How can I get work in Canada?
Canada is the perfect country to go to work for a season, probably long, study a course or improve your English. Its landscapes, its friendly people and its high quality of life together with its growing labor market and its great educational offer have placed Canada in the spotlight of all those who are looking for a new adventure. Read on to discover everything you need to know to work in Canada!
Advantages of working in Canada
- You can work legally in Canada if you come on a work visa or take any of the courses that allow you to study and work at the same time, such as university degrees, degrees, diplomas and Co-op (a vocational training course in which half is theory and half are practices in real jobs, usually paid)
- With the Work and Holiday visa , you will be able to work full time.
- If you come to take a vocational training course, you can work part-time during the course and full-time during vacation periods. Unfortunately, this does not include English courses , so if your idea is to come to study the language, you will not be able to work legally.
- If you study for a minimum of eight months in the country at a public college or at any institution in the state of Quebec, you can apply for the Post Graduate Work Permit , with which you can stay and work legally in Canada after completing your studies. Completing 2 years of higher studies, you will be able to access this visa with a duration of 2 or even 3 years.
- In Canada it is possible to obtain permanent residence upon completion of your higher education and after having accumulated some work experience in the country.
- If you want to stay and work in Canada for a long time, there is a good chance that you can get a company to sponsor you.
- Canada is considered one of the countries with the best quality of life in the world , being a great option if you are looking to grow professionally and personally.
- Thanks to its prosperous and strong economy, Canada welcomes a large number of skilled immigrants each year to fill its growing number of job openings in all sectors.
What requirements do I need to work in Canada?
To work in Canada, like in any other country, you will need to meet a series of basic requirements. But don’t worry, they are nothing to write home about!
Get a work visa
If you want to make your dream of working in Canada come true , you can achieve it with one of the following visas:
student visa
The best way to combine studying with working in Canada is to come with a student visa and take a Vocational Training course, such as a Diploma with Co-Op (means that it has an internship included), or a university degree.
If you choose a course without Co-Op , you will be able to work 20 hours a week during the class period and 40 hours during the holidays.
And if you choose a course with Co-op, you will be able to work 20 hours a week during the theoretical block of the course and 40 hours a week during the practical block and the holidays.
To apply for a student visa and have the opportunity to work in the meantime, you need to meet two requirements: enroll in a professional training course (with or without Co-Op) that lasts at least 6 months.
However, if you come to study a language course, you will not be able to work legally.
If you meet these requirements, applying for a student visa is very simple, although somewhat elaborate. All you have to do is enroll in the course , prove that you have $883 CAD saved for each month the course lasts, get a letter of acceptance from the government and pay the visa fees ($150 CAD).
Post Graduate Work Permit
With this visa you will be able to work in Canada once you have finished your studies in the country.
To apply, you must have studied a professional training course (Co-Op) for a minimum of 8 months at an authorized public College.
Keep in mind that the duration of this visa is equivalent to the duration of your studies, except in the case that you have completed more than 2 years of study in Canada.
In this case, your Post Graduate Work Study Visa may have a duration of up to 3 years.
You can apply for this visa up to 90 days after completing the course
Work and Holiday Visa
If you want to combine travel, studies and work in Canada, the Work and Holiday visa is for you. With this visa you can live one year in Canada, and study for a maximum of 6 months.
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In order to apply, you must be between 18 and 35 years old, have $2,500 CAD in your bank account and not have previously applied for this permit (it’s once in a lifetime experience !).
In addition, you will have to have your passport with a minimum validity of one year, your updated curriculum vitae and in English, a passport photograph, pass a medical examination and, sometimes, they may ask you for your criminal record.
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The Work and Holiday Visa is difficult to obtain, since they give a limited number of visas each year, and the assignment is made through a draw in which you can participate after registering in the pool (basically a web page where you register and thus the Canadian government has a database of everyone who wants to apply for a visa).
The mechanics of the contest is simple and exciting. Between August and September, the Canadian government randomly sends invitations to a limited number of users registered in the pool to apply for the Working Holiday Visa. When all available applications are completed and approved, the lottery is over.
If you don’t want to leave your destiny in the hands of fate, the best option is to contact us and we can start the procedures for you to come to Canada with a student visa.
Express Entry
So far we have seen the visa options to come to study and work in Canada. Fortunately, this country is full of job opportunities, so the Canadian government has designed a series of programs focused exclusively on helping qualified international workers who want to migrate temporarily or permanently to Canada.
To manage this type of visa and residency applications for international workers, the Canadian government has created the Express Entry system.
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The Express Entry system divides workers into three categories, based on education, level of English and work experience.
The three categories to which you can apply are:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program: For professionals with specialized studies in specific areas, such as engineers, doctors and architects. Applicants must have at least 1 year of experience in a qualified job, a CLB 7 level in English or French, a study certificate and sufficient financial funds to stay in Canada for the first few months.
- Federal Skilled Trades Program: This permit may be requested by international workers with certified experience in different trades. Here builders, masons, miners, carpenters are grouped… To apply to the program, it is necessary to have a job offer from a Canadian company, have at least 24 months of work experience in the last five years and a good level of English or French.
- Canadian Experience Class: It is ideal for people who are working or have worked in Canada and are looking to stay permanently in the country. It is within the Experience Class and in order to apply for this visa you will have to have worked in Canada for at least 1 year, have certificates that demonstrate your work experience and demonstrate a good command of the language.
Be at least 18 years old
To get a visa and work in Canada you need to be 18 years of age or older.
Have health insurance in your name
In order to apply for any visa or work permit in Canada, it is mandatory that you take out medical insurance that covers your entire stay in Canada.
Medical expenses can be very high and, in the event that something happens to you, you will be glad you did.
In addition, having medical insurance will guarantee you the best 24-hour medical assistance in the event of an accident and will also cover other mishaps that may arise when you travel, such as loss of luggage, flight cancellations, dental emergencies or repatriation in the event of serious illness or death.
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There is a wide variety of insurance companies, many of them international, and different policies. We recommend that you inform yourself and look for the one that offers the services that best suit your travel plan.
Have a Canadian bank account
If you are going to work in Canada for a while, we recommend opening a bank account upon arrival. This will facilitate many procedures and procedures. In addition, most companies enter the payroll of their workers through a bank transfer.
Is it a requirement to have a high level of English?
Working in Canada will be much easier for you if you have a good level of English. Even if you are looking to work in unskilled sectors, it is very important that you can speak and understand the language well, as this will make it easier for you to communicate with your employers and clients.
Keep in mind that to access many qualified employment opportunities, you will have to provide a degree that proves your level of English.
If you don’t have it yet, the best thing is that you come a few months before to study an English course and get your degree in Canada. In this way you can begin to get to know the country and everything it offers more calmly.
At the end of the English course you will feel much more secure and confident to go for the job of your dreams.
In addition, with just a few weeks in Canada, your English will improve significantly, since most of your daily life will be in this language, and there is no better teacher than the need and the desire.
And if you need a boost, the best thing to do is look to live with a family or in a shared flat with people who don’t speak Spanish.
What are salaries like in Canada?
Canada has high salaries, which vary greatly depending on the state you are in or the work you do.
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Wages are measured by the hour and can range from $15 CAD per hour to $11.32 CAD. So if you are working part-time, 20 hours per week, your monthly salary will be between $1,200 CAD and $905.60 CAD.
To find out how much money you can earn in Canada, it is also interesting to know the average annual salary. In 2019, the median salary for a worker in Canada was $58,295.12 CAD. This is equivalent to 12 payments of $4,859.61 CAD.
Qualified jobs that require professional training and a good level of English are better paid. If this is the case for you, you could earn between $24 CAD per hour and $60 CAD per hour, depending on your position and responsibilities.
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