Migration
to Canada
Canada is a popular migration destination for UAE expats. Why do
people opt for Canada? What are the challenges?
Every year around 250,000 people migrate to Canada. The UAE
seems to be a popular place of departure to the Far West [and Far North] for
the expatriate population in this country. For many, life here is a stopover,
and Canada has turned out time and again the number one final destination.
However, the window of opportunity may be closing fast for
hopefuls as rules are becoming more limiting and open categories are getting
filled up speedily.
“At the moment applying for the skilled work permit is not
advisory for most people,” says Kim Krisko, a Canadian lawyer and immigration
consultant at Krisko & Associates. “The Canadian government has seriously
limited these options. If a person qualifies, the only option might be to apply
for a business visa.”
But the ‘Land of Snow’ is still a big draw – and with reason.
According to Kim, Canada is a country that people generally do not want to
leave. “With the exception of people with a wanderlust, the inhabitants of
Canada generally never think about migration, because they are happy where they
are.”
It therefore more makes sense that a large migration flow comes
from the UAE, Kim believes. “People come to the UAE for work and the duration
of their stay here totally depends on this their career path. People normally
do not consider it as their final destination.
“Once they have experienced the modern lifestyle that the UAE
offers, they find it difficult to move back to their country of origin because
such way of life does not exist there. They want to permanently live in a
society with the modern infrastructure and Canada becomes a very suitable
option.”
Throughout the UAE there are dozens of migration consultants and
companies that assist the process from application to settlement. A real
necessity, believes Felix Roy Tom, migration consultant at Vision for Canada.
“The process is a very complicated one. Often people make minor mistakes in
their paper-work, which eventually leads to denial of a visa. We advise and
monitor, in order to guarantee that people have the best chance to make it
there.”
Many consultants would say that Canada offers plenty of
opportunity for immigration. The total area consists of 9.9 million square
kilometers and it is thereby the second-largest country in the world. However,
it only inhabits 33 million people and the indigenous population is on decline
due to a negative birthrate. “Canada basically need immigrants to sustain
the population and for the economy to keep on running,”says Kim.
Immigration Laws
However, Canadian visa regulations are very changeable, says
Kim. Although Canada is generally considered to adopt a more lenient
immigration policy than any other country, this policy is subject to heavy
fluctuation. At the moment there are a few challenges.
“According to most recent changes, skilled work visa are limited
by the number of labour categories open for selection, and each category has a
limited number of available applications. Last year, this limit was reached in
some categories within weeks after opening,” tells Kim.
At the moment there are 29 eligible occupations for which
skilled worker permits can be obtained, of which 12 have already reached the
limit of 500 applications. Plenty of applications are available for less
popular jobs, such as plumber, machine operators and jobs in the oil, gas and
mining field. However, job categories in the field of science, catering,
business, healthcare or architecture were quickly filled. Categories will be
reopened on June 1st.
According to Felix, it is important applicants are aware of
their chances of obtaining a visa before they decide to go through the whole
process of applying.
Education & Work Experience
Important factors for migration to Canada are education and work
experience. “These weigh very heavily in the assessment, because these are
criteria that determine a successful application,” says Felix.
One year of work experience in any field is required, and more
than four years preferable. For the education standard chances decrease when a
university diploma cannot be presented, and a doctorate is highly preferable. A
successful IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score is
required in any case.
Benefits
Beside these challenges there are quite a lot of advantages in
choosing for Canada as a country to settle down. “After 3 years and one week of
uninterrupted residence in Canada any migrant is eligible for Canadian
citizenship,” explains Felix. And obtaining citizenship has many advantages.
“Up to the university level education is free, which many migrants find a
relief when starting a family in Canada,” he adds.
“Canada has a high per capita GPD, a politically stable
environment, a lot of space, fresh air and is a relatively safe country to live
in,” adds Kim, who came to Dubai to reach out to potential customers.
“Accommodation may be a little expensive in the big cities in Canada, but is
very affordable in the smaller cities and villages. You could easily trade in
your two-bedroom road-facing apartment in the Springs for a three-bedroom villa
and a couple of cars in Canada. Your dollar goes a long way there.”
Because the application for a visa to Canada could easily take
about one-and-a-half years, people are advised to anticipate on migrating to
Canada and take all challenges and restrictions in consideration. “We never ask
people to start their application before we know they have a chance. It is
people’s future we are dealing with, and it takes a lot of efforts to prepare
for such a move,” says Felix.
According to Kim, people should not be tempted to apply for a
work permit at the moment regardless of the promises and advertising of
immigration agencies. “The chance of getting a work permit is just very small
at the moment, and a person needs to do their due diligence on a consultant
promising such work permit,” he says.
