05-29-12
Small and medium businesses smoothly surf the shifting and swelling tides of immigration, benefitting immensely from the networks of community-based clientele that foreign workers are able to access. According to Statistics Canada, 80% of the country’s total population growth will be fuelled by immigration in 19 years and will constitute a significant proportion of Canada’s productive labour force.
These skilled workers land onto Canadian soil with an arsenal of credentials and have often attained a higher level of education than the national average. Almost 40% of all foreign-born labourers possess no less than a Bachelor’s degree, says a survey by ALLIES (Assisting Local Leaders with Immigrant Employment Strategies).
Further, small enterprises profit from the community networks that immigrants are tied to, allowing them to access global markets. Not only do foreign skilled workers provide an insider’s perspective upon what marketing techniques and products appeal to specific ethnic groups within Canadian metropolises, they also retain old links to relatives, friends, and colleagues in their source countries.
Although CIC is fast-tracking permanent resident permits and facilitating the economic integration of international students who graduated from Canadian institutions on a study permit, small businesses also recognize that foreign workers who immigrate to Canada introduce a diverse set of skills and experiences to the workforce that cannot be homegrown.
With only a few exceptions—such as professionals covered under CUSMA, for instance—most Canadian work permits require a Labour Market Opinion. This process can range in length from 2 to 10 weeks, which may take too much time for employers rushing to fill job vacancies. Although federal and provincial skilled worker programs subject applicants to extensive credential assessments, the high volume of applications makes processing waits long and arduous. Kenney has recently introduced several reforms to address these backlogs to the Canadian immigration system.
With the help of an immigration lawyer from FWCanada, you get allow your credentials to be assessed for free. Follow @FWCanada on twitter for updates concerning the latest changes to Canadian Immigration Legislation.
