There are major changes being brought into the Citizenship and Immigration Canada-regulated Federal Skilled Worker Program. Well, CIC has slashed the number of overseas tradespersons to be selected under the Federal Program for the year 2011. The reduction in the number of skilled tradespersons to be allowed in has surprised the Canadian Construction Association- which now hopes that they would eventually have access to the required number of skilled craftsmen. Needless to say, tradespersons out there who have been preparing for their Canadian immigration are affected the most by this piece of news!
For the year 2011, the CIC is all set to target only around 55,900 overseas skilled workers for selection under the country’s Federal Skilled Worker Program. The figure is a sharp declination of 20 percent from the 2010’s targeted figure of around 70,000.
However, owing to the Canadian Construction Association’s dissatisfaction on the reduction of the number of tradespersons, the CIC has started a public consultation on February 17. The consultation will play an important role in revisiting and examining the Federal Skilled Worker Program. With the suggestions and reforms being discussed, we can hope the federal program will become more accommodative and cater to the specific labor needs of the industries- especially the construction industry.
It is said that the current system is falling short of meeting the specific needs of the trades in Canada. This is mainly because it gives preferences of language proficiency and post secondary education qualifications. And those who do not score good enough on these criteria, they end up losing their chances of obtaining Canadian citizenship. As a result of this, many a times, tradespersons fail to come across as successful immigrants.
On the language front, the CIC has proposed to increase the maximum awardable points from 16 to 20 for proficiency. However, further consultation is likely to be carried out to determine this factor, as well as on determining minimum English language requirements depending on the prospective immigrants’ occupational skill level. If there happens to be a provision of minimum language requirements for certain occupations then, for example, tradespersons are likely to have different language requirements from managers or other professionals.
Likewise, changes have also been proposed- taking the demand for tradespersons in Canada into consideration- on the education or qualification factor. Currently, education points under the Federal Skilled Worker Program Selection System are awarded against the tradespersons’ credentials and the total number of associated years of pursuing study. Since, tradespersons do have credentials in their trade, but not mostly have associated years of education, applicants often fail to meet the point requirements under the education factor. The proposal has been made to reduce the currently required number of years of study to claim points for a trade, thereby further facilitating tradespersons, along with other technicians and apprentices.
While there is disheartening news that the CIC is reducing the number of people to be targeted for selected under Federal Skilled Worker Program, yet here is an overwhelming news! Canada readies itself to increase the number of people to be welcomed into the country under the Provincial Nominee Program. It is expected that CIC will boost the number by 9 percent to 40,300 for this year from 36,650 in 2010.
No matter which route to consider- Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Provincial Nominee Program, ensure a successful immigration process by consulting a global immigration specialist. At any point you can start the process, by first sending your resume to ajay@abhinav.com for free-of-charge assessment for immigration.
