Archive - Finding a Job in Canada

Published: 13 December 2006
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The time it takes to complete the processing of a Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa under the Skilled Worker / Professional category can be lengthy. A Canadian job offer can help speed it up.

With a few exceptions, the visa processing times at Canadian Immigration Visa Offices can extend beyond two years and, at some offices the processing of an application can stretch to more than four years.

Fortunately, something can be done to significantly speed-up the application process. A genuine offer of employment from a legitimate Canadian employer will ensure that the permanent resident application is “fast-tracked”.

If there are no medical and/or security issues, the Canadian Immigration Visa can be expected in less than one year – even less time than that for some Canadian Immigration Visa Offices.

A Canadian job offer (see our free Job Search Tool) can get you to Canada sooner in the following circumstances:

Under the Skilled Worker / Professional category of Canadian immigration, a job offer from a Canadian employer that has been validated/approved by the Canadian Government Department called Services Canada (formerly known as ESDC and/or HRDC) means priority processing of the Canada Immigration Visa. The Canadian employer does not have to demonstrate that efforts were made to hire Canadians.

Most Canadian provinces have agreements with the national Canadian government, whereby the provinces can nominate individuals who indicate an intention to reside in their territory.* A job offer from an employer within the nominating province is usually a requirement under the PNP category. Generally, the employer does have to demonstrate that efforts were made to hire Canadians, but that these efforts were unsuccessful.
* Provincial nominees are assured of priority processing of their Canada Immigration Visas. Moreover, once they have been nominated, they may obtain a temporary Work Permit and can begin living and working in Canada even before the Canada Immigration Visa is issued.
As the name suggests, a Temporary Work Permit allows its holder to live and work in Canada for a specified time. It makes sense to consider a Work Permit as part of an overall Canadian immigration strategy because a Work Permit can be utilized to cover the time during which the Canada Immigration Visa is being processed. A Work Permit can be obtained quickly; often in a matter of days or weeks instead of months or years. The starting point for a Work Permit is a Canadian job offer from a Canadian employer. Depending upon the type of Work Permit applied for, the Canadian employer may or may not have to demonstrate that efforts were made to hire Canadians, but that these efforts were unsuccessful.