Today I have the honor of hosting a post from one of my best fellow bloggers in the region: Zhu from Correr es mi destino. Her blog is one of the best out there of the “In Canada” niche. You should go and take it a look. You can find some precious treasures! Thank You for sharing Zhu!
So that’s it, you made it: you landed in Canada with the permanent residence. This is a huge milestone and I’m sure after a few days or a few weeks, you will be looking for a job. The money you saved can only last so long…
As a permanent resident, you have rights and duties: you can receive most social benefits Canadians do, you may be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship when you meet the requirements and you are protected under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. You can also work, live and study wherever you want in Canada. Isn’t it sweet?
Canada welcomes around 250,000 new permanent residents every year. That is to say, even though finding a job is not always easy, most employers are familiar enough with the permanent resident status and know that you have the right to work.
However, you may face one of these three frustrating “red tape” challenges:
Proving your permanent resident status — Usually, employers only need your SIN card number for tax purposes. When the card begins with a “9” and has an expiry date, it means you are on a temporary work visa and employers will need to see it to make sure you are authorized to work in Canada. There is no difference between permanent residents’ SIN card and Canadian citizens’ SIN card so you should not have to prove your PR status. If the employer bluntly asks you if you can legally work, briefly explain your PR status, keep cool, don’t take it personally and move on.
Don’t obsess over government jobs — If you live in the National Capital Region, you may be interested in working for the federal government, the region’s biggest employer. However, there is a catch: preference is given to Canadian citizens (see jobs at CIC for instance). And given the number of Canadian citizens who are in various government “recruiting pools”, you chances to land such a job may be slim. Note that you can still apply for positions and work for the federal government but you may only get a “casual” or “term” status, not a permanent position. The more qualified you are the better your chances are. But don’t obsess over it and don’t disqualify private sectors employers because you’ve been told working for the government is the best! You will get your chance too when you will be a Canadian citizen, and you may be eligible to apply for citizenship after only three years.
Yes, you can get a security clearance! — This is another oddity in the National Capital Region: a lot of positions require applicants to hold a valid security clearance. The potential employer takes care of the security clearance process, which usually involves a criminal records check, a background check and a credit card check. The higher the clearance, the more throughout the personal screening is. Some potential employers will claim you can’t apply for a security clearance because you lived abroad, because you are new to Canada and so one. This is NOT true. Getting a high security clearance might be more difficult if you are not a Canadian citizen but you can obtain the basic security clearance without problem.
I faced these challenges myself when I first started looking for a job in Canada. It can be extremely frustrating at a time when you feel you finally overcame immigration problems thank to the PR status. But hang on! You DO have the right to work in Canada and you WILL find a position.
You can find more posts from Zhu at her blog: http://correresmidestino.com
Pic from examiner.com
You can also find related information at...
- About How we landed in Quebec and ended up living in Ontario. Part II: “Ottawa-Gatineau: Rise and Fall” This is the second part of our landing story. Today, it;s about how we decided where to live in Quebec and why,what happened and some lessons learned in desperation....
- The International Experience Visa and temporary work permits for young people If you are between 18 and 35 years old this can be your chance to travel to Canada and, also, get a job to gain international work experience. Let me tell you about the "Travel and Work In Canada" program...
- When 1 is more than 350 What if I tell you that I know someone who applied to 350 jobs in the same company, that he got almost no replies to those applications but now he's working for that company? Eh? Go ahead, I'll let you know the secret....
{ 1 trackback }
Thank you for accepting my guest post, I hope other will find it useful!
Thank You for your time!
Comments on this entry are closed.