In January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will launch a new electronic system called Express Entry to manage applications for permanent residence in certain economic pro-grams. Canada needs high levels of immigration to meet current and future labour market needs, which will ensure our economic growth and long-term prosperity.

Express Entry will allow us to actively recruit, assess and select skilled immigrants under the following federal economic immigration programs:
• the Federal Skilled Worker Program,
• the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and
• the Canadian Experience Class.

Provinces and territories will also be able to recruit candidates from the Ex-press Entry system for a portion of the Provincial Nominee Programs to meet local labour market needs. Under this new system, employers will also have a key role in selecting economic immigrants. Employers will access candidates through Canada’s new and im-proved Job Bank and through provinces and territories where applicable.

The Express Entry system involves two steps:

Step 1, Potential candidates complete an online Express Entry profile

Potential candidates will complete an online Express Entry profile where they will provide information about their skills, work experience, language ability, education, and other details. Those who meet the criteria of one of the federal economic immigration programs subject to Express Entry will be placed in a pool of candidates.

Candidates will be ranked against others in the pool. Only the highest-ranked candidates (those deemed to have the best chances for economic success), and those with qualifying offers of arranged employment or provincial/territorial nominations, will be invited to apply for permanent residence.

If a candidate does not already have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer or a provincial/territorial nomination, he or she must register with the Government of Canada’s Job Bank which will connect him or her with eligible Canadian employers.

Where applicable, employers will be required to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada. There will be no fee for Labour Market Impact Assessments for permanent residence applications under the Express Entry system.

Completing an online Express Entry profile does not guarantee that a candidate will receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence.

Step 2, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will invite certain candidates to apply for permanent residence and process their electronic applications within six months.

Candidates will receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence if they rank among the top in the pool, based on their skills and experience. Candi-dates who have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer (subject to the Labour Market Impact Assessment process in place at that time) or have been nominated by a province or territory will be given high scores in the ranking system.

Candidates will have 60 days to submit an electronic application for permanent residence through one of the following programs:
• Federal Skilled Worker Pro-gram (FSWP);
• Federal Skilled Trades Pro-gram (FSTP);
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC); or,
• A portion of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

Citizenship and Immigration Canada will process the majority of complete applications (i.e. applications including all the necessary supporting documents) within six months or less.

Candidates in the Express Entry pool who do not receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence after 12 months may resubmit their profile and re-enter the pool if they still meet the criteria. This provision will prevent backlogs and ensure quick processing times.

Express Entry will result in faster and more efficient service to potential skilled immigrants. It will also allow the Government of Canada to be more flexible and responsive to Canada’s changing economic conditions and priorities.

Please Contact Us for more information.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resource/enewsletter/index.asp?utm_source=e-newsletter-email&utm_medium=email-eng&utm_campaign=eNews092014

In our previous newsletter, we outlined an immigration initiative from Morden, Manitoba — The Morden Community Driven Immigration Initiative — as part of an article on immigration to rural communities in Canada. This week, we are providing a more detailed guide on how to immigrate to Canada through the Morden immigration initiative.

Due to the fact that the Morden initiative targets a specific set of occupations, candidates who may not be eligible to apply for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) may be eligible to apply within the scope of the Morden initiative, which identifies potential candidates under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP).

Here are the criteria for Morden’s Community Driven Immigration Initiative. Candidates must:
Be between 21 and 45 years of age;
• Have no other connection to other parts of Canada (i.e. through friends, relatives, or previous employment or education);
• Have completed a post-secondary education or training program of at least one year duration, for which they received a diploma, certificate, or degree;
• Have at least two years of full-time work experience in the past five years;
• Have passed a General IELTS test with a minimum score of 5 in each band;
• Have the genuine intention and ability to economically establish themselves and settle in Morden; and
• Have settlement funds as required by the MPNP ($10,000 for the Principal Applicant and $2,000 for each dependent). This is in addition to any funds needed for exploratory visit expenses.
Candidates must also fall within one of the targeted occupations.

The Morden immigration initiative works with local employers to identify these targeted occupations and satisfy local labour market needs:
• Cabinetmakers;
• Welders;
• Automotive mechanics;
• Manufacturing (specifically at entry level);
• Factory sewing machine oper-ators, and
• Childcare/daycare workers.

The initiative will favor candidates who have experience of living in a rural area, with the ability to adapt to culture and climate. Candidates who fulfil the criteria and have been selected as potential immigrants to Morden under the initiative will be required to make an exploratory visit to the area. The main purpose of the visit is to pass the MPNP interview, though making local contacts and seeking employment opportunities are also suggested.

Here is some background information about Morden:
• Population: 9,000
• Unemployment rate: 3.1%
• January average daily temper-ature: -16°C, July average daily temperature: 20.5°C
• Location: 112 km from Winni-peg, just north of the US bor-der
• Designated a “Cultural Capital of Canada” in 2008
• Time zone: Central Time Zone
• Incorporated: May 1, 1885

Please Contact Us for more information.

http://www.cicnews.com/2014/09/immigration-morden-manitoba-093839.html

Although the current Federal Skilled Worker Program allows candidates to make a Canadian permanent resident application without a job offer, obtaining a valid job offer in advance is an advantage for many people hoping to move to Canada.
With this in mind, it is beneficial to maximize your chances of finding employment in Canada. Success depends on your ability to discover what Canadian employers are looking for and reveal to them that you have the required skills, knowledge, and experience. Here is a list of seven ways you can make your-self more employable in Canada.

1. Build your Canadian Resume

An effective resume is essentially a marketing document in which you are the product. It is your chance to make a strong first impression and show your potential value to an employer. Em-ployers across Canada are accustomed to seeing personal information and work background being presented in a particular way, so it’s important to for-mat your resume in the Canadian style. If you cannot represent your skills in a way that employers expect, they are unlikely to believe that you have the ability to adapt to life in Canada.

2. Update your professional social networking presence

If you are conducting your job search remotely rather than on the ground in Canada, it becomes more important to build and maintain your online presence. Professional social networking sites allow you to leverage common connections, connect with recruiters, and discuss issues with members of your growing network and in industry groups. Networking is a time-honored method of communicating with and learning from other people in your field, and modern technology allows you to network remotely. This is another opportunity to make a strong first impression, so take it.

3. Taylor applications to job positions

This is vital. Sending 20 identical applications for 20 different positions is not good practice, as employers can see that you didn’t spend much time thinking about and working on your application. If this is how you are conducting your job search, it is likely to fail. It is far more beneficial to send fewer applications and spend a bit more time researching each position and making alterations to your resume and cover letter accordingly. Employers will appreciate the effort you have put in to make yourself stand out from the crowd, and therefore will be more likely to respond positively to your application.

4. Know where the jobs are in your occupation

Knowledge is power. You might be an award-winning biologist or highly-skilled engineer with all the skills and experience possible, but knowing where those jobs are in Canada, and why those jobs are in those places, is background information that you can’t afford to do without. For the biologist, does the region he or she wishes to move to have the kind of laboratories or research centers needed? For the engineer, are there major infrastructure projects in place or being planned? Are there regular networking events in your job field? What is the pay scale? What are the local and regional employment rates? Getting answers to these questions will allow you to make more targeted job applications, as well as give you a better idea of where in Canada your skills are most needed.

5. Get accredited

Some occupations, such as nursing, teaching and certain trades, require converting your accreditation to Canadian equivalents and/or taking part in further training to gain necessary accreditation for working in Canada. Before you move to Canada, which will show employers that you are serious about moving and prepare you for the Canadian market.

6. Work on your language skills

If English is not your first language and you are moving to part of Canada except Quebec, you should make an increased and sustained effort to improve your English skills. Candidates wishing to work in Quebec should make an effort to improve their French skills. Clear communication is essential for any successful business.

Furthermore, if you are trying to immigrate to Canada under any of the permanent residency programs, you will need to pass an examination in either English or French.

7. Practice your interview techniques

In an increasingly globalized world, more and more employers are interviewing potential employees on the telephone or by Skype. This means that you could be asked to conduct an interview from outside Canada. Getting an interview simply means that you have provided yourself a platform to further demonstrate your suitability for the role. The hard work starts here, and confidence is key. Practice speaking out loud in front of friends, as this will allow you to become comfortable with the ideas you are presenting. More importantly, do some research on the company that has asked you to interview for a position. Moreover, arrange a short list of questions of your own that you can ask employers during an interview. Ensure that you come across as an inquisitive person with a sincere interest in how the company conducts its affairs. The Government of Canada supplies some useful resources on preparing for a job interview.

“Above all, maintaining a positive attitude throughout the job hunting process is key, as it is for the immigration process. It is natural to become frustrated if you are not getting immediate results, but finding a job is a continuous learning cycle,” says Attorney David Cohen. “For potential candidates for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, which remains open across 50 skilled occupations, making yourself more employable in Canada means they can land in Canada and hit the ground running.”

Please Contact Us for more information.

http://www.cicnews.com/2014/09/ways-employable-canada-093855.html