As a foreigner, where to start looking for a job?

[bita.da.vo]

As a foreigner, where to start to look for a job in Vancouver/Canada?

If you're not familiar with the criteria selection of some companies, this question may sound strange.

I mean, just go online and google "job sites canada", or something!

In fact, I've been through this process already. I went online and applied to some jobs. But the thing is, many companies explicitly say that they will give preference to Canadian citizens (which is only fair if you ask me, it's their country after all). Which makes the process a little bit tricky if you want to immigrate to Canada, like me, and don't have an specific education highly required by the government. 

So, does anyone have an idea of places that are friendly with foreign applicants? 

I'm looking for something in the creative industry, international relations or tourism area.

Or in other words, my goal here is to find people telling me things like "hey, where I work we hire international people, this is the name of the place, take a look!".

Thanks guys!

[RumSwift]

13 minutes ago, bita.da.vo said:

I went online and applied to some jobs. But the thing is, many companies explicitly say that they will give preference to Canadian citizens 

Sorry I can't help answer your question but surely this is discrimination? 

 

Or is it different Canada? 

[bita.da.vo]

Hello RumSwift! Thanks for your reply!

I particularly don't understand it as discrimination (even though I wish it was different). I think that a country has to take care of their citizens, and guarantee that their people have jobs, before others can take the spare spots.

As far as I know, Canada as a country doesn't require a lot to permit that a foreign work in their territory. Because of that, some companies state the preference for nationals.

In the USA, for example, in order to get a job there, one has (technically) to prove that can perform a job that an American can't. Again, I understand the protectionism, the difference is that in this case it comes from a federal level, which makes it harder, I think.

[Guest]

If you have a worthwhile degree (technical, scientific, so on) many countries will have exclusive immigration assistance for these individuals. Must be bachelors, masters or PHD levels. 

[bita.da.vo]

3 minutes ago, fpo said:

If you have a worthwhile degree (technical, scientific, so on) many countries will have exclusive immigration assistance for these individuals. Must be bachelors, masters or PHD levels. 

Hello fpo! Yes, I know that   I'm particularly interested in migrating to Canada, and they also have this kind of assistance. But even so, it's more practical and easier to apply for this kind of visa after a job offer. And besides, the amount of money that I have to show is way less than if I enter the country without a job (which is kind of necessary in my case, cause I don't have extra "K's" in my pocket, hahaha).

I have two art degrees, one bachelor and one master degree but they are not as required by other countries as an engineering or science degree.

[Guest]

Perhaps you could enroll in a Canadian medical program. 

 

Canada has a socialist medical service & many Canadian doctors protest it as American counterparts are paid considerably more. If you want to live in Canada more than anything, it may be worth it to be a doctor. I don’t have any affiliation with Canada so my knowledge is limited. 

[dalekphalm]

1 hour ago, RumSwift said:

Sorry I can't help answer your question but surely this is discrimination? 

 

Or is it different Canada? 

No.

 

By law, a Canadian Business cannot hire a foreign worker (defined as a person without citizenship or permanent residency) unless they can prove that a suitable Canadian/Permanent Resident applicant was not found.

 

It would be discrimination if businesses wouldn't hire foreign people that had already immigrated into Canada.

[dizmo]

You need to be part of the required skilled labor market in order to get a job in Canada easily. To do this, check out this site:

https://www.immigration.ca/fast-track-high-demand-occupations

These hold the best chances for you to gain entry to Canada if you're seeking employment. You'll have to go through numerous tests to gauge your skill level, and you'll have to have sufficient funds to be allowed into the country. Your English seems to be pretty good, so you shouldn't have much issue with that. There are also sites you can go to to find out how your education stacks up against the Canadian equivalent, and what you'd need to upgrade. Hiring foreign workers is expensive for companies, something many don't consider when they're applying; unless you're offering something far and beyond what they can get from a person holding a Canadian citizenship, you'll lose out. Plain and simple. You can get temp work in Whistler and other places as a foreigner (I've seen more Aussie's there then anywhere else), but I don't believe that really leads to citizenship, if that's your end goal.

 

Why Vancouver? It's a lovely city, but it's prohibitively expensive. If you're going there, you'd better be prepared to spend $1,000/month on rent alone.

Your chances of buying a house in the future, unless you plan on hitting it big and getting a job of $180k+ a year, are also very slim.

Try Alberta. They have a more lax system for immigrants (though this may change, and it's mostly for lower paying retail jobs). If you check out the Alberta government website I think they have some information there. Just be prepared to embrace 8 months of winter.

 

It's not going to be easy, but it's possible. If you really want to live in Canada, you might have to do a job you don't like for a few years to gain citizenship and then move on to something you actually enjoy.

 

5 hours ago, RumSwift said:

Sorry I can't help answer your question but surely this is discrimination? 

 

Or is it different Canada? 

No, it's not. It's to protect Canadian citizens from unfair labor practices.

[bita.da.vo]

3 hours ago, dizmo said:

You need to be part of the required skilled labor market in order to get a job in Canada easily. To do this, check out this site:

https://www.immigration.ca/fast-track-high-demand-occupations These hold the best chances for you to gain entry to Canada if you're seeking employment. Hiring foreign workers is expensive for companies, something many don't consider when they're applying; unless you're offering something far and beyond what they can get from a person holding a Canadian citizenship, you'll lose out. Plain and simple. You can get temp work in Whistler and other places as a foreigner (I've seen more Aussie's there then anywhere else), but I don't believe that really leads to citizenship, if that's your end goal.

 

Why Vancouver? It's a lovely city, but it's prohibitively expensive. If you're going there, you'd better be prepared to spend $1,000/month on rent alone.

Your chances of buying a house in the future, unless you plan on hitting it big and getting a job of $180k+ a year, are also very slim.

Try Alberta. They have a more lax system for immigrants (though this may change, and it's mostly for lower paying retail jobs). If you check out the Alberta government website I think they have some information there. Just be prepared to embrace 8 months of winter.

 

It's not going to be easy, but it's possible. If you really want to live in Canada, you might have to do a job you don't like for a few years to gain citizenship and then move on to something you actually enjoy.

Hello dizmo! And thank you for taking your time to reply.

So, I have checked the Express Entry eligibility before, and I'm already at the immigration system under several occupations of "Level A" (Professional Ocupations). I fulfill all the criteria required, except that I have not yet proved my English skills through the IELTS test. This is just a technicality that I'll have to deal with before my application is accepted. After the application is accepted I'll have a final score that will tell me how likely I am to be accepted through Express Entry.

This is one of the options, and I'm trying it, but it also requires an amount of money that might be irresponsible to dispose at my age, which is: all my economies (and some family loan)! A job offer would be stepping into a comfort zone.

I don't care at all not working in my area for some years, or being relatively poor, as long as I have dignity in life. 

I know I have enough qualification to be hired, but I get it, sometimes it's tricky to convince companies that you're a valuable cost-benefit investment. 

 

Why Vancouver?... Well, because it doesn't freeze when the winter comes! I was born and raised in Brazil, and I try to stay away from below zero temperatures!

I also consider going to Alberta, more because of the landscape and the rocky mountains than anything else. I have lived in Montana/USA, which has a similar weather and landscape, and I loved there! And that made me acquainted with the 8 month winter! It's not ideal, but doable in a settling in period, then later I can consider moving out or not.

Another province I'm considering is Ontario, but just because there are big cities there, and therefore more opportunities, nothing personal.

[dizmo]

On 1/29/2019 at 3:48 PM, bita.da.vo said:

Hello dizmo! And thank you for taking your time to reply.

So, I have checked the Express Entry eligibility before, and I'm already at the immigration system under several occupations of "Level A" (Professional Ocupations). I fulfill all the criteria required, except that I have not yet proved my English skills through the IELTS test. This is just a technicality that I'll have to deal with before my application is accepted. After the application is accepted I'll have a final score that will tell me how likely I am to be accepted through Express Entry.

This is one of the options, and I'm trying it, but it also requires an amount of money that might be irresponsible to dispose at my age, which is: all my economies (and some family loan)! A job offer would be stepping into a comfort zone.

I don't care at all not working in my area for some years, or being relatively poor, as long as I have dignity in life. 

I know I have enough qualification to be hired, but I get it, sometimes it's tricky to convince companies that you're a valuable cost-benefit investment. 

 

Why Vancouver?... Well, because it doesn't freeze when the winter comes! I was born and raised in Brazil, and I try to stay away from below zero temperatures!

I also consider going to Alberta, more because of the landscape and the rocky mountains than anything else. I have lived in Montana/USA, which has a similar weather and landscape, and I loved there! And that made me acquainted with the 8 month winter! It's not ideal, but doable in a settling in period, then later I can consider moving out or not.

Another province I'm considering is Ontario, but just because there are big cities there, and therefore more opportunities, nothing personal.

If you want to move somewhere seeking work, you're going to need money. Canada isn't here to support every aspect of your life, you need to be self-sustainable. If you don't have the money to accomplish that, then that's a problem.

 

Vancouver is expensive. I wouldn't expect to own a house there. One of my friends makes about $160k/year and he's looking at buying outside of the GVRD.

 

Ontario is significantly worse weather wise than Alberta. Alberta is at least a dry cold, Ontario is more humid, and thus gets way more snow.

 

Lots of choices, but lots of pros and cons for them as well It's tough to choose which one's more worth it.

[thevicparable]

On 1/30/2019 at 11:48 AM, bita.da.vo said:

So, I have checked the Express Entry eligibility before, and I'm already at the immigration system under several occupations of "Level A" (Professional Ocupations). I fulfill all the criteria required, except that I have not yet proved my English skills through the IELTS test. This is just a technicality that I'll have to deal with before my application is accepted. After the application is accepted I'll have a final score that will tell me how likely I am to be accepted through Express Entry.

 

Good luck with IELTS man, the writing section is no joke. Investing in a little training might be worth it if you've never done it before, even though your English is fine. 

 

All the best trying to get to Canada, might try to do it myself one day.