Looking for Jobs in Canada?

How do I find a job in Canada?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions with regard to immigration. Finding a job in Canada can help your immigration process in many ways and may ultimately be the single most important thing you do to secure your residency. Currently, if you are able to obtain a job offer in Canada you can obtain additional points towards the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs. Additionally, the minimum financial requirement may be waived if you have a valid job offer. The job offer must be "valid" to be eligible for immigration.

"Valid" Job Offer

A valid job offer means that the job offer is supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), a process completed by a Canadian employer to obtain permission to hire a foreign national. Some positions are LMIA exempt. In this case, the employer will provide you with an exemption code and a number that demonstrates they have paid the employer compliance fee, which is required to hire a foreign national under an LMIA exemption.

A valid job offer will contribute 50 points towards your express entry profile, for most positions, and 200 points for senior management positions. It also precludes you from having to meet the base financial requirement associated with express entry.

The LMIA process can make it more difficult for a foreign worker to find work in Canada because many Canadian employers are not familiar with hiring a foreign national, or what is involved in completing the LMIA process. It can be helpful to know the process so that if you are speaking with an interested employer you can explain it to them.

Aside from this, finding a job in Canada is just like finding a job in your home country. You have to get your name out there and you have to build a network.

Some employers are actively seeking to hire foreign nationals and will advertise this fact. It is also advisable to seek work in fields that are not saturated such as agriculture and trades.

Finally, make sure that your resume is current and relevant, prior to inquiring about jobs.

Job Sites

The top site for finding jobs in Canada is Job Bank. This site is run by the government of Canada and is found at www.jobbank.gc.ca. This site has a very wide range of positions, in particular, those that are hard for employers to fill.

After Job Bank take a look at these excellent sites:

1. Indeed.com has both free and paid options. This is probably the top job board in Canada and worldwide. It is linked to multiple other sites, it has the most candidates, and remains a free job posting site for individuals. This site is easy to navigate and will automatically send you jobs that meet your job search requirements.

2. Kijiji.com is a buy and sell site with a job board. This site has many jobs on offer in various fields and is free to use for employers and job searchers.

3. Eluta.ca This is a paid site for employers. It is a Canada specific job search engine. Many top companies use this site for hiring and it has a very broad reach.

4. Workopolis.com is a paid site with fees from $99 to $199 per month for subscriptions, or $595 - $795 per posting. This site is not cheap and attracts companies who really need a broad reach to find the right candidates. Workopolis is a Canadian job site where you will find many of Canada's top employers hiring.

5. WOWJobs.com On wow jobs you can find a wide range of jobs. It's similar to the other big sites, like Indeed. It is easy to search and has a very large number of jobs to search through.

6. Monster.ca is one of the top posting sites but it is also expensive with top tier jobs starting at $605 for 30 days. When you consider what employers are paying to advertise you can see that they want to hire. This is a great site to find a lot of different types of jobs, from technical to trades.

7. Working.com is a job portal that connects you to ads placed in newspapers in Canada and around the world.

8. TorontoJobs.ca is based out of Toronto so if you are looking for a job in the city this is the place to look.

9. Canada's Association of IT Professionals (cips.ca) This is a niche jobs site for finding IT professionals in Canada.

10.CareerBuilder.com CareerBuilder is well-known as a job posting site world wide, and has a .ca version for Canadian hiring but either site have a wide variety of jobs. This is a more general board and you may find some more obscure jobs here also.

11. CareerJet.com this site is useful for both .com and .ca versions. Many Canadian employers use this site as a general job posting site.

12. Craigslist.com This is the world's largest classified site. There are many job postings on this site.

13. LinkedIn.com This is a great place to post jobs and to find jobs. You can build a network and develop relationships that may ultimately find you a job.

14. Jobboom.com If you are looking for a job in Quebec this is a great job board that focuses on the province of Quebec.

15. Jobs.ca This is a paid job site, starting at approximately $325 per posting. This tells you that the employers who post here are serious about hiring. Jobs.ca is a jobs portal in Canada that allows you to choose from a variety of niche job boards to post on, including HR, aeronautical, health care, retail, and much more.

16. Work in Non-Profits.ca This is a niche job site for hiring in the Canadian non-profit sector.

17. Eco.ca Eco Canada is paid, starting at $300 per posting which again tells you that companies purchasing this ad space want to hire. Another niche job board, this one focused on jobs in Canada's environmental sector.

18. Google for Jobs is a free website. Google recently added Google for Jobs to its search capabilities. This is an easy site to use and you can look for jobs in your region or desired area.

Finding a job is not easy but if you take the time to develop relationships with Canadian employers then you will increase your chances of finding the right position for you.

Alternatively, you could work with a recruitment company that may assist you to find a job with an employer who is willing to complete the LMIA process to obtain a valid job offer.

For more information about job searching and the immigration processes associated with permanent residency, Express Entry and work permits please contact us at info@immigrationstationcanada.com

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About Us

Immigration Station Canada is a dedicated, professional Canadian Immigration firm practicing out of Northumberland County, just east of Toronto, in Canada. We serve clients from Kingston, Belleville, Brighton, Cobourg, Oshawa, the GTA, Guelph, Milton, Stratford and St. Catharines and around the world. Our Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, Anne C. McCaughey (Annie) is an experienced immigration services provider and a fifth generation Canadian who values the immigration process and the unique individuals who immigrate to Canada to become part of the fabric of this wonderful country. If you would like to submit a question to Ask Annie, use the link located at the top right of the page.

How Can We Help?

We do work permits, study permits, visitor visas, Express Entry, spousal sponsorship, family class sponsorship, and Canadian citizenship with an expertise in Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications and Global Talent Stream applications.

Please contact us if you would like assistance with your immigration application or to book an appointment.