Olib1990

Hi everyone, this is my first post..... I am a recently qualified electrician age 20. Me and my girlfriend have been looking at moving to Canada, particularly BC. I have completed a 3 year apprenticeship and work in for a large textile manufacturer so my background is mainly industrial.
Electrician is on the list of urgently needed professions which means i do not need a job offer, i have been in a common law relationship with my girlfriend for 4 years. And looking over all of the other criteria are confident we will get in. We are aware we can take as much as 4 years from applying to leaving the UK (1 year to apply, 1 year to get stamped in Canada and then 2 years to come). However we would rather wait 6 months to 1 year before we apply, mainly to save enough money for the application process and for when we arrive. But i am worried that Electrician may be removed from the occupation list, meaning i would need a job offer and making it alot harder to gain entry.
Is there any way of knowing how long my profession will stay on the list? Even just an estimate which will reassure me that it will not be removed within the next year?

Thank you

R I C H

No

christmasoompa

No way of knowing unfortunately. Bear in mind that there is a quota of 1000 applications per occupation, and it's likely that will be filled quite quickly especially for popular occupations such as electricians. So if you do wait, chances are the quota would be filled and you'd have to wait until next June to apply - and it's anticipated that the list will change again next June. Whether electricians will be on a new list is unfortunately just not known.

Just checking, but you do have at least one year full-time experience as an electrician (after completing your apprenticeship)?

Also, you'll need to look in to Red Seal (just do a search of the forum, or look in the Wiki) as this is something you'll need to work in Canada. You'll need to prove a certain amount of hours of experience, from my vague memory I think it's 9000 hrs for an electrican, but this cannot include apprenticeships, so I'm not sure if you'd have this? But a quick search will give you more info and tell you how to go about sorting this.

Welcome to the forum, and best of luck.

R I C H

No necessarily. If you're an employee and overseen by a Red Seal qualified electrician, you don't need the qualification yourself. I've several friends that are electricians and not RS certified. They all earn good money and don't feel the need to achieve RS.

Olib1990

Oh I see, I thought that included apprenticeship, I have finished all of my qualifications and am awaiting my certificates. I officially finish on the 28th of august. So I would have to wait another year beyond that? Or even 3 years if its the 9000 hours?

Thanks

christmasoompa

You need one year's full-time work experience as a qualified electrican to be eligible as a Skilled Worker, but also need to meet the points score - have you checked this? Just that unless you have Canadian relatives and fluent French language skills, it would be unusual to meet the points score with minimum work experience (again, apprenticeship can't count towards this).

Not sure about Red Seal now - I thought it was compulsory in BC, but Rich says not. A quick search of the forum should throw up the answer though.

Olib1990

Oh i see, when I did the points calculation i did it based on having 1 years full time work experience, because I included my apprenticeship. A company called global visas did a free assessment for me and they said I would get in but perhaps it was just to get me to do it. Are you sure you cant include the apprenticeship?

Thanks

Alphawolf

Hi Olib

As an Electrician who has just landed in Alberta having gone through the new FSW process I can say it is definately 1 year's min work experience but not sure it doesn't include your apprenticeship as that contains work experience over your apprenticeship period. When you apply at the documents stage you need to submit proof from your employer/s detailing your duties as an Electrician to relate to NOC category 7241 or 7242 I think it is for your quals, it sounds like you are a maintenence spark which equates to Industrial spark over here.
As for the Red Seal, if you do apply for it you need 9000 hours and 6 years experience (72 months) to be able to apply to take it and that definately doesn't include your apprenticeship, however if you qualify as a FSW, landed immigrant you can get taken on as a 4 year apprentice and take it after say 6 months working here.
This applies to Alberta though, BC may be slightly different, your best bet is to email Red Seal in British Columbia.

http://www.red-seal.ca/[email protected]?tid=123

British Columbia
VP Operations
Industry Training Authority
1223-13351 Commerce Parkway
Richmond, British Columbia
V6V 2X7
Telephone: (866) 660-6011
Fax: (604) 660-7294
http://www.itabc.ca/

These are a couple of items from the Red Seal website, www.red-seal.ca

Any further question, feel free to PM me on here and I'll try to help or point you in the right direction

Best of Luck

Olib1990

So if I got in I would have to do a 4 year apprenticeship? Can't I just work for someone red seal approved? Are you taking the red seal test and if so have you got the 6 years experiance in the uk or going to get it there?

Aviator

Red Seal is not a qualification - It is an endorsement of a provincial apprenticeship qualification. The provincial qualification is only valid in the province it was earned, if you get Red Seal, which new apprentices would, the is an inter provincial qualification.

New comers coming to Canada are not challenging Red Seal, they are challenging the provincial exam, which if it is a Red Seal trade, will qualify for Red Seal approval. To challenge an exam you need a minimum number of hours to qualify.

An electrician can work under a provincially ticketed tradesman (matters not if they have Red Seal or not). There are however many restrictions on what you can do when working supervised by a qualified tradesman.

jollyrogers

New comers coming to Canada DO challenge the Red Seal Exam, You have to prove that you have the trade experience and training to be be able to sit the exam. There is only One Red Seal exam no matter which province you live in (Quebec?). When you pass you get your journeyman Electrician ticket with a Red Seal on it from the province in which you applied, in my case, Alberta.

You have to be an indentured apprentice to be able to work under a journeyman's ticket. If you do become an apprentice you will have sit the 4th year TQ exam and then sit the Red Seal exam. Red Seal means your journeyman ticket is accepted in other provinces.

fledermaus

Newcomers need the provincial exam not Red Seal. You have to have the provincial before you can apply for Red Seal but you don't need RedSeal at all unless you are going to move provinces.

Olib1990

Ok so what I'm presuming is that if I apply now and get in I would have to do the 4th year of an apprenticeship, then the provincial exam and then red seal if I wanted to move provinces.

But if I wait 1 year and then apply and get in, I would just have to do the provincial exam and red seal if I wanted to move provinces.

Is that correct? If so could I not just apply within the next year and by the time I actually moved (2-3 years) I would have not only 1 year but 2-3 years experience.

At what point do you have to prove your experience and how?

Thanks

christmasoompa

As soon as you apply - you must send all of your supporting documents with your initial application.

bozonightmare

Just apply now. It'll take 6 t 12 months to get your PR visa.
Even then you have a year from the date of your medical to enter Canada and activate your PR. Even then you don't have to stay there. You could go for a week activate it then come back a year or 2 later.
Get the PR visa and your ass will follow.