Immigration has been such a big help in resolving Canada’s labour shortages that the number of jobs going begging for a lack of workers has fallen by 39.7 per cent over the past two years.
In the second quarter of 2022, there were 990,900 unfilled positions in Canada. By March this year, that number of vacant positions had fallen to 597,725, reports Statistics Canada.
“Thanks to immigration, Canada’s labour force continues to grow every year,” notes Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on its website. “While funds for public services are vital, welcoming immigrants is important in helping employers find qualified workers to fill available jobs.
“This is because Canadians are living longer and having fewer children. More people are retiring, and there are fewer students in schools. As a result, the pool of Canadian-born existing and potential workers is limited.
Read More
Immigration to Canada Trending Down, New Data Shows
New Immigrants Catching Up to Canadians in Findings Jobs
Top 10 Most In-Demand Jobs in New Brunswick
“Immigrants contribute to our economy, not only by filling gaps in our labour force and paying taxes, but also by spending money on goods, housing and transportation.”
Statistics Canada reports that as of May 2021 immigrants aged 25 to 54 represented:
- more than 36 per cent of people working in accommodation and food services;
- nearly 38 per cent of those working in the transportation and warehousing sector;
- over 34 per cent of those working in professional, scientific and technical services, and;
- over 20 per cent of those working in construction.
“Economic immigration has always been the lifeblood of Canada’s economic success and has played a key role in the building of our great nation,” says Canadian Federation of Independent Business president and CEO Dan Kelly.
Foreign nationals can gain their permanent residency in Canada through several economic immigration programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) and Federal Skilled Trade (FST), the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) or the regional economic development programs including the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) or Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP).
Through the Express Entry system, candidates’ profiles are then ranked against each other according to a points-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The highest-ranked candidates will be considered for an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. Those receiving an ITA must quickly submit a full application and pay processing fees, within a delay of 90-days.
Through a network of Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP), almost all of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories can also nominate skilled worker candidates for admission to Canada when they have the specific skills required by local economies. Successful candidates who receive a provincial or territorial nomination can then apply for Canadian permanent residence through federal immigration authorities.
Immigrants Own 33% Of All Businesses In Canada
Immigrants also create jobs in Canada by starting and running businesses. In Canada, one out of every three business owners is an immigrant.
The percentage of business owners who are immigrants include
- 30 of software publishers;
- 36 per cent of dentists’
- 40 per cent of business owners in data processing, hosting and services;
- half of all restaurateurs;
- 51 per cent of computer systems design and services companies;
- 53 per cent of grocery stores, and;
- 56 per cent of trucking companies.
Through the Start-Up Visa (SUV) program, foreign nationals can also come to Canada on a work permit supported by their designated Canadian investor and so build up their business before their application for permanent residence is finalized.
The entire process of applying for permanent residence to Canada through the SUV is currently estimated by the IRCC to take 37 months.
Under the SUV, three types of private-sector investors are considered: angel investors, venture capital funds, and business incubators.
A designated venture capital fund must confirm that it is investing at least $200,000 into the qualifying business. Candidates can also qualify with two or more commitments from designated venture capital funds totalling $200,000.
A designated angel investor group must invest at least $75,000 into the qualifying business. Candidates can also qualify with two or more investments from angel investor groups totalling $75,000.
A designated business incubator must accept the applicant into its business incubator program. It is up to the immigrant investor to develop a viable business plan that will meet the due diligence requirements of these government-approved designated entities.
That investing and the development of the business is usually done with the help of business consultants in Canada’s start-up ecosystem with oversight from experienced corporate business immigration lawyers who can ensure a start-up’s business concept meets all industry-required terms and conditions.
The basic government-imposed candidate eligibility requirements for the SUV are:
- a qualifying business;
- a commitment certificate and letter of support from a designated entity;
- sufficient unencumbered, available and transferable settlement funds to meet settlement funding, and;
- proficiency in English or French at the minimum Canadian Language Benchmark level 5. However, it frequently occurs that higher levels of English are needed to meet due diligence requirements imposed by designated entities.
Canadian employers can also recruit and hire foreign nationals through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the International Mobility Program (IMP).
The Global Talent Stream (GTS), a part of the TFWP, can under normal processing situations lead to the granting of Canadian work permits and processing of visa applications within two weeks.
