Mellow2005

This is a little strange - maybe some fellow viewers will have had a similar experience!

Going the Work Permit route in order to start within a few months/weeks (hopefully!).

Travel to Toronto to attend interviews telling potential employers that I would need a Work Permit. After lots of meetings one company is keen to make an offer - great!

I am a UK citizen being offered an IT Management role for one of the large banks in Canada. Unfortunately this is no where like a role on the HRSDC IT exemption list.

The hiring manager says HR will contact me to discuss the details. HR tell me that they're more used to people already having a work permit (I didn't know this was possible).

When I tell this HR guy that they need to send my offer with a completed form to the HRSDC he tells me that they don't do sponsorship and they won't complete this type of form!

Am I missing something or is this unusual? I thought the HRSDC process was more of a labour market check than a form of sponsorship - so I don’t get it!

Any ideas or suggestions gratefully accepted....

RKDennis

You're correct in that it is a labour market check, not a form of sponsorship. This is an exercise in supply and demand in the labour force. If there are Canadian's to do the job, HRSDC approval is not granted. On the other hand , if workers are needed, then HRSDC approval is granted to fill the shortage.

A Temporary Work Permit is issued to; an individual, to work for a specific company, to do a specific job. There are some limited exceptions to this rule ("open TWP"), but not in your case. It would therefore be very unlikely that they have lots of people traipsing in off the street submitting applications for employment.

Basically, if there is an indigenous labour supply, companies will not spent the time / effort to bring somebody in from abroad if the labour supply exists in canada.

People who are in occupations that are not in high demand will have a difficult time obtaining a Work Permit. One, companies will not be willing to spend the time / effort. Two, even if they do, HRSDC will not approve.

Mike1967

HRSDC is a real pain for employers and unless they really can't get a Canadian or someone with landed status they won't bother.

If you are under 35 you have the option of a BUNAC visa for a year, and then you can talk your employer into sorting out the HRSDC stuff when you are there.

This is what my wife had to do (I was to old), and her employer was much more willing to go through HRSDC once she was working and deemed to be a good worker.

Hope this is of use to you (ie you are not as old as me!!!)

Mike

Mellow2005

Mike - I'm afraid I am not under 35!

I guess my main issue here is that the Bank hiring manager is really keen to make an offer. It seems that their HR people are the ones resisting the HRSDC form.

I even checked with the HRSDC to see if they had ever received submissions from this bank, which they had! After a summary, they even told me that my submission should be approved if it was submitted!

I've been through the HRSDC form and basically could fill in most of it myself but would, of course, need the Bank to sign off on it.

Just seems a shame to be so close and then get tripped at the last hurdle..well, sort of!

orazone

Sometimes its an organizational policy , and HR people simply can't do anything. I work in US and I have US work permit but i remember few years back i wanted to join a company and they were not even willing to transfer my work permit (which is a very simple process).
In the mean while do consider applying for immigration. i am not sure how successful you are going to be here ,but immigration is definitly a long term and better option.

ABW

Been there, done that....
It's not just banks but many other fields as well. We call it Catch 22.
Try look for jobs in smaller cities (ie. Edmonton, AB; Winnipeg, MB; etc...etc...).
Read this post:
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=268890