Canada is a nation of immigrants that has consistently kept its borders open to "talented" applicants. Canadian employer-sponsored immigration is the fastest way to obtain a Canadian Permanent Resident Card, yet many people are not very familiar with this form of immigration. Today, let us explore this fast-track method for immigrating to Canada in depth.
What is Canadian employer-sponsored immigration?
Canadian employer-sponsored immigration is an immigration method where a Canadian employer applies to the relevant government departments to sponsor their employee for immigration status. There are two types of Canadian employer-sponsored immigration: federal programs and provincial programs (Provincial Nominee Programs).
Federal Programs for Canadian Employer-Sponsored Immigration
Federal programs are divided into independent applications and employer-sponsored applications. Independent applications require the applicant to accumulate points based solely on their own qualifications. Generally, this requires an IELTS score of at least 6 in all four bands, and many applicants need to score 7 in all four bands to meet the points requirement; language proficiency alone restricts many applicants.
Next is another hard indicator: the "Occupation List," which usually consists of local in-demand occupations. What is considered in-demand? Occupations such as civil engineers, horticulturists, and registered nurses. These are also requirements that ordinary applicants cannot meet. However, employer-sponsored immigration is not restricted by the in-demand occupation list. Thus, it is evident that employer-sponsored immigration is of significant importance to federal applicants.
Provincial Nominee Programs for Canadian Employer-Sponsored Immigration
According to the regulations of each Canadian province, skilled worker immigration under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) must have employer sponsorship to submit an application. There is no such thing as an independent application at the provincial level. Therefore, the term "Canadian employer-sponsored immigration" often refers to the "Provincial Nominee Skilled Worker" program. Canada has a total of 10 provinces and 3 territories, making 13 administrative divisions in total. Except for the province of Quebec (a French-speaking region) which has its own separate immigration system, and the territory of Nunavut which has the smallest population and no provincial nominee program, the other 11 administrative divisions all have their own provincial nominee immigration schemes. This means that there are employer-sponsored immigration programs in 11 Canadian provinces.
Canadian Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) was officially launched on March 6, 2017. The AIPP is an employer-driven federal immigration pilot program designed to help fill permanent labor shortages in the Atlantic provinces and support the permanent residence of foreign nationals.
The Atlantic Four Provinces for Canadian Employer-Sponsored Immigration include
Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Nova Scotia (NS), New Brunswick (NB), and Prince Edward Island (PEI). The estimated implementation period was 3 years (ending in 2020), with an annual quota of 2,000 people. (A total of 2,000 people for the four provinces combined)