Andy Semotiuk

Immigration lawyer Andy Semotiuk – Pace Law Firm: While the economy crawls to a halt in Europe, many workers from countries like Ireland and Greece are finding their way into Canada. The Western provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan are leading the way in bringing these skilled workers here.

Europe’s loss is Canada’s gain in the sense that it takes years to train such skilled workers and they are hard to find in North America. There are a wide variety of ways these workers come here, and temporary work permits are one of them. It is worth highlighting this section from Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s website:

People in the following categories need a work permit but do not need a labour market opinion from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).

-Workers covered under international agreements
-Professionals, traders, investors and business people coming to Canada to work under certain international agreements.
-Workers, their spouses/common-law partners or their dependants who are eligible for a work permit through an active pilot project
-Through agreements between the Government of Canada and provincial/territorial governments, some workers, as well as their spouses, common-law partners and dependents, may be eligible for a work permit through an active pilot project. These temporary initiatives are designed to attract particular workers that the province or territory needs. Find out if you are eligible to come to Canada through a pilot project.
-Workers nominated by a province for permanent residence
A person who has been nominated by a province for permanent residence and has a job offer from an employer based in that province.
-Entrepreneurs and intra-company transferees
-Some types of entrepreneurs, workers transferring within a company, and other types of workers who will provide significant benefit to Canadians or permanent residents by working in Canada.
-Participants in exchange programs
-People whose employment in Canada will provide similar employment to Canadians abroad, such as participants in youth exchange programs, teacher exchange programs or other reciprocal programs.
-Co-op students
-Foreign students who are studying in Canada and who need to do co-op work placements as part of their program of study.
-Spouses and common-law partners of certain foreign students who are studying full-time. This exemption applies to spouses who are not themselves enrolled in full-time studies.
Spouses and common-law partners of certain skilled foreign workers.
-Certain academics and students.
-Religious workers
-People doing charitable or religious work.
-Certain people who need to support themselves while they are in Canada for other reasons such as the refugee determination process.

As you can see, there are a wide variety of ways to come to Canada. The above does not include the traditional way of having an employer sponsor you and obtaining a Labour Market Opinion and then a work permit.

Skilled workers from Ireland, Greece and other countries would be wise to do some research about coming to Canada in this regard, and drop us a line if they see an opportunity for themselves in the Canadian marketplace.