The purpose of this post is to request information from people who have used companies that have assisted them in finding employment in Canada and that also have assisted them with their temporary work permit applications or other kinds of immigration applications.

I used to have a knee jerk reaction to questions about firms that assisted with both immigration and job hunting. I would tell people that employers pay recruitment agencies, and that a job hunter should never pay a recruitment agency. I also used to be extremely sceptical about companies that promised to handle everything -- the job hunting process as well as the immigration application.

However, in the last little while we've actually seen some complimentary reports about these kinds of companies here on the BE forum. So perhaps I was wrong. If I have been wrong, I feel the section about Placement Agencies in the Wiki article called Finding Job Opportunities would benefit from being updated.

I know so little about this topic that I don't really even know which questions to ask. However, as a starting point, the following questions come to mind:

• Has anyone used a company that has assisted with job hunting as well as the temporary work permit application or PNP application?
  
  
• Has anyone used a company that has provided assistance with studies that have led to employment which, in turn, has led to a temporary work permit?
  
  
• In either case, how did you find the experience? Do you feel positive or negative about the services that the company provided?
  
  
• Who paid the company's fees? Did you as the prospective employee pay, or did the prospective employer pay?
  
  
• If you paid the fees, do you mind sharing with us how much you paid?
  
  
• If you paid fees, do you feel the cost was worthwhile?
  
  
• Were you happy with the employer with whom you ended up? (One of the reasons I ask this question is that I've seen the opinion expressed that crappy employers, who have high staff turnover rates, resort to these kinds of recruitment agencies.)
  
  
• Is there any other information about your experience in this arena that you can share that would be helpful to future members of the BE forum?

I have to go out in a few minutes, and will be otherwise occupied for several hours. However, I'll come back here tomorrow, and will follow this thread for a few days to harvest information for the Wiki.

Many thanks.

hello all, basically we are using a recruitment agency to get to canada as it seems this is the only way to go for us. neither myself nor my wife have family in canada. neither do we have degrees or trade qualifications. what we do have is a strong marriage and two lovely children and a strong work ethic for us both. so the route we are taking is for myself to do a pre-apprenticeship trade qualification. this is something as i understand it ,that canadian school leavers will do to get themselves into a trade apprenticeship. once i have done this i will be set up with interviews with canadian employers to get a lmo approved job offer for training in a trade, in my case plumbing. the company we are using organise all this including all the paperwork with regard to emigrating. yes we have paid for this service, they are not going to do it for free! at the end of the day they are professionals doing a professional job. incidently they use a canadian lawyer who is a member of the law society of upper canada, which can be checked on their web site. we have been to their offices in the uk to discuss all this through, they do not appear to be a back street delboy operation but seem very professional helping people to migrate not only to canada but australia, newzealand, as well. we have also done a recce trip to to b.c and met their staff that end which helps with the job placement and settlement services. as we are at the start of this process, me doing the exams and collecting the necessary paperwork together i can only say watch this space as to wether it all works out!

I'm sorry but you won't get LMO for any plumbing job without at least 9,500 hours of documented experience as plumber. It is a regulated profession in Canada. You have been tricked into something impossible. Ask others in this forum or simply contact HRSDC yourself and ask. Answer directly from horse mouth is always the best.

hi there, the aim is to get taken on as an "apprentice" and do a four year apprenticeship. have chatted to a british plumber on another forum site who lives in maple ridge b.c who says mature apprentices is quite a common thing where he works.

No way you can get an LMO for an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships are, as far as I know, only applicable for Canadian nationals or landed immigrants !!

You better do some more research ...

As I said - you won't get LMO without required work experience. It is normal to have mature apprentices here, but they are Canadians or permanent residents, not a foreign workers requiring LMO and work permit. One of the conditions employer must meet when applying for LMO is that proper advertising was done, recruiting efforts are documented and training program for Canadians is in place. Maybe what you will be getting (if you will be getting anything solid) will be just a study permit for apprenticeship which as integral part will have limited work permit attached. If you hope to live in Greater Vancouver area on the hourly wage of apprenticeship then you are coming in for a big shock my friend. And if it is something what you paid 10K for then I really don't know what else to tell you....

I have found provincial legislation in BC and Alberta that forbids employment agencies in those provinces from charging employees for job placement services.

The legislation in both provinces states that employment agencies may charge employers fees for finding workers for them.

I've written this up in a Wiki article called Employment Agencies' Fees, and will add each province's legislation as I find it.

Two agencies mentioned in this forum so often lately (especially by posters with no qualifications/experience in any trade) are doing heavy recruiting through newspapers in UK for employers in BC and Alberta. One of them charges 10K (GBP!!!) for something they have no right to charge under BC and Alberta's laws. Their excuse is that they are in UK - it doesn't matter, Canadian laws say it is irrelevant where agency is located. What matters is where the employer and job are located.

I recently contacted an immigration company in the UK to help with finding a job. (I did not need help with the immigration application as that is already in the system.) They charged me £145 just for a report which says if they can help you or not. From this report i was given two quotes.
One for going down the student route was for £10,000 and the other was for them helping me find a job and that was £8,300.
As you can imagine i was quite shocked and will definately not be using this company.
I have decided to wait out the outcome from my already submitted paperwork and take it from there.

Not only a highway robbery but also illegal.

Hi Cliveo,

Andrew is right with the fact that you have to provide evidence that you have 9,500 hours work experience in plumbing. My OH has been a plumber for 16 years so was luckily able to provde this but it means going back to previous employers asking them to write a letter with details such as work carried out, hours worked etc. Not as easy as it soundsas one employer has since died, one company went bankrupt etc but anyway, we got there in the end.
We then had to send of our applicaion to the Alberta Industry Trade Standards and pay $450. By the way, this was with help from a job agency in Calgary who we won't have to pay any money to. We met with them when we went out to Calagry in early Feb and they organise interviews and go through the whole process with you so you know what's involved.
Th only thing is, OH has to pass an exam within the first 6 months of us arriving. The agency has given him a Code Book so he can start revising now. You've got 2 chances to pass. Initially we get a 2 year temp visa but just apply for a PR at he same time and if it doesn't come in time, you can apply for an extension.
I know you're not looking at Calgary but a Plumber is a Compulsory trade in Canada.
Hope this helps ?!

Just for the record it is also illegal in the UK to charge appilcants as an ex rec cons I can assure of that. 74 and 77 employment acts I believe. More importantly only those in the entertainment industry can be charged, and that's for stuff like promotional material etc.

All the best
Mrs M x

Hi there,
we have also been looking at this scheme, would be interested to hear how you are getting on.
regards
cathy

I think the most relevant here is if the agency charge only to one person, I think is illegal if they charge to the employer and the prospective employee.

It is illegal to charge job seeker. Agency can only charge employer.