From Wiki

Contents 1 Accreditation 2 Testing 3 Study Materials 4 Work Experience 5 Immigration 6 Job Hunting 7 Warning

[edit] Accreditation

Accreditation of skilled tradespeople is handled separately by each province.

[edit] Testing

Although accreditation of skilled tradespeople is a provincial responsibility, Red Seal is an organisation that adminsters tests that are recognised across the country.

[edit] Study Materials

If you want to study the electrical, plumbing or woodworking codes for Canada, you can order the relevant publications from the Canadian Standards Association or from Order Line. Some members of the BE forum have been very satisfied with the electrical code books supplied by P. S. Knight.

[edit] Work Experience

Generally speaking, to get accreditation in their trade in Canada, a skilled tradesperson needs to pass a Red Seal test and to provide documentation that demonstrates that they had a certain number of years of practical experience as a qualified tradesperson before they came to Canada.

However, the exact requirements differ from trade to trade and from province to province. So the best thing for you to do is to look up the apprenticeship website of the province to which you are interested in moving.

[edit] Immigration

Read the BE Wiki article about Immigration, and follow the links to various government websites that are contained in that article. In some provinces, skilled tradespeople are in such demand that they can get into Canada on a temporary work permit (WP) or through some of the provincial nominee programs (PNPs). If a tradesperson gets into Canada on a WP, there is a reasonable chance that they can get an arranged employment opinion from HRSDC, and that in turn should shorten their application for a permanent residence visa to a year or less.

[edit] Job Hunting

To find out information on this topic, please read the BE Wiki article on Careers (Canada).

[edit] Warning

In February 2008, the BE forum received a report about a number of skilled tradespeople from Germany who had been recruited to Calgary on temporary work permits with promises of continuous work, with a view to obtaining permanent residence.

After a few months' work during the summer peak, they were laid off until work picked up again the next summer.

Hence they were stuck in Calgary, hoping that they had enough money to survive for six months.

This has happened to a range of trades including electricians and decorators.

Please understand the seriousness of this situation. A temporary work permit usually ties the work permit holder to a single employer. If the work permit holder is laid off by his/her employer, he/she has the right to continue living in Canada for the full term for which the work permit was issued. However, he/she does not have the right to work for another employer. The only way he/she could work for another employer is to start from square one again and apply for a new work permit.