Do You Bring in Workers for Training from Other Countries?

Some PSAC member companies have reported encountering difficulties when bringing employees into Canada for training from the U.S. or Mexico. This was identified as potentially an issue of concern for PSAC members. If you have faced similar challenges, PSAC would like to hear the details to see if enough specific examples can be gathered to press the government for changes. Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for details.

 Recognizing that finding workers for certain sectors is a challenge, PSAC is working with its members to explore all potential sources.

PSAC has established a relationship with Sherritt Greene, an immigration law firm in Calgary, to help members with the process of bringing in foreign workers and overcome many of the challenges faced by both applicants and sponsoring companies. Find more details here.

Much of the work PSAC has been doing with Human Resources & Social Development Canada (HRSDC) to bring in foreign workers where and when required is currently on hold. As of January 1, 2009, the Regional Occupations Under Pressure lists initiative has been cancelled and Service Canada has replaced it with new national minimum recruiting requirements for all Labour Market Opinions (LMOs). The efforts already expended on this project will be kept on file and serve as a starting point for future discussions with Service Canada once activity levels rebound.

Below you will find links to government and other programs providing more information about hiring foreign workers.

Government Programs and Initiatives

Federal Foreign Worker Program
Details on the federal foreign worker program can be found at this link:
www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/workplaceskills/foreign_workers/index.shtml 

International Student and Young Worker Employment Program
Countries such as Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the US and India have signed agreements with Canada under this program, which allows mobility and exchange of young professionals and university graduates to gain Canadian work experience. The program does not require Alberta employers to apply for a Labour Market Opinion, and young workers or students from abroad are not required to secure employment in Canada in advance.

More details can be found at the following links:

• Citizenship and Immigration Canada, International Student & Young Worker Employment: http://www.canadaspacificgateway.ca/en/work/worker_programs.html
• Foreign Affairs, International Youth Programs (Europe):
  www.international.gc.ca/123go/descriptions-en.asp
• Work & Travel Programs for German Citizens:
  www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/canada-europa/germany/visa-internD-en.asp 

Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) (Formerly the Provincial Nominee Program - PNP)
The provincial and federal governments have joined forces on the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) which helps expedite the processing of an application for permanent residence for valued foreign workers sponsored by their employers.

For more information on this program, visit http://www.albertacanada.com/immigration/immigrate/ainp.html.

Job Opportunity Website for Foreign Workers
The Jobs in Alberta website is a free service intending to link Alberta employers with foreign skilled workers. Employers must understand the process for hiring foreign workers or they must have a Labour Market Opinion in place to hire foreign workers.  The website address is: http://www.albertacanada.com/immigration/working/index.html

Provincial Advisory Offices & Foreign Worker Hotline
Two special advisory offices have been established by Alberta Employment, Immigration & Industry to provide one-stop access to information for temporary foreign workers and their employers.
Further details can be found at http://employment.alberta.ca/cps/rde/xchg/hre/hs.xsl/4548.html.

For questions about hiring foreign workers, call the Temporary Foreign Worker Hotline at 1-877-944-9955 (toll free in Alberta).

Workers' Compensation Board
The WCB has published a fact sheet about temporary foreign workers and their coverage. You can download a copy from http://www.wcb.ab.ca/pdfs/employers/EFS_Temporary_foreign_workers.pdf.

Recruitment
If you are interested in where the government is holding recruiting events,
visit http://www.albertacanada.com/immigration/about/events.cfm.

Events are posted as soon as government approval is received.

Other Programs

Mentoring
The Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) has established a Mentorship for Integration program that matches internationally trained professionals with Canadians to help them transition to the Canadian job market. Mentors are volunteers and are not expected to find the mentee a job. Find out more here.
 
Currently, they are looking for engineers to mentor in the following disciplines: Process Engineering, Civil, Electrical, Petroleum, Chemical, Mechanical & Seismic.

Contact Pervin Irani, Program Facilitator at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for details.