Plenty of work in Canada and Australia, claims Filipino official

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administrator (POEA) has told hopeful migrants that there are still jobs for them abroad despite the global economic slump.

Although many countries have been making thousands of jobs redundant, there is still requirement for foreign workers in many industries says Jennifer Manalill, the POEA.

Speaking of opportunities to work in Australia, Manalill said, "Australia has expressed intent to hire Filipino workers since they need to rehabilitate gas and oil pipes. They also need IT professionals.”

“In Canada,” says Manalill, “they're looking for health care workers and service crew such as food counter attendants. They need workers for various industries.”

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Foreign workers wary of prospects

Slowing economy sees migrants facing layoffs

By Tamara Gignac, Calgary Herald
January 4, 2009

Andreas Junkier (vest) and Uwe Schulz came to find a better life in Canada but now have to return to Germany after they were laid off.

Photograph by: Lorraine Hjalte, Calgary Herald

Alberta's need for temporary foreign workers to fill everything from fast-food jobs to oilsands construction contracts could be losing steam, along with the economy.

The province has for years grappled with a labour shortage -- the result of a dizzying building boom coupled with a changing demographic that is seeing baby boomers preparing to retire.

The solution has been a flood of immigrants into Alberta, most of whom are living here on one-or two-year visas at the request of an employer.

Alberta is home to almost one in five of the foreign workers living in Canada -- some 30,000 people--who do everything from make beds in hotels to operate machinery in Fort McMurray's oilsands.

"We've been fortunate in Alberta--but if the worldwide recession continues for any length of time, it's probably going to catch up to us," said Alberta's Employment and Immigration Minister Hector Goudreau.

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Canada's labour ministers to meet again

CALGARY — The country's labour ministers, who wrapped up a two-day meeting in Lake Louise on Friday, have agreed to gather again to tackle the impact of the economic downturn on jobs.

Federal Labour Minister Rona Ambrose said the date and location of the meeting has not yet been set, but stressed it's important the provinces and Ottawa work together to address unemployment, which is expected to rise as the recession deepens.

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A ray of hope for new immigrants

Patricia O'Connor is a petite, quiet-spoken woman who has made a big difference in the lives of hundreds of Canadian immigrants.

When I first met her earlier this week, O'Connor was surrounded by friends thanking and praising her for the work she is doing to give skilled newcomers a helping hand in finding jobs in Canada.

We were at an awards ceremony where O'Connor was one of five individuals and companies being honoured for their leadership in recruiting, retaining and promoting skilled immigrants in the Greater Toronto Area.

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Quebec Immigration Program

Skilled workers planning to apply for permanent residence in Quebec must first apply to the Quebec government for a certificate of selection (Certificat de sélection du Québec). This is because under the Canada-Quebec Accord on Immigration, Quebec establishes its own immigration requirements and selects immigrants who will adapt well to living in Quebec.

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Foreign worker dismissals set to rise

The number of dismissals of temporary foreign workers is expected to spike in 2009, while the number of new foreign workers being recruited to Canada is forecast to drop significantly as companies face the prospect of layoffs in a recession, say immigration lawyers and recruiters.

"There seemed to be a never-ending pool of work for (immigration) lawyers and companies were in desperate need for foreign workers," says Evelyn Ackah, who leads the business immigration practice in Calgary for law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain.

"It's like an arc has just happened."

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Work in Canada in 2009, your best options explained

2008 seen many changes to Canadian immigration, particularly with regard to Canadian business visas and work permits.

A number of significant developments occurred that impacted Canadian companies in terms of employing foreign nationals and contracting foreign service providers.

In December, Canada announced that it was increasing the duration of the NAFTA Professional work permit for American and Mexican citizens from one year to three years.

Improvements to the Post Graduate work permit program means that foreign nationals who graduate from Canadian universities may apply for an open work permit within ninety days of their graduation. The work permit is valid for three years, after which the holder’s employer can sponsor them for permanent residency.

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Federal government delivers on protection for workers

It is not surprising for countries facing tough economic times to implement measures intended to better protect their domestic workers.

In Canada, this responsibility falls on the shoulders of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).

Subject to certain exceptions, Canadian employers who wish to recruit foreign workers must demonstrate to HRSDC how the entry of the foreign worker(s) will transfer skills and knowledge to Canadians, fill a labour shortage, or directly create or retain job opportunities for other Canadians.

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POEA Advisory on Canada

EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS

Canada’s robust economy offers good job opportunities to skilled workers and professionals from the Philippines and other countries through the permanent and temporary migration schemes. The Provinces in Canada have adopted the Provincial Nominee Program to facilitate the entry of immigrants to its labor force. The Human Resources and Social Development Canada has reported that 1.9 millionnew jobs will be created over the next decade (2006 – 2015) particularly in the Westernprovinces of Canada such as Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

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Foreign Workers Labour Market Opinion (LMO)

What information is re­quired?
Employer information: name of business, business address, phone number, fax number, email address, contact name, job title, and description of principal busi­ness activity.
Details of job: confirmation exemption code, confirmation ex­emption title, explanation of how the job meets the requirements of the exemption being requested, job title, National Occupational Classification (NOC) code*, loca­tion of job, expected start date of employment, expected duration of employment, main duties of the job, educational requirements of the job, experience/ skills re­quired for the job, oral/ written language requirements of the job and a description of how the foreign worker meets the educational/experience/skills/language requirements.

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Current Job Posting of JobCan, Inc.

JobCan Inc. is seeking applications from people in the following high demand occupations who are interested in working and living in Canada. Our services are free for workers. Please review the actual occupational descriptions as occupational titles may vary from country to country, and make note of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) number next to each title as it will be required for your application. Management occupations Computer and information systems managers (0213) Business, finance and administration occupations Financial auditors and accountants - CA (1111) Natural and applied sciences and related occupations Civil engineers (2131) Mechanical engineers (2132) Electrical and electronics engineers (2133) Chemical engineers (2134) Petroleum engineer (2145) Mechanical and engineering technologists and technicians (2232) Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety (2263) Health care occupations General practitioners and family physicians (3112) Midwives (3232) Licensed practical nurses (3233) Nurse aides (3413) Registered nurses R.P.N (3152) Head nurses and supervisors (3151) Medical laboratory technologists (3211) Specialist physicians (3111) Radiological technologist (3215) Occupational therapists (3143) Physiotherapist (3142) Pharmacist (3131) Occupations in social science and education Early childhood educators and assistants (4214) Social workers (4152) Occupation in art and culture Interior designers (5242) Sales and service occupations Butchers and meat cutters (6251) Hairstylists and barbers (6271) Trade, transport and equipment operators and related occupations Electricians (7241) Plumbers (7251) Steam fitters, pipe fitters and sprinkler system installers (7252) Gas fitters (7253) Sheet metal workers (7261) Boiler makers (7262) Iron workers and structural metal (7264) Welders - specialized welders (7265) Carpenters (7271) Brick layers (7281) Concrete finishers (7282) Roofers and shingles (7291) Glaziers (7292) Crane operators (7371) Construction trades helpers and labourers (7611) Painters and decorators (7294) Long - haul tractor - trailer driver (7411) Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics (7311) Oil and solid fuel heating mechanics (7331) Occupation in primary industry Oil and gas well drilling workers and services operators (8412) Oil and gas drilling, servicing and related labourers (8615) Oil and Gas Well Drillers, Servicers, Testers and Related Workers (8232) Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service (8222) Occupation unique to processing, manufacturing and utilities Supervisors, petroleum, gas, chemical processing and utilities (9212) IT Profession Senior animation effect editors (9990.1) Embedded system software designers (9990.2) Misc. software designers (9990.3) Multimedia software developers (9990.4) Software developers-services (9990.5) Software products developers (9990.6) Telecommunication software designers (9990.7) Computer network technicians (2281) User support technicians (2282) System testing technicians (2283)

Visit http://www.jobcan.net/ for details

Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) cuts red tape for H1B category

The Strategic Recruitment Stream of the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) fast-tracks the Permanent Residency applications of migrants who have been working for at least one year in the United States on an H1B visa* in an occupation that is in high demand in Alberta. No Canadian job offer is required for this category.

The AINP has recently announced that, as of January 2009, the application process will be streamlined.

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Minister Kenney announces immigration levels for 2009; Issues instructions on processing federal skilled workers

Ottawa, November 28, 2008 — Canada will stay the course on immigration in 2009, welcoming between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents, Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, announced today.

“While countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia are talking about taking fewer immigrants, our planned numbers for 2009 are on par with last year and are among the highest for this country over the past 15 years,” Minister Kenney said. “The numbers reflect a continued commitment to an immigration program that balances Canada’s economic, humanitarian and family reunification goals.”

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Government of Canada Announces Expansion of Temporary Foreign Worker Program Pilot Project to Ease Labour Shortages for Employers in B.C. and Alberta

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, January 14, 2008 - The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, today announced the expansion of the Expedited Labour Market Opinion pilot project (E-LMO) which will make it faster for employers in British Columbia and Alberta to hire foreign workers in a greater number of specific occupations when there are no Canadian citizens or permanent residents available to fill the positions.

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Canada Line foreign workers treated unfairly, tribunal rules

Two builders of the Canada Line rapid transit project discriminated against a group of Latin American workers by paying them less and providing them with inferior accommodations, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal ruled.

The 38 workers from Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador were brought in two years ago on temporary work visas to build an underground tunnel as part of the rapid line linking Vancouver and the Vancouver International Airport in Richmond.

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Alta agency that recruits overseas workers charged for illegal practices

The Alberta government has charged an Edmonton-based employment agency for operating without a licence, unfair practices, fraud and charging thousands of dollars in fees for finding jobs that never materialized.

Josephine Garcia Ramoso, operating as 4 Js Garcia, asked co-workers and individuals in the Edmonton Filipino community to provide resumes or references for relatives or friends in the Philippines to be recruited as temporary foreign workers in Alberta.

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Filipinos top the immigrant and temporary-worker lists

I read an article stating that for the first time, the Philippines has become Canada's largest source country for immigrants and temporary workers combined, signalling an important shift in immigration patterns. For several years, it was China who has been the No. 1 source country but it was surpassed by the Philippines sending 19,064 immigrants and 15,254 temporary workers to Canada in 2007. The numbers are still exclusive of the number of Filipinos that was sent in the year 2008. I can say that this is another proof how effective Filipino workers are. I must say that gratitude must be given to the first few immigrants and workers who arrived in Canada because they have proven what Filipinos are capable of and how far they can achieve.

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How will the recent downturn affect immigration levels?

Immigration by Guidy Mamann

January 05, 2009 08:00

I was asked recently how the current economic downturn might affect Canada’s annual immigration levels.

Immigration laws require our immigration minister to table a report with Parliament no later than 30 days after Nov. 1 of each year setting out how many newcomers Canada took in during the previous year and how many it plans to take on in the coming year.

Accordingly, in late November 2008, newly-appointed immigration minister Jason Kenney announced that in 2009 between 240,000-265,000 new permanent residents will be accepted in Canada. This exact target was used three years in a row and hasn’t really deviated too much from the annual targets set over the previous decade or two. In setting this target, Kenney maintained that this number is necessary to respond to the diverse skill requirements “of an expanding and dynamic economy.”

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