3143: Occupational Therapists
3142: Physiotherapists
3151: Head Nurses and Supervisors
3152: Registered Nurses
3215: Medical Radiation Technologists
3233: Licensed Practical Nurses
4121: University Professors
4131: College and Other Vocational Instructors
6241: Chefs
6242: Cooks
7213: Contractors and Supervisors, Pipefitting Trades
7215: Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
7217: Contractors and Supervisors, Heavy Construction Equipment Crews
7241: Electricians (Except Industrial and Power System)
7242: Industrial Electricians
7251: Plumbers
7252: Steamfitters, Pipe fitters and Sprinkler System Installers
7265: Welders and Related Machine Operators
7312: Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
7371: Crane Operators
7372: Drillers and Blasters – Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction
8221: Supervisors, Mining and Quarrying
8222: Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service
9212: Supervisors, Petroleum, Gas and Chemical Processing and Utilities

Funny thing is, when my wife was younger - she worked as a cook in her father's restaurant for several years.

So let me get this straight... her masters in architecture and years of experience as a digital design specialist building 3D models for http://www.fosterandpartners.com, http://www.foga.com/ (she helped build the 3D model for http://www.ago.net/frank-gehry-redesigned-ago) and http://www.som.com doesn't qualify her to immigrate to Canada as a skilled worker - but her 3 years flipping burgers as a teenager would have? If only I'd known how insane this policy was - we'd have used job code (6242: Cooks) and been happily on our way!

So my question is - is this really happening? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills? Did I just run into a bad case examiner or is Canadian immigration policy really this inane and shortsighted? That Frank Gehry AGO project was designed in California, not Canada. Possibly because our current immigration policy favours cooks over architects.

 

[rupeshhari]

depends on the needs of the country i guess.

she could re-apply as a cook but even easier is for her to apply as a PR as your wife???? isnt that easier?

 

[woollymammoth]

Yeah, I'm in the process of doing that now - http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/applying-for-permanent-residence-from-the-united-states-t18297.0.html

 

[Leon]

For the answer to your post, architects do qualify as skilled workers in Canada, they are however not currently in huge demand, at least not enough to end up on that list. If her cooking experience was within the last 10 years, she could have applied as a cook.

The thing about the list is that they announced on February 27, 2008 that there would be changes made to the system but not which. This was a very low profile announcement. This list was not actually published until November 28, 2008. In the meantime, all incoming applications were subject to these new rules that nobody knew of so she really could not have known that she had to apply as a cook at the time she applied.

Anyway, since you are already doing sponsorship, good luck on that

 

[AlberMex]

If her job duties fall in the title "Construction manager"....she can apply!