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Ruairi Spillane

Ruairi Spillane

Founder
Outpost Recruitment

If you’re a construction and engineering professional from outside Canada, you might see Canada as a great place to advance your career. And rightfully so! Canada offers immigration pathways for international professionals with these in-demand skills, as well as plenty of opportunity for career progression. But navigating the Canadian immigration system can be tricky, especially with all the different programs with their varying requirements. The immigration experts at our sister company Moving2Canada helped us build this guide that provides essential insights and key strategies to help you understand and successfully navigate the immigration process to Canada. Let’s make sure that you can take advantage of the best opportunities for immigration as a construction or engineering professional.

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Outpost Recruitment has been helping international candidates find jobs since 2011, and one of the key steps is to obtain the right to work in Canada.

If you’re interested in working in Canada and don’t yet have a work permit or immigration status, here’s how to get going.

How To Get A Work Permit in Canada – The Short Overview

We often see quality candidates from all over the world who have worked in the Middle East, Australia, or elsewhere, who assume that moving to Canada has to involve leveraging a particular job offer.

First, let’s call this out: you may not need — in fact, you probably don’t need — the support of, or sponsorship from, an employer in Canada to immigrate to Canada as a construction professional.

Canada is quite different. There are work permit categories that don’t require a job offer, and there is a direct, and relatively quick, route to permanent residence (PR), even if you don’t have a job offer and even if you have never lived in Canada before. Canada welcomes workers through a variety of PR programs, as well through a range of temporary work permit categories.

These temporary work permits fall under 2 main categories:

  1. Temporary Foreign Worker Program;
  2. International Mobility Program.

Before we dig into these programs, we want to quickly point out that temporary work permits in Canada are usually used as part of a two-step immigration process. You work temporarily first, then become a permanent resident later. It’s a very common pathway and research shows that people who use this two-step pathway tend to have better earnings than those who come to Canada as permanent residents in a one-step immigration process.

Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Under this category, a Canadian job offer is required and requires the Canadian company to petition the government to hire you, the foreign worker, to fill a specific role based on the need for someone with your skills and experience. This petition — as well as the actual document resulting from a successful application — is called a Labour Market Impact Assessment, or LMIA.

Informally, this is often known in construction and engineering circles as “employer sponsorship”. The feasibility of obtaining a LMIA waxes and wanes with the economy, resulting in more LMIAs being issued to engineers and construction workers when times are good, and fewer when the market outlook isn’t so rosy.

There are various LMIA streams within the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, each offering different pros and cons to the hiring company.

The good news – many construction and engineering companies benefit from the Global Talent Stream (GTS), a stream within the Temporary Foreign Worker Program that offers expedited processing of the LMIA. Under the Global Talent Stream, LMIAs will be processed within 10 business days compared to the 2 to 3 month processing of regular LMIAs.

Under the Global Talent Stream, the hiring company must demonstrate eligibility under 1 of 2 categories. Under category 1, the hiring company will need a referral to the GTS by one of the stream’s designated referral partners and be hiring an individual with unique and specialized talent to help the company scale up and grow. Under category 2, the company must be hiring in an in-demand occupation found on the global talent occupations list.

International Mobility Program

This category of work permit is LMIA-exempt, so employers don’t need to go through the LMIA process for you to start work in Canada. In some cases (think International Experience Canada, often known as the working holiday), you won’t even need a job to get the work permit.

It is almost always preferable to look towards getting an LMIA-exempt work permit before pursuing the LMIA route. LMIA-exempt pathways are much faster, so you can get to Canada sooner — suited or booted and ready for action — and your employer-to-be will appreciate not being dragged into the bureaucracy.

Some common work permits for construction and Engineering workers under the International Mobility Program (IMP) include the International Experience Canada (IEC) program, international free trade agreements and intra-company transfers. The Francophone mobility program is also a really good option for those who speak intermediate-level French. You can learn more about this program here.

International Experience Canada (IEC) Program

The International Experience Canada (IEC) program offers young individuals from select countries the opportunity to work and travel in Canada for up to 36 months. While competition can be fierce in some countries, the process is relatively straightforward once you receive an invitation to apply. It’s also a relatively affordable pathway, costing just a few hundred dollars for your application and other related immigration costs (though there are insurance requirements and funds thresholds that increase the overall costs).

The IEC program encompasses three categories:

  • Working Holiday: Provides an open work permit, allowing participants to work for any employer across Canada.
  • Young Professionals: Designed for individuals with a job offer in Canada that contributes to their professional development, offering an employer-specific work permit.
  • International Co-op (Internship): Tailored for students enrolled at a post-secondary institution who have a job offer for a work placement or internship in Canada, also providing an employer-specific work permit.

For construction and engineering professionals, the IEC program serves as an excellent entry point into the Canadian job market.

International Trade Agreements

Canada has several trade agreements that make it easier to hire construction and engineering workers from other countries. If you’re from a country that has an international trade agreement with Canada, you may be able to take advantage of these agreements.

These trade deals reduce barriers, like the need for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), and help skilled workers find job opportunities in Canada’s growing construction and engineering industries.

The Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)

The Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) streamlines the process for professionals and technicians from EU member countries to temporarily work in Canada, particularly in engineering sectors. Under CETA, eligible individuals can obtain employer-specific work permits without the need for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), simplifying access to Canada’s job market. Applicants must have a pre-arranged contract in Canada and meet specific educational and professional experience requirements relevant to their occupation.

CETA covers all 27 European Union member states, facilitating the mobility of skilled workers across a range of professions, including engineering technologists and scientific technologists.

  • Learn more about CETA on our sister website, Moving2Canada.

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) facilitates the temporary entry of professionals from Canada, the United States, and Mexico, streamlining cross-border employment opportunities. Through CUSMA, eligible professionals can obtain temporary work authorization without the need for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), simplifying the process for both employers and employees. This provision applies to a wide range of professions, including those in the construction and engineering sectors.

  • Learn more about CUSMA.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) facilitates the temporary entry of professionals and technicians from member countries into Canada, particularly in high-demand sectors like construction and engineering.

Citizens from CPTPP member countries—Australia (including permanent residents), Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, and Peru—can take advantage of this agreement. The UK has joined the CPTPP, but this hasn’t yet been ratified in Canada, so UK businesses can’t yet trade with Canada through this agreement.

The agreement is particularly valuable for civil engineers, construction managers, electrical engineers, engineering technicians, and skilled trades in construction, offering access to Canada’s growing infrastructure projects and international career opportunities. Learn more here.

Other LMIA-exempt work permit options for Construction and Engineering occupations include:

As a skilled construction or engineering worker, you need to verify whether your profession is covered under the free trade agreement that applies to your country, and that you meet other eligibility requirements.

By understanding the requirements and benefits of applicable agreements, you can ensure you take full advantage of the opportunities these trade deals provide to advance your career and contribute to Canada’s growing industries.

Intra-Company Transfers

Intra-company transfers allow skilled construction and engineering workers employed by multinational corporations outside of Canada to relocate to a Canadian branch.

Intra-company transfers (ICTs) offer significant advantages for the construction and engineering sectors, particularly when it comes to faster deployment of skilled workers. By bypassing the need for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), ICTs enable multinational companies to quickly assign their top talent to Canadian projects. This streamlined process ensures that critical infrastructure and engineering initiatives can move forward without delays caused by recruitment challenges or skills shortages.

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How To Get Permanent Residence in Canada- The Short Overview

Individuals have various pathways available to gain permanent residence (PR) in Canada, depending on their skills, work experience, and background. Unlike a work permit, which allows you temporary status in Canada, permanent residence provides permanent status, enabling you to live, work, and study in Canada indefinitely. Obtaining permanent residence typically involves meeting specific eligibility criteria, such as work experience, language proficiency, education, and sometimes securing a job offer from a Canadian employer.

Unlike temporary work permits, which are tied to a specific job or employer, permanent residency offers more stability and access to Canadian social benefits, including healthcare, education, and family sponsorship opportunities.

Express Entry

Over recent years Canada has pivoted to an economic immigration system, known as Express Entry, whereby those of you with plenty of work experience, a post-secondary education and English skills are prioritized for immigration. Processing times for this pathway are speedy – usually around six months (sometimes less if you’re selected early and have your application ready; sometimes longer if you have to wait for an invitation and/or if you need to gather extra documents). With PR, you land in Canada with no time limit to your potential employment, and you can work for any employer, anywhere in Canada.

In the last year, and for the immediate future, Canada has placed particular emphasis on prioritizing French-speaking candidates, trade workers, healthcare professionals, and individuals already in Canada. Category-based draws now specifically seek out trades candidates with at least six months of eligible work experience within the past three years, helping to meet the growing demand in key sectors across the country.

You can learn more about the professions covered by trades draws in Express Entry on our sister site, Moving2Canada.

Provincial Nominee Programs

Provincial Nominee Programs, or PNPs, are another economic route to PR, but this also takes at least a few months from start to finish. These programs allow provinces to nominate workers with certain skill sets, and some provinces are on the lookout for construction and engineering professionals.

Other Options To Work in Canada

Finally, studying in Canada as an international student allows you to work up to 20 hours per week while studying. Although this may not be an option for professionals seeking a full-time construction or engineering job, it is worth keeping in mind as an alternate pathway for immigration, particularly for spouses or partners who wish to accompany.

How Can I Find Out If I’m Eligible To Move To Canada?

Canadian immigration authorities have a convenient tool on their website, called the Come to Canada tool. It takes a few minutes to fill out, and will give you an indication of which program(s) you may be eligible for. You can also use Moving2Canada’s 2-minute quiz that will help you figure out which immigration pathway to Canada best fits your profile.

Before using these tools, it’s a good idea to learn about the various options that are available for immigration to Canada. This means you can properly interpret the results provided. However, you should note that the tool only evaluates for programs operated by the federal government (i.e. the government of Canada), and does not evaluate for those programs operated by the provinces (the PNPs). For this reason, we recommend the Come to Canada as a starting point, but it may not offer the sum of all your potential options.

There is lots of free assistance available online (such as the article you are now reading). However, if you have specific questions or concerns, we recommend seeking a professional consultation. This may entail a consultation fee, but if you are prepared with the questions you need answered, it could save you headaches, time and money later in the application process.

Our sister website, Moving2Canada, works with a range of regulated immigration consultants who can answer your questions and help you plan your move to Canada. The Moving2Canada account offers personalized guidance throughout the immigration process, including step-by-step checklists, information tailored to your specific immigration pathway, and exclusive resources and offers to help you settle in Canada.

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