How to Work in Canada With or Without Work Experience – We all know that getting a job in any part of the world requires work experience and skill and in Canada, foreign workers are required to have work experience in any job they are applying for as this is a criterion in successfully immigrating to Canada to work.
In as much as work experience is a requirement when processing your immigration to Canada, there are still some ways you can actually immigrate to Canada without work experience.
Presently, the country has set out an initiative to invite over a million foreign nationals into the country within the next three years and these foreign national are to fill up labor shortages in the country and contribute to the growth and development of the economy. In a bid to meet this target, it has designed a number of immigration programs to help foreign nationals come into the country and you can also get to work in Canada with or without work experience.
Canada is a wonderful place to live and work as you will enjoy a better standard of living compared to some other countries of the world. This is seen as one of the safest countries of the world and you get to enjoy a favorable minimum wage.
We are going to be looking through some of the immigration programs in Canada through which you can immigrate and work in Canada whether with work experience or not. Though the most popular immigration program which is the Express Entry System has work experience as one of the requirements for going through the program but there are some other ways you can actually work in Canada even without work experience.
How to Work in Canada With Work Experience
Express Entry System
Like we said earlier, this is the most popular immigration programs in Canada and it is also the fastest and easiest pathways to immigrate to Canada as it takes only about six months to process. Since its initiation in 2015, it has been the pathway for a number of immigrants.
What is the Express Entry System all about?
This is an online program where you are expected to create an online profile according to some requirements of which work experience is one of them alongside age, education and language proficiency. Though in this program, getting a valid job offer is not a requirement but it will increase your chances of being successful through this program. One sweet thing about the Express Entry System is that you can actually get permanent residence through the program.
You are expected to complete your online profile within 60days after which you will be placed in a draw with other candidates and eligible candidates will be scored based on the requirements they have filled in the online profile. Every eligible applicant will be ranked according to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
Here, applicants will be given a CRS score to match against a CRS cut-off score and applicants that meet or exceed the CRS cut-off score will be selected to get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in Canada.
In some cases, there might be a tie where two applicants may have the same score and in this case, a tie-breaking rule will be used to determine which of the applicant will be picked to get an ITA. The tie-breaking rule states that when two applicants have the same score, the applicant that completes his or her online profile earlier will be chosen ahead of the other. This is why it is important that you complete your profile as early as possible and don’t wait for the deadline.
In the Express Entry System, there is always another chance for you even if you were not successful at the first time. The Express Entry draws are done twice in a month and so you have a chance to participate in another draw if you were not successful in the first draw. But in boosting your chances of being chosen in the next draw, you will have to improve you CRS score.
There are three federal immigration streams under the Express Entry System and they are:
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
- Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Canadian Experience Class
- The Federal Skilled Worker Program
The FSWP is a program that is designed for immigrants with training, skills and experience who are willing to contribute to the workforce of Canada. This program is for any skilled worker in any field aside trade jobs and agriculture. So even without a job offer, you can immigrate through this program as long as your occupation is among the occupations in demand in any of the provinces in Canada. But there are some requirements you will need to meet.
There requirements for the FSWP are
- You must have a paid skilled work experience of at least one year (30hours/week) for full-time and for part-time it could be (15hours/week)
- You must have an education certificate of high school diploma or degree from secondary school or post-secondary school in Canada and if you have a foreign certificate, it must be equivalent to the Canadian standard and so you will have to go through the Educational Credential Assessment to check the credentials.
- You must take the approved language test in English or French in writing, speaking, listening or reading and you must get a minimum score of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in all abilities.
- You must prove that you have sufficient funds to help you settle in Canada and also take care of any other family member coming with you unless you have a valid job offer
- You must successfully pass the security background check which shows that you have no criminal record and also pass the medical examination check meaning that you are in good health.
The Federal Skilled Trades Program
The Federal Skilled Trades Program is for qualified trades workers who want to become permanent residents of Canada. Trade jobs include electricians, plumbers, welders, mechanics, fashion designers etc. When applying through this program, you will not necessarily need a job offer for you to be eligible.
Let’s list out the requirements for this program:
- You should have a paid work experience of at least two years whether part-time or full-time
- There is no educational requirement for a skilled trade worker but having it can increase you score.
- You must meet the required language level in English or French in each language ability (speaking, writing, reading and listening)
- You should have sufficient funds to support you to settle in Canada and also take care of any other family member coming with you unless you have a valid job offer
- You must successfully pass the security background check meaning you have no criminal record
- You must pass the medical examination check meaning you are in sound health
The Canadian Experience Class
This is for foreign nationals that have at least one year work experience in Canada. Through this program, you can get permanent residence in Canada provided you have a Canadian work experience.
The Provincial Nominee Program
The PNP is a program for provinces in Canada to nominate immigrants to the province. It is designed by the provincial governments in partnership with the Canadian government through the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to help foreigners find work and settle in a particular province.
Each province sets its own requirements according to its economic needs and labor shortages. The Provincial Nominee programs enable employers to hire foreign skilled workers to come fill up labor shortages in the province.
Foreign workers with the right skills and work experience will be nominated to get permanent residence. This program will allow you to live and work in a province in Canada if you have a job offer and meet the requirement of that particular province.
If you are going through this program, you will have to apply for a job that is in high demand in any province you wish to work in. this will boost your chances of being nominated for permanent residence.
How to Work in Canada Without Work Experience
We have looked at some immigration programs where work experience is a requirement; we will have to look at some of the immigration programs where you don’t need work experience to work in Canada.
The Post-Graduate Work Permit Program (PGWPP)
This is an opportunity for foreign graduates to work in Canada while studying in any of the universities in Canada as a post-graduate student. Through this program, you get the opportunity to gain Canadian work experience which will help you apply for permanent residence in Canada. This program allows you to get an open work permit to work for any employer in Canada during the length of your study program.
To be eligible for the PGWP you’ll need the following:
- You must have completed an academic, vocational, or professional training program at an eligible institution in Canada for at least 8 months leading to a degree, diploma, or degree
- You must be a full-time student
- You must have a transcript and official letter from an eligible DLI confirming that you have met the requirements of the program
- You must have or had a valid study permit or had the authorization to study without a study permit.
- Your PGWP validity will depend on the length of your program. It can be as short as eight months or as long as three years.
The Working Holiday Visa Program
Another great way you can actually work in Canada with work experience. This visa program is also called the International Experience Canada (IEC) program and you don’t just get to travel and see wonderful places in the Great White North, you will also get the chance to get work experience in the country.
There are three categories under this visa program and they are:
- The Working Holiday Category which allows you to work for any employer in Canada with an open work permit though you will need a valid job offer.
- The Young Professionals Category which allows post-secondary school graduates to find work in Canada even without work experience. The job they find must be related to their qualification and they would certainly need a valid job offer from the employer that they want to work for.
