Applicants w/ work experience, but no BA. degree

[KM88]

Greetings,

Thank you for giving us the chance to seek the help we need to better understand how to proceed with our application, & clarifying what is missing.

I'm a 30 years old male, with over 8 years experience in many fields. I specialize in I.T. Helpdesk.
One of the obstacles that I'm facing when applying for a job, or immigration in Canada is that I have only graduated from high school.

So my inquiry is; can my working experience amount to something when applying for a job/immigration?
Which application category would I fall into? & how to proceed?

Thank you for taking the time to read this thread, & for your support.

Kamel M.

 

[visatest]

Well it's is kind of like this KM88; we have a population that has 60% of it's citizens holding a degree or diploma consequently you are already. "behind the eight ball" as far as your education goes. We only allow those to immigrate, THAT WE NEED ie. advanced degrees and or skills like PCI controller programming. We really just don't have an immigration class for general helpdesk. We have way too many Canadians for that. I would think for an IT helpdesk you would need a degree. The other problem you face is that you must FULLY immigrate before an employer would even consider you for a job (1-3 years express entry, 2-5 years regular immigration). You will need the IELTS english test. You see you need a S.I.N. card before you can do ANYTHING in Canada. This card is needed to rent, get any job, get any services etc. It prevents the illegal immigrant problem like they have in the US. (besides you would freeze here). Also the application is $2000 and you must have $30000 of YOUR OWN MONEY (they do not accept gifts or loans as REAL money, they will check your account to make sure it is there and is YOUR money.) The $30000 is to help you get through you first two years looking for a job. Now if you get through that, when you arrive in Canada, after fully immigrating you must convince ANY employer that you are worth a LMIA or labour market impact assessment. This is where a potential employer is willing to spend $2500 getting the LMIA from the government. The purpose of the LMIA is to ensure there are no Canadians that want the job first. If they don't want it you are free to apply etc. But see what I mean about something more than high school. You would never get a LMIA for an IT job with no degree. Why hire you at immense cost when there are people with degrees by the million already here? Sorry but it just doesn't make economic sense.
Now what you may want to do is look into a 2 year minimum College Course in something the Immigration people want in a trade or skill. The only thing going against you is age; do what ever you want to; quickly.That way you could come over on a student visa (you can only work 20hrs max ON CAMPUS) graduate, work for 2-3 years and then go for a PR. You still must pay all your fees, living allowances and visa fee up front (that is for two years). Check this out; you may assume all colleges are equal in rank. Check them.
https://www.ontariocolleges.ca/en/colleges
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada.html

 

[KM88]

As depressing & harsh that was, I actually laughed. I were expecting some complimentary reply. But I prefer your honesty. Thank you for your time and efforts. From what you've said, it is much clearer now.
I'll look into the colleges and reconsider the whole thing all over again.

Really, thank you! I appreciate your reply.

 

[visatest]

Sorry if it was a bit rough KM88. I was trying to get you not to make the mistake of trying it and then getting bogged down in the middle. Thats really bad because you have depleted your resources. By the time you realize it, it is hard too take another shot at it. Best to plan it, then go the College route. It is still a viable way to immigrate. Also, remember many of our trades make much more than white collar types. So don't despair just take a planned careful approach and you stand a good chance.