Great Opportunities for Pinoys to Move to Canada

THE employment and residency prospects for Filipinos in Canada remain bright as the Canadian government implements new immigration policies.

Cebu-based visa consultancy firm PinoyCare Visa Center said the Canadian government has recently updated its list of skill categories to 2,000, giving more options to Filipinos to land jobs and live permanently in Canada.

The Canadian government also launched early this year the Express Entry, a new application management system designed to approve a skilled worker’s application in Canada within six months or less.

“Canada has released new immigration guidelines this year...which gives more opportunities for Filipinos to make it to Canada faster,” said Bernie Uy, assistant vice president for marketing at PinoyCare.

“With the 2,000 skill categories released, it would now be impossible for any Filipino not to qualify,” said Prisca Niña Mabatid, chief executive officer of PinoyCare.

The Express Entry, according to the press release posted in the Canadian Embassy website, is seen “to contribute to Canada’s economic growth and international competitiveness.”

Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said the new application management system is “designed to get people with the skills to succeed in Canada’s economy faster than ever.”

He noted that skilled workers who want to apply for Canada’s key economic immigration programs will have to create an online profile and express their interest in coming to Canada permanently.

Candidates who meet the minimum criteria will be accepted into the pool and will be ranked according to various factors which include language proficiency, education and work experience.

The highest ranking skilled workers (current pass mark is 67 points) will be invited to apply for permanent residence and their application will be processed in six months or less.

The first invitations to apply will be issued during the last week of January.

Candidates receiving an invitation must submit a full application within a delay of 60 days.

The Express Entry marks major progress for skilled foreign nationals and employers alike, according to the government, as it will allow the Citizenship and Immigration-Canada to identify those who are most likely to succeed economically in Canada, instead of simply processing applications on a first-come, first-served basis.

“It will result in faster processing and will allow the Government of Canada to be more flexible and respond better to Canada’s changing labor market needs,” the statement said.

The Express Entry will manage applications for three federal economic immigration programs: the FSW Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program and the Canadian Experience Class.

Mabatid said her company is ready to assist the application of Filipinos to Canada with the updated immigration policies, especially for the Express Entry program.

She said she went to Canada last year to personally study the program and the process with the help of immigration consultants. Part of the services they will offer is to ensure that the applicant will have an outstanding and impressive resumé, competitive enough to be considered for an invitation to apply for a permanent residence.

PinoyCare recorded 700 approved applications for Canada last year, mostly nurses and engineers.

Mabatid is set to open her Toronto and New Zealand PinoyCare branches this year. She is eyeing more expansions in areas abroad where there is high concentration of Filipino communities. PinoyCare has 12 branches in the Philippines.

Canada has admitted more than 1.6 million new permanent residents since 2006, and will admit between 260,000 and 285,000 in 2015 alone. Canada welcomed more than 260,000 new citizens in 2014.

By Katlene O. Cacho, Sunstar