Canada eases entry rules for skilled workers

CEBU, Philippines - More Filipinos will be able to grab the opportunity to migrate and work in Canada following the expansion of the Canadian government's guidelines to attract at least two thousand skilled workers in 2015.

This was announced yesterday by migration consultancy specialist Pinoy Care Visa Center president and chief executive officer Niña Prisca Mabatid in a press conference.

The new Express Entry Program was opened by the Canadian government under the new migration guidelines in 2015 to aid the looming labor shortage in Canada.

From six to nine months processing in the past, now with the Express Entry Program, processing and approval of VISA, provided all requirements are complied, is only six months or less.

According to Pinoy Care Visa Center assistant vice president Bernie Uy, the company has invested time and money to meet with migration experts in Canada, in order to capacitate the company further in assisting Filipinos and Filipino families to love and work in one of the most livable countries in the world--Canada.

In an earlier interview with Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Neil Reeder, he said that Canada is experiencing labor-shortage, and it is expecting to host more Filipinos migrating and at the same time working in Canada in the next few years.

The Canadian government is expecting about one million Filipinos to reside and find job opportunities in Canada, out of the projected 34 million multi-nationalities who be making Canada their second home.

Reeder said that of the over 800 thousand Filipinos now staying and working in Canada, at least 200 thousand more will be given the opportunity to live in his country by 2015.

He said the number of Filipinos migrating to Canada has picked up in the last five years.

"We estimate that there will be a million Filipinos migrating to Canada by 2025,” Reeder said.

Since in the 1960s and 1970s, Canada has enjoyed the flow of Filipino migrants. Today, with the increasing demand for more professionals, and blue-collar jobs such as construction, among others his country, provides wider opportunity for Filipinos to fill in the demand.

He added that Canada continues to be an important destination for Filipinos wishing to immigrate and live in Canada permanently, work on a temporary basis or to study.

“In fact, ours is the second busiest Canadian visa office in the world,” Reeder mentioned referring the Canadian Embassy in Manila.

As of 2012, the Canadian Embassy has issued permanent resident visas to nearly 33,000 Filipinos, over 8, 000 temporary foreign worker visas, and over 31,000 temporary resident or visitor visas.

An estimated 800,000 Canadians are of Filipino origin and Tagalog is the fastest-growing language group in Canada, he said.

A bigger concentration of Filipino immigrants reside in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal.

In March last year, the Canadian Embassy announced an additional 40 more job categories under the Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program (NSPNP). This, on top of 24 job categories already prioritized under the Federal Skilled Occupancy (FSO) program.

The opening of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program, under the regional labor market demand stream, would heighten the possibilities of more Filipinos to get Visa to Canada, as requirements are being loosen to invite highly skilled professionals to work in Nova Scotia.

Under the Provincial Nominee Program of Nova Scotia, one of Canada’s three maritime provinces and constitute one of the four Atlantic Canada provinces, now added 40 more categories in the job market, these include, among others engineers, hospitality workers, healthcare professionals, construction workers, computer technicians, mechanics, welders, automotive service providers, crane operators, truck and bus mechanics, industrial electricians, heavy duty equipment mechanics, machine related operators, among others.

According to Uy, there are four avenues where Filipinos can choose from in applying VISA to Canada, these include; Federal Skilled Work Program; Skills Trade Program; the Provincial Nominee Program ; and the Canadian Experience Class.

"The year 2015 is a much more exciting year for Filipinos who are planning to live (with their families), and work in Canada. Of the over two thousand job categories, on top of nurses, and engineers, it is impossible for Filipinos not to get a Canadian Visa," said Uy, adding that based on their consultations with migration experts in Canada, Filipinos are more in demand because of their well-known outstanding skills, and "sunny" disposition as employees. — (FREEMAN)