Employment
Earn While You Learn in Canada
Job Prospects
There is a difference between getting hired for a full-time dream job after completing your studies and working part-time to support your living while you are studying. When it comes to looking for a full-time job while you have completed your international programme, you would definitely want to experience the foreign industry. To be eligible for working after your graduation, you must apply for a work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program. It issues a work permit to students to foreign post-secondary students who wish to remain temporarily in Canada after graduation to work in their field of study.
Work Visa
A visa giving one the ability to take a job in a country other than the one in which one is a citizen. There are different types of work visas. One kind may require the holder to have a local employer as a sponsor, and to return home if he/she loses the job. Another visa may be more general and may allow the holder to work at any job for a certain period of time. Work visas are generally temporary, though most may be renewed.
Types of Work Visas
There are 2 types of work permits:
- Open Work Permit: An open work permit allows you to work for any employer in Canada, except for an employer:
- who is listed as ineligible on the list of employers who have failed to comply with the conditions or
- who regularly offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages
You can only get an open work permit in specific situations.
- Employer-specific work permit: An employer-specific work permit allows you to work according to the conditions on your work permit, which includes:
- the name of the employer you can work for
- how long you can work
- the location where you can work (if applicable)
Who can apply for an open work permit?
You may be eligible for an open work permit if you:
- are an international student who graduated from a designated learning institution and are eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program
- are a student who’s no longer able to meet the costs of your studies (destitute student)
- have an employer-specific work permit and are being abused or at risk of being abused in relation to your job in Canada
- applied for permanent residence in Canada
- are a dependent family member of someone who applied for permanent residence
- are the spouse or common-law partner of a skilled worker or international student
- are the spouse or common-law partner of an applicant of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
- are a refugee, refugee claimant, protected person or their family member
- are under an unenforceable removal order
- are a temporary resident permit holder
- are a young worker participating in special programs
In each of these situations, you must meet additional criteria to be eligible.
Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)
The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) offers you a way to immigrate to Canada. Through the SINP, Saskatchewan:
- invites residency applications from non-Canadians who want to make Saskatchewan their home; and
- nominates successful applicants to the federal government, so they can gain permanent residency in Canada.
The SINP is only one of the steps toward becoming a permanent resident in Saskatchewan. All applicants must also apply for residency through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Canadian Immigration Commission.
Benefits of SINP
- Competitive application processing time
- Assistance from provincial immigration officers who are available to explain program requirements and processes
The Government of Saskatchewan makes the final choice on SINP nominations. When successful candidates apply for permanent resident status with IRCC, they’ll be identified as SINP nominees.
How to Apply
There is a choice of three SINP categories you can apply to. You will also have to complete the federal application forms at the same time.
- International Skilled Worker: for skilled workers who want to work and live in Saskatchewan.
- Saskatchewan Experience: for foreign nationals who already live and work in Saskatchewan.
- Entrepreneur and Farm: for those who plan to start a business or buy and operate a farm in Saskatchewan.
General Guidelines for Completing the Forms
- Be sure to upload and save all federal forms to your SINP online application.
- If you need more space for any form, attach a separate sheet of paper to the back of the intended form and indicate the number of the question you are answering.
- Answer all questions. Your application will be rejected if you leave any sections blank.
- Write the answer “None”, for any sections that don’t apply to you. For example, on Schedule A – Background/Declaration, question 11 is about past military service. If you have never served in the military, answer this question with “None”.
- If your application is accepted and the information you provide in the forms changes before you arrive in Canada, you must inform the SINP office and the visa office where your application was sent. Be sure to do this even if your visa has already been issued.
You must list all dependents on your application to the SINP even if they’re not coming to Canada with you. The dependents to list include:
- Spouse – A husband or wife of the opposite or same sex;
- Common-law partner – A person of the opposite or same sex that you’ve lived with in a relationship like a marriage, for at least one full year; and,
- Dependent children – Daughters and sons (including step-children, children adopted before the age of 22, and children who are not in your custody) who:
- are under the age of 22 and do not have a spouse or common-law partner; and/or
- are 22 years old or older and have depended on your financial support since before the age of 22; and
- they are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition.
Parents and siblings of the principal applicant cannot be included in the SINP application.
If you don’t include dependent family members in your application, they can’t be nominated for permanent residency later. If you have dependents that won’t be coming with you to Canada, you must provide a detailed reason and supporting documentation stating why they won’t be coming with you. The SINP may disqualify your application if your dependents are not coming with you and the supporting documentation is not enough (e.g. financial reasons, unresolved custody issues, etc).
Owner-Operator Program
The owner-operator policy is not a formal immigration program. Rather, it is a work permit issued under the federal Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). There is no annual quota on the number of work-permits that can be issued. The latest rules governing new business owners under the TFW program is gaining considerable local and international attention to many foreign business entrepreneurs and investors. A foreign investor-entrepreneur, motivated to live in a particular area of Canada, can purchase a suitable business and relocate to that area of choice before the permanent residence is granted. This is far more advantageous than trying to meet provincial immigration program requirements in areas of Canada that are not desirable.
- The foreign investor identifies a Canadian business to purchase.
- A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is submitted along with a suitable business plan.
- Once a positive LMIA opinion is issued, the foreign investor applies for a 12-24 months, renewable temporary work permit at the management level.
To qualify as an owner-operator, the foreign investor must have:
- Verifiable, transferable management experience.
- Sufficient assets to purchase the targeted business in Canada.
- Sufficient language abilities in either English or French to actively work as a manager in the business.
- Controlling interest in the business: own more than 50% of the shares and cannot be dismissed
Ownership of shares does not by itself guarantee that a foreign national qualifies as an owner-operator. The offer of employment must be made to a foreign investor that will be actively engaged in the management of the business. This will be assessed by reviewing the foreign national’s intention to operate the business as well as prior experience in managing or operating a business.
There is no minimum wait time. During the first year of working in Canada, the foreign investor along with immediate family members can apply for permanent residence if they qualify under a suitable program, either the federal Express Entry or a provincial nomination program. In most cases, the process can be completed in less than 12 months.
Once a suitable business is found, it will take 2-3 months to complete the LMIA application process. It will take less than 3-months in most jurisdictions to receive a work permit.
Welcome to Globe Overseas
Globe Overseas Legal (GOL) is a Canadian company with head office in Regina, Saskatchewan Canada. GOL consists of a number of entities each specializing in sectors of immigration, investment, education and foreign worker recruitment with Expertise of many years.
