PRIORITIES OCCUPATIONS LIST
On June 26, 2010, the Minister of Immigration released a new Priorities Occupation List (POL), which limited list of professions intended to be fast-tracked or “put in the front of the line” due to a high demand for these occupations in Canada. Candidates, who fall under this list, are eligible to receive their permanent residence visas for Canada within a time frame of 6 to 12 months.

 The goal of this action plan was to serves three purposes:
1. To meet the high demand of certain skilled professions in Canada;
2. To reduce the current immigration backlog; and
3. To process immigrant applications within six months to twelve months, whereas, processing times for           
     immigrant applications under the old system takes several years.

 Only 1000 slots are open annually starting June 26, 2010 and some professions have already reached the quota of 1000 slots.

 Remaining Slots Open Under Priorities Occupation List
Restaurant Managers                                              600
Insurance Adjusters / Claims Examiners       850
Architects                                                                    650
Physicians                                                                    600
Dentists                                                                         500
Pharmacists                                                                400
Physiotherapists                                                       800
Radiologists                                                                900
Dental Hygienists                                                     940
Licensed Practical Nurses                                    920
Psychologists                                                            890
Social Workers                                                         700
Chefs                                                                             920
Cooks                                                                           850
Carpentry Supervisors                                        900
Mechanic Trade Supervisors                            800
Electricians                                                              900
Plumbers                                                                  930
Welders                                                                     940

These figures are approximate.

 QUALIFICATIONS
The qualifications to be a skilled worker applicant to Canada are:
1. Minimal completion of a Bachelor’s Degree;
2. Successful completion of the IELTS (English) exam; and
3. At least one year of full-time professional work experience in any of these high demand professions.

APPLY TODAY!
Limited space is available for each profession, and once a profession reaches 1000 applications, no further application will be accepted under that profession until another 1000 slots open on June 27, 2011. Some professions might be added, others will remain, and some professions are expected to be removed from the Priorities Occupations List on June 27, 2011, so the best time to apply is now.

NEED MORE INFO?
For information on any immigration matter, please call the writer, Mr. Don Collantes, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at (416) 733-3605. You may also email your resume for immediate assessment to chitoc@cwss-canada.com .

The above article is only general information and is unintended to act as a legal document. The writer is a Certificate Canadian Immigration Consultant (CCIC) by the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), which is a professional regulatory board immigration consultants as recognized by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), a Department of Government Canada. The writer is also the Chief Operating Officer of CWSS Canada USA Immigration Services Inc., which is a multinational corporation that provides immigration services to Canada, with the Head Office located at 66E Finch Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario, M2N 2H4, Canada. Toll Free No: 1 877-882-6888 Email Address: chitoc@cwss-canada.com

           Thousands of nurses and doctors from the Philippines have chosen to work in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Qatar primarily since they receive a substantially higher salary than practicing in the Philippines, and secondarily since they do not encounter too many living expenses as their accommodations and often meals are provided by their employers, their airfare is covered by their employer and they usually receive an annual vacation leave, and they can potentially bring their spouses and young children to live with them in the Middle East.

           Although these benefits seems very appealing, Filipino nurses and doctors are often seen and treated as workers and not as professionals, and need to adapt to the Muslim culture. Also, once Filipino children turn the age of 18, they are required to return permanently to the Philippines, thereby, forcing families to separate. On the other hand, Canada offers immigrant status upon arrival to nurses, doctors and their spouses and children. After three years of residency in Canada, these nurses, doctors and their immediate family members have the privilege of acquiring Canadian citizenship status. And, also importantly, nurses and doctors in Canada earn substantially higher than contract workers in the Middle East.
CANADA VS. USA

            Most Filipinos have always seen USA as the top destination choice. Nurses are open to apply for working visas and permanent residence visas to USA. Although doctors may be restricted from applying for USA, hundreds of doctors in the Philippines with many years of resident and independent experience have even went back to university to complete a Bachelor’s degree in nursing in order to be eligible to apply for work in USA. With the US economy in somewhat of a turmoil, thousands of nurses with pending applications for USA have had their applications pending for several years now without any news on exactly how long their applications may still take to process.

            Canada, on the other hand, is in need of more nurses and doctors and is now fast-tracking their permanent residence applications within a six to twelve month period. Canada is now seen as the top destination choice for nurses and doctors.

                                                                   Other Professions in High Demand in Canada

- Financial Managers                                                                          – Information Systems Managers
– Health Care Managers                                                                     - Restaurant Managers
– Accommodation Service Managers                                          – Construction Managers
– Accountants                                                                                        - Geologists
– Specialist Physicians                                                                        – General Practitioners and Physicians
– Occupational Therapists                                                                 – Physiotherapists
– Head Nurses                                                                                         – Registered Nurses
– Medical Radiation Technologists                                                - Licensed Practical Nurses
– University Professors                                                                      - College Instructors
– Chefs                                                                                                        - Cooks
– Supervisors, Pipefitting Trades                                                    – Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
– Supervisors, Construction Equipment Crews                        – Electricians
– Industrial Electricians                                                                     – Plumbers
– Pipefitters                                                                                              - Welders

APPLY TODAY!

            To take advantage of this opportunity and start your fast-tracked immigrant application for Canada, or for any other immigration matter, please call the writer, Mr. Don Collantes, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at toll free 1-877-882-6888. You may also email your resume for immediate assessment to chitoc@cwss-canada.com .

           The above article is only general information and is unintended to act as a legal document. The writer is a Certificate Canadian Immigration Consultant (CCIC) by the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), which is a professional regulatory board of immigration consultants as recognized by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), a Department of Government Canada. The writer is also the Chief Operating Officer of CWSS Canada USA Immigration Services Inc., which is a multinational corporation that provides immigration services to Canada, with the Head Office located at 66E Finch Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario, M2N 2H4, Canada. Telephone (416) 733-3605 Email Address: chitoc@cwss-canada.com

          Federal Skilled Worker Class is a type of application eligible for permanent residence status in Canada. Candidates are assessed on a point system, which specifically targets educational attainment, proficiency in English and work experience.

PRIORITIES OCCUPATIONS LIST

            On June 26, 2010, the Minister of Immigration released a new Priorities Occupation List (POL), which lists 29 specific professions intended to be fast-tracked or “put in the front of the line” due to a high demand for these occupations in Canada. Candidates, who fall under this list, are eligible to receive their permanent residence visas for Canada within a time frame of 6 to 12 months.

The goal of this action plan was to serves three purposes:
1) To meet the high demand of certain skilled professions in Canada;

2) To reduce the current immigration backlog; and

3) To process immigrant applications within six months to twelve months, whereas, processing times for immigrant applications  
      under the old system takes several years.
Current Priorities Occupation List
– Restaurant Managers                                                                    – Psychologists
– Primary Production Managers                                                -  Social Workers
– Occupations in Business Services to Mgmt                         – Chefs
– Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners                       – Cook
– Biologists                                                                                           – Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
– Architects                                                                                         - Supervisors, Mechanic Trades
– Specialist Physicians                                                                    – Electricians
– Practitioners and Physicians                                                     – Industrial Electricians
– Dentists                                                                                              - Plumbers
– Pharmacists                                                                                      – Welders
– Physiotherapists                                                                            - Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
– Registered Nurses                                                                          – Pipefitters
– Medical Radiation Technologists                                            – Crane Operators
– Dental Hygienists                                                                           - Drillers and Blasters
– Licensed Practical Nurses                                                          – Supervisors, Oil and Gas
– Drilling

QUALIFICATIONS

The qualifications to be a skilled worker applicant to Canada are:

1. Minimal completion of a Bachelor’s Degree;

2. Successful completion of the IELTS (English) exam; and

3. At least one year of full-time professional work experience in any of these 38 high demand professions.

QUOTA

          There is an annual quota of 1000 candidates per profession starting on June 26, 2010. All prospective candidates, who fall under this list and who have completed the IELTS exam are strongly encouraged to apply immediately.
NEED MORE INFO?
           For information on any immigration matter, please call the writer, Mr. Don Collantes, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at (416) 733-3605. You may also email your resume for immediate assessment to chitoc@cwss-canada.com .
           The above article is only general information and is unintended to act as a legal document. The writer is a Certificate Canadian Immigration Consultant (CCIC) by the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), which is a professional regulatory board immigration consultants as recognized by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), a Department of Government Canada. The writer is also the Chief Operating Officer of CWSS Canada USA Immigration Services Inc., which is a multinational corporation that provides immigration services to Canada, with the Head Office located at 66E Finch Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario, M2N 2H4, Canada. Toll Free No: 1 877-882-6888 Email Address: chitoc@cwss-canada.com

1. A declining birthrate; and
2. An aging population
The characteristics that will blend into the increased quota of accepting 320,000 immigrants per year as follows:
1. Encouraging new immigrants to settle outside big cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to spread the economic    
benefit of immigration across Canada (currently, the Greater Toronto Area is receiving around 100, 000 new immigrants  
every year and this has led to an increased pace of development as compared to all other Canadian cities)
2. Matching new immigrants with jobs that meet their level of skill and trade (currently, a majority of new immigrants are
accepting their first Canadian jobs which usually underachieve their higher level of skill and trade)
3. Making it easier for temporary workers and foreign students to remain in Canada and become new immigrants (temporary
workers and foreign students have a strong knowledge of Canada and are already adapted to the Canadian lifestyle) Characteristics that need to be more addressed by the Liberal government party concerning this increased quota of accepting 320,000 per year or even the current immigration quota are:
1. Recognizing foreign educational credentials for a quicker transition and job placement for professional who require a
license or registration to practice, such as, pharmacists, medical laboratory technologists, registered nurses, engineers,
physiotherapists, architects, social workers, teachers, etc. (currently, new immigrants who wish to continue to practice
their profession where licensure or registration are required may have to accept jobs that are lower than their level of skill
while they undergoing their licensure examination process which can take two years to complete depending on the
license.)
2. An increased budget from the federal government for the city of Toronto to assist the settlement of 100,000 to 140,000
new immigrants every year (currently, the city of Toronto is receiving a share of the federal government budget for the
settlement of new immigrants, however, this share is not proportional to the share of new immigrants settling in the 
Greater Toronto Area on a yearly basis)
3. Quicker processing by Canadian immigration offices abroad for potential new immigrants applying under the skilled   
worker category, which can take two to five years to process.

For more information on any immigration matter including how to bring your relatives to Canada as immigrants, please call the writer, Mr. Don Collantes, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at (416) 733-3605 or toll free at 1-877-882-6888.

The above article is only general information and is unintended to act as a legal document. The writer is a member of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), which is a professional regulatory board immigration consultants as recognized by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), a Department of Government Canada. The writer is also the Chief Operating Officer of CWSS Canada USA Immigration Services Inc., which is a multinational corporation that provides immigration services to Canada, with the Head Office located at 5754 Yonge Street, Suite 103, Toronto, Ontario, M2M 3T6, Canada. Toll Free No: 1 877-882-6888 Email Address: chitoc@cwss-canada.com

Presently, the most suitable way to immigrate to Canada is to apply as a Skilled Worker. Skilled Workers in Canada are given permanent residence status in Canada, are able to accompany their spouse and children to Canada, are able to apply for any employment in Canada, are able to access all of the same social government programs as Canadian citizens, are given the same rights and freedoms as Canadian citizens (except for the right to vote), are able to acquire Canadian citizenship after three years of residence in Canada, and the list goes on…

The Federal Government of Canada has devised a reasonable point system for the acceptance of quality Skilled Workers to Canada. The point system focuses on characteristics of a skilled worker that will assist the skilled worker to become successfully established as a permanent resident of Canada. The three main characteristics of a skilled worker that this point system focuses on include education, work experience and knowledge of English and/or French.

EDUCATION

The minimal educational requirement of a skilled worker who is applying to migrate to Canada is the attainment of a Bachelor’s Degree at the post-secondary level. Skilled workers who have attained a Master’s Degree or Doctorate Degree will obviously awarded a higher score on the point system. Individuals who have not attainted a Bachelor’s Degree must not apply as a skilled worker to Canada.

WORK EXPERIENCE

The minimal requirement regarding work experience for a skilled worker who is applying to migrate to Canada is the completion of at least one year of full-time work experience. The more work experience a skilled worker possesses, the higher score the skilled worker will achieve on the point system. This work experience does not necessarily have to be directly related to the educational background of the skilled worker but has to be considered skilled work. Occupations that are considered skilled work include, but are not limited to, teachers, professors, lawyers, accountants, bookkeepers, administrative officers, human resource officers, secretaries, principals, teachers, professors, librarians, journalists, computer programmers, engineers, technicians, technologists, contractors, electricians, plumbers, welders, painters, mechanics, managers, supervisors, nurses, pharmacists, doctors, dentists, dental hygienists, physiotherapists, veterinarians, paramedics, police officers, firefighters, social workers, real estate agents, barbers, chefs, cooks, etc…

KNOWLEDGE OF ENGLISH AND / OR FRENCH

A skilled worker who is applying to migrate to Canada must possess a moderate to high proficiency level in either the English or French language. Skilled workers will be required to take an English or French examination from an approved organization to determine their exact proficiency level in either of the official languages of Canada. Skilled workers who have worked for at least two consecutive years in a country where English or French is the official language may be exempted from taking the English or French language. These countries include Canada, USA, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and France.

The minimal requirements for acceptance under the point system as a skilled worker for permanent residence status to Canada vary on a case-to-case basis. For more information on the point system and how to apply as a skilled worker for Canada, or for information on any other immigration matter, please call the writer, Mr. Don Collantes, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at toll free 1-877-882-6888.

The writer is a Certificate Canadian Immigration Consultant (CCIC) by the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), which is a professional regulatory board immigration consultants as recognized by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), a Department of Government Canada. The writer is also the Chief Operating Officer of CWSS Canada USA Immigration Services Inc., which is a multinational corporation that provides immigration services to Canada, with the Head Office located at Unit E – 66 Finch Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario, M2N 2H4, Canada. Toll Free No: 1 877-882-6888 Email Address: chitoc@cwss-canada.com