CEC trying to combat the problems of the immigrant workers.

As there is an increase in the Canadian labour market’s demand, Canadian employers are forced to frequently turn to the foreign labour pool to get experienced and qualified candidates, who are capable of taking up the positions in Canada. But, the problem is that there are many challenges in obtaining an initial work permit for a foreign worker and even bigger problem is that fact that it is more difficult to retain the foreign workers in Canada because work permit cannot be renewed for indefinite period. The only options that are left are either the employee plays a scene form the movie “Green Card” (which is not recommended), or he or she legitimately marries a Canadian. Otherwise it is really very difficult for an employee to get obtain a permanent residence in Canada before the expiry of his or her work permit. And as a result of this, the employer, who invested in the training and developing of the employee, incurs loss.

At present, a foreign worker, willing to apply for a permanent residency in Canada has to do so from outside the country. The points acquired by the applicants are then evaluated taking into consideration the individual’s age, experience, language facility and educational qualifications. The fact that emphasis is laid on the individual’s education, language skills and age means that it is difficult for the older skilled workers to qualify for permanent residence. In addition to so many problems, even the processing time for approval can be lengthy depending on where the application was filed.

The Federal Government has recently announced proposed amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act Regulations in response to the challenges that foreign workers face in obtaining permanent residence. The changes are aimed at creating a new mechanism for temporary foreign workers and students, who have post-graduate work permits, to obtain permanent residency in Canada without much problem. The main motive behind the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) is to attract more and more foreign workers to Canada and improve the rate of retention by enhancing the transition from temporary foreign worker to permanent resident.

The CEC recognizes that a person who is working in Canada has already showed the ability to enter to the Canadian labour market and contribute to the Canadian economy. As determined under the National Occupation Classifications, in order to qualify for permanent residency, the person must be working in a management, professional or a skilled trade occupation.