CANADIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Foreign workers can now get work in Canada faster than before

Monday, 21 January 2008

Thanks to a new pilot project that's been introduced in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada can not only bring in more foreign temporary workers than before, but also, cut the process by more than four and a half months!

The new Expanded Labour Market Opinion (E-LMO) list goes beyond the original sectors of health care, hospitality, and construction, and now includes more occupations in the construction sector, as well as the manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, sales and services sectors.

The E-LMO has been brought in by Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) in order to satisfy the imminent job shortages in both Alberta and British Columbia.

Now more foreign workers from all over the world have a chance to work and live in Canada, as the HRSDC has expanded the project to include 21 additional occupations.

The 21 additional occupations are:

• Carpenters
• Crane operators
• Construction labourers
• Steamfitters & pipefitters
• Ironworkers
• Heavy-Duty equipment mechanics
• Machinists
• Roofers
• Industrial electricians
• Welders
• Surveyor helpers
• Commercial janitors & caretakers
• Specialized cleaners
• Mechanical engineers
• Civil engineers
• Electrical & electronics engineers
• Petroleum engineers
• Mechanical engineering technologists
• Hotel & hospitality room attendants
• Hotel front desk clerks
• Food & beverage servers
• Food counter attendants
• Food service supervisors
• Industrial meat cutters
• Courier drivers
• Residential cleaning & support workers
• Manufacturing & processing labourers
• Tour & travel guides
• Registered nurses
• Dental technicians
• Pharmacists
• Snowboard & ski instructors
• Retail sales persons & sales clerks

When a Canadian employer wants to hire a foreign worker, he would have to complete the first step, which is to apply for a Labour Market Opinion (LMO), which is an assessment of the potential impact that hiring a foreign worker would have on the labour market in Canada.

For the 33 occupations now covered by the E-LMO, it has already been established that employers have not been able to fill available positions within these categories with Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents, and that these occupations have been classified as "high demand". Therefore, extensive LMO assessments for each time an employer wants to hire a foreign worker in one of the listed occupations, are no longer necessary.

Currently, the processing time for LMO applications is five months. But, for occupations that fall under the E-LMO, applications will now be processed within only five days.

Colin Hansen, BC Minister of Economic Development Canada stated: "We anticipate needing to attract 30,000 workers with specific skills to British Columbia each year to meet our labour and skill shortage challenges.”

Hansen believes that by expanding the numbers of occupations included in this pilot project, more employers will now benefit from having better and faster access to the temporary foreign workers they need.

The pilot project will be in operation in British Columbia and Alberta until September 2008.