Immigration Canada Québec

On November 2008, the immigration authorities issued Ministerial Instructions permitting the following categories of applicants to be processed immediately upon receipt of their application. 

•    Federal Skilled Workers with an Arranged Employment Offer (AEO); 
•    Federal Skilled Workers residing legally in Canada for at least one year as
temporary foreign workers or international students; or
•    Federal Skilled Workers with one year of continuous full-time (or equivalent part-time) paid work experience in the last ten years in one or more of the occupations selected at a given time.

Since June 26th 2010, the following occupations are eligible for direct application without an arranged employment offer:

• 0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers

• 0811 Primary Production Managers (Except Agriculture)

• 1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management

• 1233 Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners

• 2121 Biologists and Related Scientists

• 2151 Architects

• 3111 Specialist Physicians

• 3112 General Practitioners and Family Physicians

• 3113 Dentists

• 3131 Pharmacists

• 3142 Physiotherapists

• 3152 Registered Nurses

• 3215 Medical Radiation Technologists

• 3222 Dental Hygienists & Dental Therapists

• 3233 Licensed Practical Nurses

• 4151 Psychologists

• 4152 Social Workers

• 6241 Chefs

• 6242 Cooks

• 7215 Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades

• 7216 Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades

• 7241 Electricians (Except Industrial & Power System)

• 7242 Industrial Electricians

• 7251 Plumbers

• 7265 Welders & Related Machine Operators

• 7312 Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics

• 7371 Crane Operators

• 7372 Drillers & Blasters — Surface Mining, Quarrying & Construction

• 8222 Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service

The applicant is also evaluated against a selection grid that corresponds with the following criteria:

•    Education
•    Age
•    Experience
•    Proficiency in French or English
•    Arranged employment (if applicable)
•    Adaptability

The minimum requirement is that the applicant must also have at least one year of continuous full-time paid work experience, or the continuous part-time equivalent, in the category of Skill Type 0, or Skill Level A or B, according to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC).

The applicant is expected to hold sufficient settlement funds to provide for himself and his family members, whether they are accompanying him or not. The amount of funds is set on a yearly basis.

Visa officers do no longer assess language proficiency. The applicant must now undertake specific language tests in French and in English (where applicable) and submit the tests results as evidence of the level of proficiency in either or each language.

The adaptability criteria will apply for the spouses’ level of education or for presence of close relatives in Canada or previous studies and work in Canada.

The pass mark is set at 67 points. The interview is usually waived unless the evidence is inconclusive or appears to contain fraudulent information.

Once approved, the candidate is processed for the medical and security clearance. The validity of the visa will not go beyond one year after the medical exams or extend beyond the validity of the passport.

There are other skilled worker programs throughout the provinces. With the exception of the Quebec skilled worker category, most skilled worker programs are employer driven and will require either a job offer in the province of destination or the presence of relatives. See also the new regulations under the Quebec skilled worker program.

You may also complete our evaluation form. We will be pleased to reply to you within 24 hours.

Bellemare & Vinet Attorneys

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