Let’s Go To Canada

“Let Me In”

Because Canada is characterized as being “very progressive, diverse and multicultural”. The Canadian government influenced culture with programs, laws and institutions . Canada’s culture draws from its broad range of constituent nationalities, and policies that promote a just society are constitutionally protected .

Moving to Canada and Finding Job

When moving to a new country like Canada, one of your first concerns will also be about finding work. Sometimes finding a good job in your native land can be challenging enough. But when you are relocate overseas, it’s hard to know what to expect or where to begin.

One very common question we hear is : Can I move to Canada without a job? The answer is yes. Many countries requires you to get work before you can become resident. But Canada offers several immigration programs, especially for skilled workers, who want to enter the country and then look for work.

Moving to Canada to work

In many cases, people move to Canada to continue working for the same company but a different international location. In other cases, foreign employees accept a new job working for Canadian company, and then make the move from overseas. Finally, there are those who come to Canada without work, but with every intention of finding a job upon arrival.

What is Canada’s Express Entry System ?

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses the express entry selection to manage permanent residence applications from skilled workers. This includes applicants in the federal skilled worker program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class. Some of the Provincial Nominee Programs are also linked with the Express Entry Program.

The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) assigns a score to each applicant, according to a number of factors including age, skills, education, language ability and work experience. Every few weeks, the Canadian government holds an Express Entry Draw. Based on the number of immigrants the country wants to admit, and the CRS scores within the Express Entry Pool, Canada announces a cut-off score, and issues an Invitation to Apply for permanent residency (ITA).

The federal government intends to process the majority to Express Entry application within six months, making it a much faster immigration alternative than anything previously available.

Permanent Residence in Canada

If you want to come and live in Canada full time, you might want to apply for Permanent Residence. Like most immigration programs, this involves a point system. Criteria include work and education history, country of origin, available funds, and other factors. Permanent residence confers most of the benefits of Canadian living, including access to public healthcare, all protections under the law, and the right to apply for citizenship. The Express Entry system is one of the most popular paths to permanent residence.

Where to find work in Canada

If you are coming to Canada without employment, you’ll probably want to start looking right away. You can even start your job search before you arrive. One way to do this is through online job databases like Monster, Indeed and Xing. Social media platforms like LinkedIn can also be very helpful when it comes to networking with other professionals in your industry.

The Canadian economy is strong and diversified, so you can expect to find a lot of opportunity. Also, the country has a relatively tiny population for its size, so many industries actually suffer from a labor shortage. This is especially in areas of high tech, software, medicine and engineering.

A city-by-city guide to Canadian commerce and industry

If you know what city you’re moving to, you can start researching the types of industry and businesses based in that city. If you haven’t chosen a city, here’s a quick guide to what sort of industry and commercial activity are going on in each locale. You’ll find the most diverse and dynamic economy in Toronto. Technology leads the way in Montreal and Vancouver, while oil and energy dominate the Alberta province, including Calgary and Edmonton. For your best job prospects, you’ll be better off sticking to one of Canada’s major metropolitan areas.

Toronto

Canada’s most populous city, Toronto is also the most popular destination for newcomers. The city is booming with industry, especially in the media, technology and financial sectors. It also serves as a hub for the manufacturing industry and hydroelectric power. And with a steady influx of immigrants and new residents, you can be sure that there is always plenty of construction taking place. Toronto is also a very popular destination for tourism. So whatever your skill set or employment background, there is sure to be an opportunity for you somewhere in this bustling metropolis.

Montreal

A greater metropolitan population of four million inhabitants makes Montreal the second largest city in Canada. With that comes a thriving economy. In fact, the city is a focal point for a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, electronics, software and pharmaceuticals, as well as a tourism, textiles, and tobacco. Montreal also has the largest inland port in the world.

In recent years, Montreal has established itself as the North American hub for artificial intelligence research, attracting all the big names like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, DeepMind and others. If your hopes and aspirations are in the field of technology and AI, then head to Montreal where you can participate in some of the most exciting research and development happening anywhere. Canadian companies are actively recruiting skilled workers from overseas, especially those with special training and experience in software, medicine and engineering.

Vancouver

Vancouver’s unique position on the west coast makes it Canada’s gateway to the Pacific Rim, with a port unlike any other in the country, in terms of international commerce. But today, the city’s major industries are entertainment, technology and tourism. Major tech firms like Nokia, Intel, Microsoft, Amazon and others all have a strong presence in Vancouver. It’s also home to a number of smaller start-ups. Recent immigration policies have made it easier than ever for Canadian firms to attract skilled workers from outside the country, and that’s especially good news for potential immigrants with experience in medicine and engineering.

Foreign investment, mainly from the US and Asia, has also been driving the local economy and the local real estate market upward. This hasn’t always worked out well for the locals who face an ever growing affordability crisis, but it has been good news for investors and construction companies. Many wealthy Canadians and foreigners are eager to own property and second homes in the Vancouver area.

Calgary

Oil and energy may be what keep the wheels of industry spinning in the province of Alberta, but the city of Calgary enjoys a surprisingly diversified economy. A hub for aerospace, technology and financial services, Calgary also has strong retail and tourism sectors. Economic growth in Alberta has far outpaced the national average in recent years, demonstrating the fastest growth of any province. As a result, Calgary residents have seen unemployment going down while personal and family incomes have been on the rise. Jobs are plentiful here, especially in science and technology, health care services, and construction.

Downtown Calgary is somewhat famous for its skyline of high-rise skyscrapers. The modestly-sized city has the second highest concentration of corporate headquarters in the country and 14 office towers of 150 m (490 ft.) or more. This presence of corporations has contributed to the average family income in Calgary exceeding $100,000 a year.

Edmonton

There’s no denying that oil and petrochemicals drive the engine of Edmonton’s zooming economy, but Edmonton is far more than just a field of mines and refineries. True, Alberta may have the second largest oil and natural gas reserves in the world, after Saudi Arabia, but today Edmonton has become one of Canada’s premier research and education centers for technology and Nano-science in particular.

With close to a million people, and 1.3 million in the greater metro area, Edmonton has all the services of a major city, and no shortage of jobs either. Median household income is just over $100,000 a year, and the average single family home was selling for about $360,000 as of January 2019.

Winnipeg

Winnipeg has one of the most diversified economies in the country. Most employment comes from trade, manufacturing, education and healthcare. Many companies choose Winnipeg because it is one of the least expensive western Canadian cities in which to conduct business. The cost of living and housing are notably lower in prairie cities like Winnipeg.

Ottawa

The bulk of Ottawa’s economy revolves around government and public service jobs, but the city also has a growing high tech industry. Home to about 1,800 tech firms, the city is sometimes referred to as the Silicon Valley of the North. Unemployment in Ottawa is lower than the national average, and economic growth is slightly higher. Ottawa has a very well educated population and the highest concentration of engineers, scientists and PhDs in the country. The city has two universities and two main colleges.

Work culture in Canada

It’s very likely that work culture in your home country will differ somewhat from Canadian work culture. Let’s take a look at some of the basic aspects.

While you may be used to signing a written contract when you start a new job, in Ontario, an oral agreement is sometimes enough, and the relationship is one of trust. As long as you’re good at your job, your employers will do everything they can to make life easy for you, and to keep you. Be ready to prove yourself.

When it comes to firing, the amount of notice and the number of weeks of termination pay an employer is required to provide their employee is dependent upon how long the employee worked for the company.

Employees usually have only two weeks of holiday per year to start with (holidays increase with seniority), but there are nine official holidays, which are on Mondays or Fridays in many cases, so you have a three-day weekend every month or two. The workplace may not be the best place to socialize. Canadians are fond of their privacy, and cordiality among colleagues isn’t necessarily synonymous with friendship. However, you should feel comfortable grabbing drinks after work to chat.

Thursdays are traditionally paydays, though it could be on another day, and regular pay periods could be bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, or weekly. Payday is a good reason to party at the famous happy hours at local pubs, when beer is offered at low or half price! There are also not-to-be-missed office Christmas parties, where you might see some fun antics! Other than that, keep your interactions strictly professional, and avoid flirting and sexual jokes or innuendos at all costs.

Conclusions

Moving across the world and looking for a job in a foreign country is no small feat. In fact, it could be one of the greatest challenges of your life. It might also be one of the most rewarding. Taking a job in Canada, whether temporary or long-term, could do wonders for your career and your self-confidence. And if you’re looking to become a permanent resident of Canada, working in the country could be your first step.

As we’ve seen, there are several work-related pathways to Canadian immigration. And even if you enter the country without a job, you will discover that Canada truly is a land of opportunities. But opportunities don’t just come to those who wait. If you want to get ahead in the Great White North, then get busy, do your homework, and start sending your resumes to every potential employer you can think of. And good luck!