Are you interested in working in Canada or even living there permanently?
Well, there is a way now.
Immigrants with work experience in any skilled occupation may be invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence through Canada’s Express Entry system.
Candidates with experience in a specific line of work may have an added advantage at the provincial level.
Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister urged President Uhuru Kenyatta, to allow one million Kenyans enter Canada under a new Employment and Migration Programme designed for immigrants.
According to Trudeau, immigrants from Kenya have been a strong force in Canada’s growth in all sectors of its economy.
“We can’t undermine or overlook the contribution of immigrants in Canada’s development especially our brothers and sisters from Kenya”, Trudeau said.
In a memo sent to the Kenya Embassy in Canada, the Employment and Migration Programme will allow Kenyans wishing to live in Canada to first obtain job before traveling to the country.
“The programme’s website will be launched next week and all available jobs will be listed. Currently there are over 6 million vacancies and we are hoping that Kenyatta allows at least one million people from Kenya”, a spokesperson for the Canadian Labour Department, Shadrack Scott said.
Canada has two immigration pathways; federal and provincial, with each having its own unique work experience requirements.
The federal pathway to the permanent residence has three main categories namely; The Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class, and Canadian Experience Class.
Applications for the three federal pathway programs are managed by the Express Entry System.
A candidate’s position is usually determined by Express Entry’s Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS), which only considers the amount of full-time or part-time work experience they have and whether their occupation is ‘skilled.’
Under Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC), skilled occupations are those rated skill type 0 (managerial), skill level A (professional) or skill level B (technical).
Under the provincial pathway, provinces and territories are allowed to nominate immigrant workers with the required work experience for Canadian permanent residence.
Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination are given an additional 600 points towards their CRS score, hence assuring them an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
Every province has at least one immigration stream that uses a list of in-demand occupations to determine eligibility.