The Canadian Minister of Citizenship and Immigration recently announced the
details of the Canadian Experience Class,
a proposed new avenue for immigration for certain temporary foreign workers and
foreign student graduates with Canadian work experience. Unlike other existing
programs, the Canadian Experience Class will allow certain temporary foreign workers
and certain foreign student graduates with managerial, professional, or
technical or trade work experience to apply to become permanent residents, and
eventually Canadian citizens. All applicants, depending on their occupational
skill level, will be required to proof either basic or moderate language skills.
Temporary foreign workers and foreign students are generally spread out
across Canada and contribute to the growth of smaller communities as well as
metropolitan areas. Individuals applying for permanent residence through this
experience class immigration could apply from within Canada while continuing to work and
continuing to contribute to their local communities. Other immigration classes
such as Skilled Worker and Business Class do not benefit small communities as
much because most of these immigrants settle in larger centers such as Toronto &
Vancover.
The Immigration Minister Finley said that "The Canadian Experience Class is
one more measure this government is proposing to make our immigration system
more attractive and accessible to individuals with diverse skills from around
the world, and more responsive to Canada’s labour market needs. This new
proposed avenue for immigration would also go further to spread the benefits of
immigration into smaller centres across Canada."
International students and skilled workers would be more likely to choose
Canada if they knew their time in Canada and contribution to Canadian society
would assist in their eligibility to apply to stay permanently. This in turn
will also increase the number of international students and skilled workers
coming to Canada. Through the Canadian Experience Class Immigration, newcomers will be more likely to make
the most of their abilities while undergoing a more seamless social and economic
transition to Canada. And, in turn, their cultural and economic contributions
will enrich Canada.
The Canadian Experience Class comes after a number of recent initiatives the
government has undertaken to help newcomers succeed and to help make Canada a
more attractive destination for skilled individuals from around the world. These
initiatives include changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program; the
establishment of the Foreign Credentials Referral Office; increased investments
in language training and other programs and services aimed at helping newcomers
successfully settle and integrate into their new communities; and, most
recently, changes to the immigration system that would allow for priority
processing of certain skilled applicants and reduced wait times for those
wanting to immigrate to Canada.
