Canadian employers can hire foreign workers either on a permanent basis or on a temporary basis. There are several options to choose from based on your needs. It all starts with a job offer.
If you, as a Canadian employer, would like to hire a foreign worker on a permanent basis, the worker will need to obtain Canadian Permanent Residency. There are your fast-track options available so that your future employee can begin work quickly:- Arranged Employment
Foreign nationals can apply for Canadian immigration under the Federal Skilled Worker category and indicate that they have Arranged Employment. Though they will not be granted permission to work in Canada until their receive their Canada Immigration Visa, their applications will receive priority processing in order to get them to Canada, and to your place of work, as soon as possible.
The most important advantage of this option is that HRSDC will not require you to demonstrate that you were unable to find Canadian citizens or permanent residents to fill the positions in question.
- Provincial Nomination Programs (PNP)
Most Canadian provinces and territories have created Provincial Nomination Programs, specific to their needs, to recruit workers from abroad who intend to settle as Permanent Residents in a given province or territory. If your business is located in a province which has a PNP for foreign skilled workers, this is an important fast-track option for you.
A key advantage to this option is that there are no minimum skill requirements for the position being offered. Many lower-skilled positions are well-suited for Provincial Nomination. In order to qualify, HRSDC may require that you prove that you were unable to fill the positions with Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents.
Once your workers are nominated, they will likely receive work permits immediately to begin employment at your company, while their applications for Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visas are fast-tracked.
Note that the province of Quebec does not have a Provincial Nomination Program, but rather the Quebec Skilled Worker category of immigration. - Canadian Experience Class
If you have been employing foreign workers on a temporary basis and wish to offer them full-time employment, they may qualify for Canadian immigration under the Canadian Experience Class.
- Temporary Work Permit
Hiring foreign workers on Temporary Work Permits is undoubtedly the fastest option. We’re talking weeks, maybe even days, between the time you make the job offer and the time your workers can be in Canada, working for you. However, in order to hire temporary foreign workers, you may need to prove to HRSDC that unsuccessful efforts were made to hire Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents for the positions in question.
Contact Us for more information about hiring foreign workers
