Immigrate to Canada as an Engineer

Engineering is one of the most promising careers in Canada. The economy is expanding at a rate faster than the country can supply the manpower for. Canada is the second-largest country in the world, larger than the USA and second only to Russia. The country has significant resources, some of which are harder to get to than others, just take a look at the Klondike gold rush, and we have only begun to scratch the surface of this beautiful country’s potential. The exciting part is that the economic growth is not concentrated on one sector. Many countries that experience healthy economic growth tend to experience, which hopefully means it will continue for an extended period. If you are considering immigration, we would highly recommend giving Canada a second and third look, because our country can offer you much more than you think. The first and most important reason to immigrate as an engineer; you could have permanent residency in Canada in as little as six months.

Eligibility Test

Why Canada?

Professional aspects aside, Canada offers an unrivalled quality of life. If you are an outdoors person in any capacity, there is something for everyone. You will never run out of adventures to take or new hobbies and activities to engage in:

• Fishing - from fishing for monstrous salmon in the Pacific to summertime fly fishing for brown trout in untouched streams and rivers, there is no arm of angling that cannot be enjoyed in Canada.
• Hiking - without a doubt the most beautiful picturesque hiking trails you will ever come to tread in your life. From amateur level to the adept, legendary ranges like the Rockies, Cariboo and Cascades offer brilliant adventures for everyone.
• Road Trips - Canada is vast, and an incredibly different country from east to west, and even more so from north to south! Experience the arctic tundras and Northern Lights in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The wild gold rush country of the Yukon. Deep blue lakes and evergreen forests from British Columbia all the way to the wild Atlantic coast, where the best lobster and clam chowder you could ever enjoy awaits.
• Family - we don’t know if there is a better place to raise a family. Canada is a proudly multicultural, welcoming nation. It boasts the second-best free public education system in the world. A country where children can ride their bicycles to each other's homes and public parks safely, and spend winters ice-skating on local ponds, honing their ice-hockey skills.
• Free public healthcare - our government believes every individual has the basic human right to healthcare. Over-the-counter medication and dental require your own input, but your employer will in all likelihood provide insurance cover for that.

Which Engineers?

All of them, we need all specialized fields to help grow our economy further. If we were to look at specifics, the following fields are in the highest demand:

• • Electrical Engineer - there are quite literally thousands of openings for the professionals who design, develop, test and maintain the systems that are used in the powering and production of electricity. Hydroelectric power is a massive field of electricity production in Canada as the country continually strives for innovative environmentally friendly energy production. Average annual income: $79,942
  • Mechanical Engineer - one of the most industry adaptable fields of engineering, applying the principles of physics to the design, creation and maintenance of mechanical systems goes from mining to oil to automotive and beyond. Average annual income: $75,389
  • Software Engineer - one of the most popular engineering fields in Canada because of our growing IT industry. Looking after the IT kids as well as designing and developing software is a challenging task, with a handsome reward. Average annual income: $105,000.
  • Biomedical Engineer - Canada has a really good average life expectancy, currently at 82 years. This is a product of good healthcare practices, healthy lifestyles and stress-free work environments. The only downside is we are now in a generation having to address a rapidly growing senior citizen portion of our population. Working with and improving medical technologies has never been as high on the priority list as now, after all, we want to take care of the people who make this country what it is. Average annual income $105,765.
  • Civil Engineer - naturally an expanding economy means development and lots of it. Maintaining infrastructure is just as important as planning, designing and manufacturing new ones, which has boosted demand significantly. Piling onto that is the demand for civil engineers in the environmental sector. Average annual income $77,357.
  • Geotechnical Engineer - predicted to have one of the highest levels of job growth in the immediate future. Working closely with civil engineers, geotechnical engineers analyze soil, rock and natural formations such as slopes and banks in the construction of foundations, roads, tunnels and so on. Average annual income $82,751.
  • Mining Engineer - in Canada we mine, and we mine big. Home of Barrick Gold, Potash Mining Corp. and many more, this is our game. We need the best mining engineers to take the place of the ageing professionals heading into retirement all over Canada. Average annual income $93,180.

Immigration Options

While there are a number of ways to immigrate and obtain permanent residency in Canada as an engineer, your best bet will be the Express Entry System. A job offer will get you a work permit and see you get over here in no time, but getting your permanent residency status may take a few months. There are a number of ways to go about it. Here are a few, starting with the most obvious.

Express Entry System

Engineers are classified as skill type A under the National Occupation Category. This means that they are eligible to apply as a skilled professional in the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Your eligibility for this program is determined by:

• • • Skilled work experience - at one years work experience, 1,560 hours, within the last ten years in the job type you are applying for.
    • Language ability - certain aspects of your job will depend on your ability to communicate effectively within your work environment, for this reason you will need to pass a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) test and earn a minimum score of 7 in all four sections; reading, writing, listening and speaking.
    • Qualifications - you must have an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) done for your qualifications. If you do not have a masters qualification we highly recommend enrolling at a Canadian institute to do yours part time, as you will gain significantly greater opportunities and wage increases.
    • Proof of funds - you must be able to show you have the finances for you and your dependants to move to and settle in Canada without requiring assistance from the Canadian government.
    • Eligible - you must be eligible to immigrate to Canada, this means you cannot have a criminal record, you must be in good health and you must have legal status in the country you are living in now.

All these factors and few others not core to your ability to effectively work in Canada will be used to calculate your Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) on your Express Entry program profile. You will then be entered into a pool of applicants, from which a certain number of skilled foreign workers are invited to apply for permanent residency in Canada twice a month. Professionals are usually issued ITA’s fairly quickly, however another way to ensure you are sent an ITA in the very next draw after your application is submitted, is to earn a provincial nomination.

Provincial Nomination Program

You can apply for a provincial nomination in one of two ways. One, create an expression of interest in a particular province that you wish to live and work in on your Express Entry profile. If the province deems your skills to line up with their demands, they will issue you with a provincial nomination, which will contribute 600 points out of the overall 1,200 points available on your CRS, rocketing you to the top of the pool of candidates. Two, create a profile on the province you wish to live and work in on the government website and submit an expression of interest directly. If they are in need of your skills, they will invite you to apply directly to the province and will motivate your application of permanent residency to the Canadian government. The requirements of the Provincial Nomination Programs are very similar to the Express Entry eligibility requirements, sometimes not being as stringent. Every province has a skilled worker stream, and engineers are an in-demand occupation in each one of those immigration streams

Atlantic Immigration Pilot

Perhaps you are thinking about starting from scratch in Canada. If your CRS score is a bit low for the Express Entry System and you think you could wait forever for an ITA, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) offers permanent residency to applicants with a valid full-time job offer under NOC 0, A, B, C. Pretty much any valid full-time job offer could see you eligible for permanent residency under this immigration pilot. The AIP was designed to address the labour shortages in the four Atlantic provinces; Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. All types of engineers are in high demand in Atlantic Canada, amongst a variety of other semi-skilled, skilled and trades occupations. So if you have a full time valid job offer in one of the four provinces listed above, you can apply for permanent residency at the same time as you apply for your Canadian work permit, and as long as you meet the eligibility requirements, there is no reason you should not be eligible for PR status, as a qualified engineer or an aspiring engineer with a valid job offer or letter of enrollment at a Canadian university.

Eligibility Test

How We Can Help You Immigrate to Canada

There are three ways to get your immigration journey started right now. The first is to create your Express Entry profile, and await an invitation to apply for permanent residency. The second is to apply directly to your province of preferences Provincial Nomination Program. The third is to obtain a valid job offer, get your work permit and apply to the relevant immigration program simultaneously.

These are the three main pathways the Canadian government is allowing potential immigrants to take to enter Canada at the moment. With these, and a number of other options to choose from, it can be difficult to be sure which is best suited to your needs, and that is when you know what you’re doing! But it doesn't have to be. By using our accredited Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) you will not only improve your chances of success in the Canadian visa application process, but you will get expert advice on which program is best for your specific needs. Our RCICs are highly qualified and are granted permission by the Canadian government to assist you with your eligibility evaluation, review all your documents and application forms and submit them for you. We handle the paperwork while you choose your dream job in Canada. All you have to do is complete our online form by clicking the link below and we’ll take care of the rest. It's just that simple.

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