With the government facing an acute skills shortage in the next 5-10 years due to retirement ages in the medical, teaching and engineering fields, Canada remains one of the few developed nations to maintain immigration numbers for 2009.

Recent changes to immigration policy mean that visa applications in the federal skilled worker program are being fast-tracked and processed within six months to a year, making it even more attractive to the 240,000 to 265,000 Canadian visas available in the year ahead.

The government is also combating the expected 70% shortfall within the next 10-15 years and targeting overseas talent wanting to move to Canada and become Canadian citizens.

“We need to be flexible, prudent and ensure that our response to short-term conditions does not counter out long-term goals, in which immigration will play a significant role,” he said.  “We don’t want to turn off the tap of the future growth that is represented by immigration.”

To find out if you are eligible to live and work in Canada, with the added benefit of Canadian citizenship after three years, forward your CV to Global Visas today and complete our online assessment form on this page.

You may qualify if:

• You are aged between 21 and 49
• You speak English or French
• Your job is on the list of qualifying occupations
• You have over one years experience in your chosen field

If your occupation is not on the list you might still qualify under the following routes:

• Self Employed Immigrant Programme
• Entrepreneur Programme and Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP)
• Canada Investor Visa
• Canada Sponsor Visa

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