Process of hiring foreign skilled workers gets tougher

From now on Canadian employees may need to satisfy Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) while trying to hire a foreign skilled worker, as they will have prove the HRSDC that they haven’t been able to find any Canadian citizen or permanent residents to fill the available position. The role of the HRSDC is to make sure that Canadian residents have the first go to the jobs in Canada. HRSDC has recently modified employer requirements for abroad hiring in order to better reflect the evolving labor needs of Canada.

From now on Canadian employees may need to satisfy Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) while trying to hire a foreign skilled worker, as they will have prove the HRSDC that they haven’t been able to find any Canadian citizen or permanent residents to fill the available position. The role of the HRSDC is to make sure that Canadian residents have the first go to the jobs in Canada. HRSDC has recently modified employer requirements for abroad hiring in order to better reflect the evolving labor needs of Canada.

In order to get permission to hire a foreign worker, Canadian employers must apply to HRSDC first for a Labor Market Opinion (LMO). However, there are certain exceptions to this rule and are referred to as LMO exceptions. The LMO is an assessment on the current labor market of Canada and it ensures that no Canadian citizens or permanent residents are available to fill the position being offered.

The minimum advertisement requirement for the position is an important element of the assessment. From the 1st of January, 2009, Canadian employers who want to hire foreign workers for any occupation must satisfy HRSDC that they have advertised the position to the residents of Canada for a minimum of fourteen days. However, the precise details of the advertising requirement of Canadian employers still depend upon where the occupation fits in the National Occupation Classification (NOC) system of Canada.

In general, it can be said that the more complex the position for which a foreign worker is being hired, the less strict are the requirements of advertisements.