Applicants for this category can be divided into two groups: those who studied in Canada and those who worked in Canada on a temporary work visa.
Individuals who studied in Canada and gained work experience there – for this category, they must meet the following requirements:
* Complete a program of study of at least two academic years (an academic year is considered to be study lasting 8 months) at a Canadian college or university level institution. Moreover, if you are taking a one-year program to obtain a master's degree, you must have previously completed a one-year course in Canada preceding the master's degree.
* Have at least one year of work experience in Canada. Only skilled work from the NOC list – Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations), Skill Level A (professional occupations) or B (technical occupations and skilled trades) – is counted. To obtain such work experience, the applicant must obtain a special Post-Graduation Work Permit after graduating. This permit must have no restrictions on location or type of work. Experience accumulated during a two-year period preceding the immigration application is counted. Also, only work experience after completion of studies is considered – that is, work during studies is not counted.
* Proficiency in English or French at the level necessary to perform professional duties. Those whose occupation falls under Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A must have a language level of Canadian Language Benchmarks 7, and those whose occupation falls under Skill Level B must have a language level of Canadian Language Benchmarks 5.
Individuals who worked in Canada on a temporary work visa – for this category, they must meet the following requirements:
* Have at least two years of work experience in Canada. Only skilled work from the NOC list – Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations), Skill Level A (professional occupations) or B (technical occupations and skilled trades) – is counted. Also, only work experience from a three-year period preceding the immigration application is counted.
* Proficiency in English or French at the level necessary to perform professional duties. Those whose occupation falls under Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A must have a language level of Canadian Language Benchmarks 7, and those whose occupation falls under Skill Level B must have a language level of Canadian Language Benchmarks 5.
Those inside Canada must submit their application to the Canadian consulate in Buffalo (USA). When an application is submitted from within Canada, the applicant must have temporary resident status, that is, be in the country legally.
If the applicant has left Canada, they may also submit an application from another country, but only within the first year after ceasing to work in Canada. In this case, documents are submitted to the nearest Canadian embassy or consulate.
The decision on the application is made based on whether the applicant meets the stated requirements. Unlike the other skilled worker immigration program – Skilled Worker Program – the applicant does not need to achieve a passing score. That is, the decision is made solely on the basis that the applicant has sufficient work experience in Canada in an occupation from a limited list, has the required language level, and (if necessary) graduated from a Canadian educational institution.
According to statements from the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, it is planned to issue 12-18 thousand immigration visas annually under this category, with the prospect of increasing this number to 25 thousand. Note that in 2007, Canadian immigration authorities issued 165 thousand work visas and 74 thousand student visas.
The emergence of such a program was expected, as the idea of accepting as permanent residents those who have work experience in Canada and have successfully adapted to the country seems logical. Especially since Canada has long had a similar program granting permanent residence to those who have worked in Canada for two years as live-in caregivers for the elderly and sick (Live-in Caregiver). However, it was expected that the opportunity to obtain permanent resident status would be given to workers of all occupations, especially those whose occupations are not on the federal Skilled Worker Class list. This would be more logical, as Canada faces a shortage of workers in many trades. The new Canadian Experience Class does not provide this opportunity, and it practically duplicates the Skilled Worker Class. That is, only those who work in occupations falling under Skill Type 0, Skill Level A or B from the NOC list will be able to qualify.
It is difficult to say now how much the Canadian Experience Class will change the current situation. After all, the specialists who could successfully go through the immigration process under this category are those who already have this opportunity thanks to the Skilled Worker Class. Moreover, if they have already received a job offer in Canada, or have worked in the country for at least one year, they have almost a 100% chance of successful immigration.
Given that getting a job offer in Canada is quite difficult, it is much easier to go through the immigration process under the Skilled Worker Class, that is, without having a job offer. Not everyone is ready to move to another country for work without clear prospects for the future. Going through immigration under the Skilled Worker Class (while outside Canada) in most cases makes it possible to go through this process painlessly.
The disadvantage of the new category, however, lies in the high requirements for proficiency in English or French (they are even stricter than for the Skilled Worker category). In particular, those in the skill group Skill Type 0, Skill Level A must have a language level of at least Canadian Language Benchmarks 7. In practice, this requires passing the IELTS (English) or TEF (French) test. For IELTS, for example, the score must be at least seven points. The Skilled Worker program also requires taking the IELTS or TEF tests, but there are no strict requirements for the scores obtained. Let us add that even after working or studying in Canada for two years, not everyone is able to score a seven on the IELTS test.
In reality, the Canadian Experience Class currently benefits primarily foreign students at Canadian universities and colleges. Apparently, the new category is mainly targeted at them. However, students already have good chances to stay in Canada after graduation and obtain permanent resident status under the existing program – Skilled Workers. The new program only somewhat eases this task for them.
The introduction of the program can be seen as an indicator of the direction in which Canada plans to change its immigration policy. One might assume that more attention will be paid to those who have already gained work experience in Canada and, accordingly, have a better chance of finding employment. If so, the next logical step would be to ease the procedure for obtaining work visas for foreign professionals and give preferences to this category when selecting immigrants to Canada. One might also assume that preference will be given to young professionals who have received Canadian education and work experience in the country.
In practice, however, the new category – Canadian Skilled Worker – has not changed much. And it is unlikely to help solve the problem of attracting qualified specialists to the country until the conditions for this program are revised.
Elena Ryabinina.
«Russian Toronto»