Canada

Immigration Opportunities

6 May 2008

By Ron Hoppe

Canada is one of the most desirable destinations for visitors and immigrants from around the world. It is a country of vast geography, multi-cultural population, abundant natural resources in a clean environment and accessible and generous publicly funded health and social services.

The allure of Canada has recently become even stronger, as countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States attempt to reform their immigration laws, resulting not only in uncertainty but also in new regulations limiting migrant’s access to those countries.

The UK is currently introducing a points based system, which is set to make life harder for potential migrants, and has taken nurses and 38 other occupations off the official shortage list.

Senior Care Workers, already hit by internal policy changes to the Work Permit system, are worried about what effect the points system will have on future renewals or applications for indefinite leave (permanent residency).

The main temporary visa category for professionals seeking U.S. employment receives many more applications each year than there are visas available. As a result, H1-B visa applications for temporary professional employment are allocated based on a lottery. It is hard to believe that this would be the case but it is. 

For those seeking permanent residency visas in the U.S. based on employment, processing times range from 2-7 years. Seven years to process a visa application where an U.S. employer has certified that they have need of that worker now. Unbelievable but true.

Likewise immigration reforms in the UK have made it more difficult for non European Union residents working legally in the UK on temporary visas to obtain permanent residency status. Low skilled workers living outside of the UK simply can’t obtain a Work Permit to work in the UK.

With potential immigrants, Canada really stands out in two very positive ways:

Firstly, immigration opportunities available for skilled and unskilled workers alike. 

Further, temporary and permanent residency applications can be processed in a reasonable time frame.  In fact, some immigrants arrive quickly on a temporary work permit and subsequently apply for permanent status once they are established in Canada.

It is no secret that Canada’s economy is among the strongest in the world. Driven in large part by increasing international demands for its natural resources, employers in many sectors of the Canadian economy are finding a shortage of workers.

Canada has never set annual limits on the number of immigration applications that can be submitted. Current immigration law requires the Canadian government to process every immigration application it receives. In fact, Canada with a total population of about 33 million, accepts around 250,000 immigrants each year.

Are you considering your Canadian immigration options? Watch this space for upcoming articles that will address the main immigration options family and employment based applications.

The life that immigrants can achieve in Canada is the envy of many around the world. Your dreams of Canada could become a reality sooner than you think.

For more information on Canadian job vacancies for nurses and fast food counter staff see: http://www.nursejobsamerica.com/latest_jobs.html

For the latest immigration news visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

If you need immigration advice and would like a free consultation please email me at: info@immigrationmatters.co.uk

Ron Hoppe is a leading independent US and Canadian recruitment specialist currently working with Bison UK on several projects to recruit nursing and food counter staff.