Sounds to me like they are making it even harder to get into Canada by insisting that you have a job beforehand.

It doesn't make sense when they apparently need Skilled Workers and yet make it nigh impossible for them to get into Canada.

Correct me if I am wrong here!

You are wrong. It doesnt make sense to have a skilled worker program that does not get skilled people into jobs as it takes 4 or 5 years to get them here.

By making people find jobs first in most cases, there is a 2 fold advantage....they have demonstrated the need for a person in that particular job, and they have ensured that the immigrant has a head start when they land.

Immigration should not exist to serve the needs of the immigrant who wants to come here, it serves the needs of the canadian economy and tax payers.

Am I?

I'm a skilled worker (have the visa to prove it now) and not one single company has got back to me or even acknowleged my application and the resume and covering letter I sent them - yes, I applied for jobs in my field.

Now hopefully it will be easier when I get there as I can network and meet people.

Its like every single company has turned a blind eye to immigrant applicants for the roles they are advertising.

If I can't even get an acknowledgement to my application when I have clearly stated that I have a PR visa, then what hope is there for those relying on a job offer to get them into Canada in the first place?

Exactly, you are a skilled worker under the old process presumably, but your skills dont seem to be required, otherwise they would be interested in hiring you That was exactly the problem with the old system, the wrong people at the wrong time. Way too slow and geared towards graduates when we needed plumbers and electricians. Now with the economy contracting I suspect its going to be rough on everyone.

Under the new scheme if the need for the worker is really there, then the process will get the worker here fairly quickly, and the economy will benefit. If the need isnt there to bring people in, then why string them along and approve them?

Hi Emmjay, at the risk of starting something I shouldn't I think my overall points WITH French came to about 70. The French exam is basically broken down into 3 sections: listening, writing and spoken. I guess if you fail 2 of those but score some on some of the easier sections you might still get a couple of extra points. I work in the Financial sector and everyone here in Canada seems to either already have or be studying towards getting a CFA.

Actually, I received a job offer last year at the salary I was after, only for them to turn round a couple of months later for them to say that they were putting their hiring on freeze because of the recession and they were cutting costs.

I had gone to a Canada Expo in London and approached an engineering company there with my resume and went through 3 telephone interviews. Landed a job and then the recession hit.

They did want my skills as I work on major projects on finance and programme but hey, this blasted recession ................

Well fingers crossed for you. Maybe better for it to happen that way than to move here lock stock and barrel and then have your job cut away from under you. Living on EI here is no laughing matter, and even worse if you havent yet worked enough hours to qualify for it.

So with all this doom and gloom, why bother considering moving our lives to Canada at all???

We definitely won't be able to get jobs, and we'll be living off EI etc etc. Why would anyone be mad enough to do what we're about to do??

Maybe we should wait 5 years until it is over and start the whole process again.

Well, thats the $64000 question I guess.


Its certainly likely to be easier to get the few jobs going if you are here committed to the idea and competing for them in person, and there is that whole cliche about ships being safe in harbour, but that not being what ships are for... Its not a decision I envy anyone having to make the the moment though.

Well considering they are ignoring applications from anyone overseas - that I can say for a fact since I got no response from any company, then there is no choice but to go there in person and hope for the best.

And just maybe we're about to do the stupidest thing in our lives by turning up to a country with no hope of getting a job, well I wonder what the very first immigrants went through when they 'landed'.

It would be far far worse if we had never tried at all and wasted that precious visa.

My theory? They showed up in the Fall and thought "Oh, this is nice, pretty colours, nice weather". Some time around February they had to burn their boats in order to keep warm, and then by the time bug hell began in late spring/ early summer, they had no choice but to stay and endure a sultry hot summer....

Well, I guess we're going to have to endure our own version of "bug hell" with the lack of jobs, plus we'll be arriving in Winter as many others have done before us.

Hi morry and iaink

Thanks for both your replies

Firstly Morrie, thanks for the French and points answer. I heard that the CHC language exam had to be at least at A-level, which i why i thought of trying something else.

And Iaink, i cannot get a LMO for my job, as it is not on the new list and is government regulated. (Medical Secretary)so this leaves me out. I will keep looking into alternatives but thanks guys

Emmjay

Keep up to date with the Canadian state of affairs with this newspaper:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

There's a sobering article here http://business.theglobeandmail.com/...l_gam_mostview detailing TD's outlook on the state of the economy.

From my viewpoint here in Toronto there doesn't seem to be the same state of doom that one gets in the City - Financial Institutions here when compared to their counterparts in Europe and the States are in rude health and that's one glimmer of hope for this country.

and it just keeps getting better and better
nearly 2 years later and wouldn't change a thing
SW route not for the faint hearted but so worth all the tears along the way