Many Canadian employers in the food and hospitality industry are experiencing serious problems finding and keeping good workers. The low wages, physical labour as well as the long evening and weekend hours makes many hospitality jobs unattractive to most Canadians.  Furthermore, over-time hours, training costs and efficiency resulting from high turnover rates and understaffing can significantly reduce profits for employers.

Hiring foreign can greatly reduce turnover, costs and improve productivity. Foreign workers are extremely hard working and are genuinely grateful for the opportunity to work and live in Canada. Also, turnover is extremely low for the foreign workers since they are only allowed to work for the employer identified on their work permit.

Employers who wish to hire foreign workers must usually obtain a positive Labour Market Opinion (LMO) from Service Canada which indicates that the employer tried to recruit Canadians. The LMO also indicates that the employer will pay the “prevailing wage” to the foreign worker.

Most foreign workers require a valid work permit to work in Canada which is normally obtained at a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Visa Post responsible for the country where the worker resides.  Foreign workers must usually undergo a medical examination with a “Designated Medical Practitioner” if the work permit is longer than six months or if the occupation is one where the “protection of health is essential.”

Many foreign workers on work permits can obtain Permanent Residence (PR) in Canada if they have a job in Canada.  There are various federal and provincial immigration programs that enable foreign workers to get PR within a year or two.  This means employers who hire workers on foreign work permits may be able to keep their workers indefinitely.

Finding and interviewing qualified foreign workers can be time-consuming.

As the demand for workers in Canada increases it will become even more important for Canadian employers to develop and implement a foreign worker program today. It is important to plan ahead and get help from professionals.

Incoming search terms:

• foreign workers in hospitality
• hospitality labour shortage
• Labour shortage in Hospitality
• labour shortage how it is affecting the hospitality industry
• Labour & skilled workers shortage in the Hospitality Industry
• Labour & skilled workers shortage affecting the Hospitality Industry
• prevailing wage problems canada
• immigration oppertunity in canada for hospitality
• migrate to canada hospitality
• INDUSTRIES HIRING SKILLED WORKERS IN CANADA

A new report by the conference Board of Canada says that several small Canadian towns have found a new lease of life thanks to an increase in the immigration to Canada.

The report cites four small towns, with populations ranging from 1,539 to 18,510, which have been thrown a lifeline by well-planned immigration policy into Canada.

The report, ‘Immigrant-Friendly Communities: Making Immigration Work for Employers and Other Stakeholders in Small-Town Canada’, says that all members of the community have to be involved in helping newcomers to settle in Canada. It says that schools, immigration agencies, faith groups, local government and employers all have an important part to play in making the system work.

The report identifies the fact that small communities still suffer from skills shortages and benefit from Canadian work visa holders moving into the area. In addition, the more immigrants who move to regional communities, the less pressure is put on major cities such as Toronto and Vancouver.

One example of the benefit from immigration to Canada, given in the report, is the story of Yellowknife. Some 12.7 per cent of the town’s population consists of immigrants, mostly brought in to work in the region’s diamond industry. Immigration to this small Canadian town has seen the newcomers possess the specialist skills relevant to the industry, the workers have moved to Canada from China, Mauritius, India, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Incoming search terms:

• recent immigrants
• skilled workes in small towns
• small towns in canada benefited from immigration
• why immigrants move to small canadian towns

Canada Federal Skilled Worker (Professional) immigration applications are assessed on six factors.

These selection factors are designed to indicate which applicants are likely to become economically established upon immigration to Canada.
Each Canada Federal Skilled Worker (Professional) immigration selection factor is allotted a maximum number of points, and applicants must attain at least 67 points in order to qualify for a Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa.

NEW! Federal Skilled Worker applicants must also have at least one year of continuous full-time or equivalent paid work experience in the past 10 years in one of 38 qualifying occupations; or Arranged Employment; or have legally lived in Canada for at least one year as a Temporary Foreign Worker or International Student and currently be residing in Canada.

More..

Incoming search terms:

• canada federal skilled worker professional immigration
• Canada Federal Skilled Worker (Professional) Immigration
• Canada Federal Skilled Worker (Professional) Immigration form
• Canadian program for professional immigrant

Canada’s government has enacted a number of strategies in the past several years intended to specifically address its effort to improve the integration of immigrants into Canadian society. A large part of this overall effort is the improvement of the recognition of foreign credentials in Canada. By improving the recognition of such international credentials, the government seeks to improve the success of Canadian immigrants quickly finding work in the fields of their expertise.

As part of the effort to improve credential recognition, the government has recently introduced a new resource directed to Canadian employers. Integrated in to the Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO), the Employer’s Roadmap is intended to aid employers in meeting their labour needs more effectively, while allowing skilled newcomers to apply their expertise to work in Canada more quickly.The Employer’s Roadmap derives from a partnership between the FCRO, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), and The Alliance of Sector Councils (TASC).

Speaking about this new resource, Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism states that “The Government of Canada is committed to improving the labour market integration of internationally trained workers – this is essential to building a strong Canada: socially, culturally and economically. Employers are key partners in helping internationally trained workers find jobs in their areas of training, and this resource makes it easier for employers to assess their qualifications.”

Incoming search terms:

• immigrants qualifications
• canadian recognition for qualifications
• qualification recognition for immigrants in canada

On 16 June 2009 Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced the introduction of new resource for employers interested in hiring overseas trained workers.

“The Government of Canada is committed to improving the labour market integration of internationally trained workers – this is essential to building a strong Canada: socially, culturally and economically,” said Minister Kenney. “Employers are key partners in helping internationally trained workers find jobs in their areas of training, and this resource makes it easier for employers to assess their qualifications.”

The Employer’s Roadmap will help employers fill vacancies and will help skilled migrants to start work in Canada more quickly.

“This is a practical resource that employers in any sector will find useful in helping to meet their staffing needs and improve their competitiveness in a rapidly changing economy,” said Andrew Cardozo, Executive Director, The Alliance of Sector Councils (TASC). “The Employer’s Roadmap is exactly what is needed to make the process of hiring and retaining internationally trained workers a lot more efficient.”

The Employer’s Roadmap deals with the following issues:

• How to hire internationally trained workers, such as how to recruit, assess and select them.
• It includes suggestions on how to integrate and retain overseas workers once they become new employees.
• Information is provided on the range of national and regional resources available across the country to support employers.

The Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO), part of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and TASC have worked together to create the Roadmap. This is just one of a number of measures that the Government of Canada has taken to help newcomers successfully integrate into the Canadian labour market.

The Canadian Government through Canada’s Economic Action Plan will also be investing $50 million over two years to provide funding for the development of a common approach to foreign credential recognition.

Incoming search terms:

• canada immigration help for employers
• canada immigration road map image
• canada immigration roadmap

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) Minister Diane Finley recently met with community leaders in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to discuss the current economic situation and how plans are moving along to improve the process of assessing and recognizing foreign credentials.

The Government of Canada’s Economic Action Plan has set out $50 million over two years to develop a common approach to foreign credential recognition.  The goal is to help newcomers get their internationally-obtained education and work experience assessed more quickly so that they can work in their fields and integrate into the Canadian labour market more efficiently.

Earlier this year, provincial and territorial leaders agreed to develop a national framework by September 2009.

According to HRSDC, the $50 million investment will be used to do the following:

• Develop the principles that the federal, provincial, and territorial governments agree will guide the recognition of foreign credentials;
• Develop standards for the timely treatment of those looking to have their qualifications recognized;
• Establish the specific occupations that will be the first priority in developing recognition standards; and
• Help people who want to come to Canada begin the process of licensure and accreditation while they are still overseas.

The free flow of skilled workers across provincial and national boundaries has become increasingly relevant in the age of free-trade markets and globalization.  To remain economically competitive with an efficient labour market, Canada has been taking steps to improve labour mobility and foreign credential recognition both at home and abroad.  Agreements have recently been signed both at the provincial level, and between Canada and the European Union.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) Minister Diane Finley has recently signed three new agreements with her counterparts in the European Union to improve labour mobility between Canada and the EU.  The goals of these agreements are to facilitate international labour mobility, improve foreign credential recognition, and strengthen the partnership between Canada and the European Union.

One of the agreements is a commitment to organizing two roundtable discussions on foreign credential recognition and labour mobility; one in Europe later this year and the other in Canada in 2010.

The other two agreements are narrower in scope, focusing on engineers and environmental professionals.  They seek to align practices in the engineering field and to develop mutual certification frameworks for environmental workers in Canada and the EU.  Other sectors will be considered for future agreements.

The EU and Canada have also agreed to open negotiations on a new free-trade pact at the beginning of May.  One of the goals is to allow the temporary movement of workers between Canada and the 27-member bloc.

At the national level, British Columbia (BC) recently became the first province in Canada to introduce legislation to clear the way for full labour mobility for all trades and professions across the country.  The new BC bill will allow a person who has been certified in their trade or profession in any Canadian jurisdiction, to work in their field in any other jurisdiction in Canada.  Similar legislation is being enacted across the country as the federal and provincial governments work towards full national labour mobility.

“This legislation provides a solid foundation for out future success, ensuring we have the human resources BC will need in the coming decades,” stated BC Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, Murray Coell.

BC has been a leader in the move towards a national labour mobility accord.  The province recently participated in a three-way joint cabinet meeting with the governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan to collaborate on opening up Western Canada to new opportunities and to full labour mobility.

The Government of Canada has also been working to improve foreign credential recognition and workplace integration of newcomers.  Minister Finley and Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism (CIMC) Minister Jason Kenney recently announced an investment of $50 million over the next two years to help newcomers with credential recognition so that they can work in their fields and contribute to the Canadian workforce more effectively.

“We compete in a global marketplace where the knowledge of our workforce is the key to our economy and our prosperity,” stated Minister Finley.  “That’s why Canada’s Economic Action Plan will invest $50 million over two years to speed up the process of assessing and recognizing foreign qualifications.”

Through this investment, new principles will be developed to guide the recognition of foreign credentials and new standards for the timely treatment of qualification recognition will be implemented.  Additionally, a list of priority occupations will be created and the Government of Canada will develop programs to help people begin the accreditation process in their home countries, before landing in Canada.

In recent years, Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) has been opened up to make it easier for Canadian employers to hire foreign workers to fill labour shortages in their growing businesses.  As a result, the annual number of foreign workers coming to Canada has skyrocketed over the past few years, and a growing proportion of them are unskilled.  Foreign worker advocates are now calling for a review of the program to better protect foreign worker rights and to explore avenues to allow them to transition to Canadian Permanent Residents.

Both federal and provincial governments have recognized the need for reforms to Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program.  Reports of recommendations have been published and are currently being reviewed by program coordinators.

In Alberta, where the number of foreign workers ballooned in the province to nearly 60,000 in December 2008 up from just under 40,000 a year earlier, the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) has been taking measures to better protect foreign worker rights.  In December 2007, the AFL established an advisory office and helpline for temporary foreign worker complaints and concerns.  It also conducts worksite audits to ensure that Alberta employers are compliant with provincial labour standards.

The AFL recently released a report calling for “the immediate end to the TFWP in its current form” and for the creation of mechanisms to offer Canadian Permanent Residency to all temporary foreign workers currently in Canada.

Additionally, a Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee report on illegal and temporary foreign workers has recently been tabled in the House of Commons, offering dozens of recommendations to improve the TFWP.

The recommendations include getting rid of a current rule that ties work permits to a specific Canadian employer along with improved measures to protect workers from unscrupulous recruitment agencies and employers.

“I rather suspect that a goodly number of their recommendations will find their way into law when the government implements changes to the program,” stated a spokesperson for Canada’s Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney.  “The Minister is currently consulting with cultural communities and employers on how to improve the temporary foreign worker program as well as the live-in caregiver program to better protect foreign workers, with a view to implementing tougher regulations in the upcoming months.”

Last month, Manitoba introduced a new Worker Recruitment and Protection Act to address certain issues faced by temporary foreign workers in the province.  The Act requires that all foreign worker recruitment agencies be registered and licensed by the province and prohibits recruitment agencies from charging fees to foreign workers.  Manitoba has also implemented an improved regulatory system, requiring both employers and recruitment agencies to submit detailed records about the place of employment, the workers’ duties and wages, and up-to-date contact information for the temporary foreign workers.

Foreign worker advocates are calling for similar legislation across the country.

While these reports and recommendations are being reviewed, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is currently running an awareness campaign to inform temporary foreign workers and potential Canadian immigrants about how to protect themselves from dishonest and unethical immigration consultants and representatives.

Incoming search terms:

• canadian unskilled worker placement program
• temporary foreign worker recruitment agencies in canada/manitoba
• TFWP (Temporary foreign workers program) visa
• Canada unskilled foreign workers recruitment agency
• canadas unskilled worker placement agency
• government website in TFWP (Temporary foreign workers program) visa in canada
• manitoba non skilled worker regulations
• ontario foreign worker complaints
• foreign skilled and unskilled labor recruiting agency in canada
• on-coming workers recruitment programme canada

New legislation is in effect in the province of Manitoba that seeks to regulate temporary foreign worker recruitment and protect these workers’ rights.

Manitoba’s Worker Recruitment and Protection Act requires that all foreign worker recruitment agencies be registered and licensed by the province to do so.  It also prohibits recruitment agencies from charging fees to foreign workers.

Employers who wish to hire temporary foreign workers must also register with the province and, once registered, will receive direct assistance with recruitment.

The Act requires that both employers and recruitment agencies submit detailed records about the place of employment, the workers’ duties and wages, and up-to-date contact information for the worker.

“By keeping a registry of where these workers are, who recruited them, and what they were promised when they were hired, you finally have jurisdiction with the political will and regulations to penalize and weed out employers and recruiters who abuse foreign workers,” said Wayne Hanley, national president for the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW Canada).

“Where employers are unable to meet their labour needs locally, we can connect them directly with skilled workers through established international partnerships that are safe and effective,” stated Nancy Allan, Manitoba’s provincial Labour Minister.

More..

Incoming search terms:

• foreign worker recruitment agency canada
• placement agencies for foreign workers in canada
• recruitment agencies in canada for for foreign worker
• manitoba recruitment agency for temporary foreign workers
• foreign worker agency in manitoba
• recruitment agencies in Manitoba canada
• Employment Agencies in Canada for foreigner
• foreign worker agency
• registered employment agency canada
• manitoba province licensed employers hiring foreign employees

Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) Minister Jason Kenney has announced a new online resource to help Canadian immigrants and prospective immigrants integrate into the job market more quickly and to obtain work in their fields.

This new workbook for newcomers – created by the Foreign Credential Referral Office (FCRO) and available at credentials.gc.ca – guides immigrants through a step-by-step approach of finding a job in Canada.  It discusses the differences between regulated and non-regulated professions, along with how to get work and education credentials accredited, and how to become certified, licensed, or registered to work in Canada in a particular occupation.  Information about settlement organizations and language services is also provided.

“Each year, thousands of skilled newcomers arrive in Canada.  It is in their interest, and in Canada’s interest, to do everything we can to help them put their skills to work here as soon as possible once they arrive,” said Minister Kenney.  “This is one more tool to help them obtain the greatest benefit from their experience and education.”