INTERNATIONAL WORKERS

An international worker, also known as a foreign worker, is a temporary resident who is legally permitted to work in Canada on a temporary basis. Each year, thousands of international workers enter Canada to work for employers who are experiencing labour market challenges.

This guide provides information to assist Newfoundland and Labrador employers on hiring international workers to meet their labour needs when the employer has considered all alternate recruitment strategies to attract or retain local workers.

TO HIRE OR NOT TO HIRE

Before a business considers hiring international workers, it must assess if there are alternative options for filling the job vacancies from the local labour force:• Has the employer contacted the Department of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour for help and guidance with respect to its labour market needs? • Have the positions to be filled by international workers been publicly advertised with no success in recruiting? • Is hiring international workers part of the employer’s overall human resources planning process? • Does the employer have the time and resources (financial and human) to successfully hire, train and manage international workers?

Employer Guide to HiringInternational Workers

WHY HIRE INTERNATIONAL WORKERS?

When employers face significant challenges in recruiting local workers with the training, skills and experience needed for their operations, they can consider the advantages of hiring internationally-trained workers:• Increase diversity in the workplace – internationally-trained workers bring cultural richness to the workplace giving the employer a distinct benefit. These workers can provide new contacts and introduce fresh and innovative ways of working and solving problems. • Increase the reach of a business – many internationally-trained workers speak languages other than English, have experience with other cultures, and have global connections. These attributes can help an employer develop and compete in new markets (nationally or internationally) and/or attract new customers. • Fill vacancies when challenged to hire locally – with a rapidly aging workforce it will become more difficult to recruit people with the skills, knowledge and experience that an employer requires. Recruiting inter- national workers can help address this challenge.

INTERNATIONAL WORKERS: A TEMPORARY OR A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO YOUR LABOUR MARKET NEEDS

Temporary Foreign Worker ProgramThe Government of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the International Mobility Program (IMP) may offer a solution to employers that face tem-porary or short-term labour market pressures. These programs assist employers in filling their skill and labour requirements, on a temporary basis, when qualified Cana-dians and permanent residents are not available. Eligible employers can recruit both high-skilled as well as lower-skilled workers to meet their temporary needs. Using the TFWP should be an option of last resort for employers. Details on these programs are available at: • TFWP: http://www.esdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/foreign_workers/reform/info_emp.shtml• IMP: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/temp/work/admissibility/open.asp

How To Recruit International Workers For Permanent PositionsEmployers looking for a permanent solution to long-term skill shortages can avail of both federal and provincial government immigration programs that facilitate the entry of skilled international workers to live and work in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Employers should first look to recruit internationally-trained workers who may already be residing in Newfoundland and Labrador. This group includes immigrants, international students and graduates, and temporary foreign work-ers. The Association for New Canadians (www.ancnl.ca) can help to connect employers with qualified international-ly-trained individuals seeking employment in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Immigration programs that employers can utilize include:

1. Federal Express Entry SystemThe Express Entry System manages how people with skilled work experience apply in Canada for permanent resi-dency through federal government economic immigration programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, Canadian Experience Class and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program.

Hiring International Workers

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Create new markets

Candidates who are offered local employment and apply under the Express Entry system, will be able to apply to become permanent residents. The Federal Government aims to process the Express Entry applications within six months and candidates will be eligible to work as soon as they arrive in Canada. The Express Entry system is ad-ministered by the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Details are available at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/index.asp

2. Newfoundland & Labrador Provincial Nominee ProgramThe Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is a provincial immigration program made possible through an agreement with the Government of Canada. Through the PNP, the Province can select and nominate qualified international workers to work and live in Newfoundland and Labrador. Employers can utilize the PNP to hire international workers. The categories of the PNP that can be used to hire international workers include:

2.1 Skilled Worker Category This category is for international workers who have a guaranteed offer of employment from a Newfoundland and Labrador employer, or are currently working in the province on a valid work permit. Full details are available at http://nlpnp.ca/skilledworker.html

2.2 Express Entry-Skilled Worker Category This category is for skilled international workers who have been accepted into the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry pool and who have a job offer in Newfoundland and Labrador. Details are available at http://nlpnp.ca/expressentryskilledworker.html

ACCESSING THE PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAM TO HIRE INTERNATIONAL WORKERS

To access the PNP to hire international workers, employers must demonstrate that genuine and bona fide efforts were made to recruit from the local labour market and that hiring international workers will not adversely affect employment or development opportunities for local residents. In order to demonstrate local hiring challenges, employers must complete a Job Vacancy Assessment (JVA) application.

To support it’s application, employers must provide evidence to demonstrate attempts to hire locally, including:

• Proof of advertising for a period of at least six weeks; • Proof of business registration with www.jobbank.gc.ca• Activity reports from job postings (e.g., number of resumes received, number of local candidates interviewed, reasons why local candidates were not successful); and • Any other information that demonstrates efforts to hire locally.

Employers that have successfully demonstrated local hiring challenges can then hire international workers under the Skilled Worker or Express Entry-Skilled Worker PNP categories. Employers must ensure that they provide the successful candidate with a written offer of employment and notify the Department of

Advanced Education, Skills and Labour of any changes to the conditions of the employment offer, which could also include a decision to rescind the offer.

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Efforts to HireLocally

Further information on the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program can also be obtained by contacting:

Office of Immigration and MulticulturalismDepartment of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour

P.O. Box 8700St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6Tel: 1-709-729-6607Fax: 1-709-729-7381E-mail: pnp@gov.nl.caWeb: www.nlpnp.ca