Skilled Worker Immigration Pathways
Canada aims to welcome over 400,000 immigrants every year. Some 60 per cent of these immigrants arrive as skilled workers. The main way skilled workers can immigrate to Canada is through the Express Entry application management system. The second main way is through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), followed by Quebec’s skilled worker programs, and then a few other targeted federal programs.
Skilled workers can also bring close family members with them to Canada. These family members also gain permanent resident status.
Canada supports talented individuals that meet the country’s economic demands giving them work permits to work in Canada
About Working in Canada
A work permit enables a foreign national to work in Canada temporarily. Canada offers more than 100 different options to foreign workers.
There are two types of work permit programs in Canada:
- Temporary Foreign Worker Program: A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is required for a foreign national to obtain a work permit
- International Mobility Program: An LMIA is not required for a foreign national to obtain a work permit
The difference between the two programs is the TFWP requires a labour market test, known as the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
Types of Work Permit Programs in Canada
The purpose of the LMIA is for employers to demonstrate to the Canadian government that the hiring of a foreign worker will not have a negative impact on Canada’s existing workforce.
The federal department of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) wants to ensure that the hiring of foreign workers will not displace existing workers in Canada nor place downward pressures on their wages. Workers that need an LMIA fall under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
Although the LMIA process is the rule, there are many different LMIA-exempt work permits, resulting from free trade agreements. These free trade agreements enable foreign workers to apply for a work permit without their employer having to obtain an LMIA. Workers who do not need an LMIA fall under the International Mobility Program (IMP).
Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)
The post-graduation work permit (PGWP) allows students who have graduated from eligible schools to gain valuable Canadian work experience. Graduating from a DLI (Designated Learning Institution) doesn’t automatically make you eligible for a PGWP. There are only a select few DLI that offer PGWP
