Canada is one of the most sought after immigration destinations among skilled workers, young professionals, international graduates (students) and entrepreneurs from the field of Information Technology. Besides better and well-paying work opportunities, the Information Technology (IT) jobs in Canada for foreigners provide an array of benefits to residents, immigrants and skilled workers such as better healthcare, free of cost education for children till Class 12, caring society, individual professional growth and great job profile in IT companies.
Since many business and organisations adopted digital operations and remote working during pandemic, there is a huge demand of IT workers and professionals in different Canadian provinces.
Different Canadian cities like Toronto, Ottawa, Ontario and Montreal etc are becoming fastest growing market for tech and Information Technology (IT) jobs. The growing business of e-commerce and online shopping created many jobs in reputed IT organisations.
Further, Canada is famous for well-equipped technology infrastructure and is attracting attention of major tech and IT companies such as Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Amazon among others.
The Canadian employers are looking forward to boost growth in IT sector and seek to fill vacancies for IT jobs in Canada for immigrants. There are several in-demand jobs for IT professionals in different Canadian provinces which need to be filled immediately. In order to meet requirements of industries and labour markets, Canadian employers have to hire foreign skilled and experienced IT professionals due to increasing ageing population in the country.
A human resources consulting firm, Randstad Canada, recently stated that IT and tech industry will offer in-demand jobs and occupations in Canada in coming years. It is estimated that more than two thirds of Canadian employers are seeking to hire young professionals, trained youth and skilled workers to improve business, industries and labour markets.
The Canadian employers seek to hire efficient, talented and ideal candidates for IT work profiles such as software engineer, system analyst, network engineer, technical support, business analyst, project leader, web developer, multimedia developer, software tester, and operation analyst among others.
Interested applicants can secure IT jobs in Canada for foreigners and immigrants through different immigration gateways. It is important to note that applicants looking for IT career option in Canada must understand and fulfil eligibility criteria of these immigration gateways.
Some key Canada immigration gateways are mentioned below-
➡ Canada Work Permit
It authorises foreign professionals, immigrants, skilled workers and trained youth to work for a specific Canadian employer in particular province for a fixed tenure. The occupation selected by IT professionals and skilled workers should be listed in the National Occupation Classification (NOC). Generally granted for two years, the Canada work permit can be extended after fulfilling terms and conditions by the employer as well as skilled workers (employee).
There are two types of work permit – employer-specific work permit and open work permit.
Eligibility Criteria for Canada Work Permit
The eligibility criteria to secure work permit in Canad in IT or other sector are mentioned below-
It is important to understand that Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is an important document to secure Canada work permit. It is issued by the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) when Canadian employers are unable to find right, qualified and ideal candidates among Canadian citizens for the required occupation or job vacancy. Hence, securing LMIA assures eligible candidates of Canada migration on fast track mode.
➡Express Entry System
Canada Express Entry is the managing system of online applications or profiles for permanent residence status. It is one of the most popular gateways of Canada immigration. Provided for five years, the PR visa guarantees free of cost education till Class 12 and subsidized basic healthcare to primary applicants and their families. Candidates can secure PR visa through different migration pathways and economic migration gateways, including Federal Skilled Workers program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Traders Program (FSTP) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC). Candidates received points on the scale of Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), a point tool or calculator. It allocates points to candidates according to their profile such as age, education, language proficiency, skill training, relevant work experience and training etc.
The points in the CRS score calculator are calculated out of 1200. The highest and lowest qualifying scores are decided through the Express Entry Draws, which are carried out regularly. Candidates having the highest score receive Invitation To Apply (ITA), which is valid for two months. IT professionals having vast experience should opt this programme.
➡ Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
Through this gateway the provincial authorities select right and ideal candidates for Canadian industries and labour markets. The provincial authorities nominate eligible candidates having valid job offer supported by positive LMIA and allow them to migrate to the nominated province to work and stay. The PNP also helps candidates to gain extra 600 points in addition to existing CRS points in the Express Entry pool. Hence, Provincial Nominee Program helps candidates to successfully secure PR status through ITA.
Every Canadian province has immigration programs based on need of skilled labour in different occupations.
The average salary in IT (Information Technology) jobs in Canada is $81750 per year. Salary at entry level positions starts at $40600 per annum, while experienced professionals with specific skills get upto $114300 per year. The salary structure depends on other aspects, including prior relevant experience, skill training, education and so on. The employers in Canada generally offer work tenure from 1-3 years for profiles in IT and technology sector.
Some of the job profiles in IT sector are mentioned below –
IT professionals and workers are very much in demand in Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Alberta and Quebec and in other provinces. Many organisation, business and industries are dependent on digital platforms and mode during pandemic. Residents are also dependent on online shopping and e-commerce industries for daily needs. This has created various well-paid in-demand jobs in Canadian provinces for IT professionals and workers.
The in-demand jobs are occupations and skill trades listed in the National Occupational Classification (NOC). The Canadian employers would like to hire foreign IT skilled workers and experienced professionals in order to meet needs of IT sector and industries in specific province and territory. It is important to note that NOC list keep changing depending on availability of job vacancies and demand of industries in the province. Hence, it is important for interested applicants to get in touch with Canada immigration experts to get regular updates on in-demand jobs for IT professionals. Experts state that IT jobs will be high-demand in coming years due to increasing dependency on digital platforms and functions.
Several industries and organisations in Canada are managing daily operations virtually. Hence, they require software developers, who can code, design and build applications and websites that suits business and smooth functions.
Provinces such as Ontario and British Columbia have specific immigration streams that focus on recruiting skilled workers and trained professionals in the technology sector. The rising demand of virtual platforms require skilled workers in technology sectors in coming years in major urban centres like Toronto, Vancouver and Montréal.
Various IT firms in Canada also appreciate skills in applicants like project management, effective presentation, problem solving, analysis, designing, technical and business understanding, web development, organization, network knowledge, communication and software application. For this reason, many authentic Canadian employers are seeking trained youth and professionals, who are good in IT fields.
Many young professionals in Information Technology, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, software development and programming among others would like to secure work opportunities in Canada. Sometimes such IT professionals feel stuck in Express Entry stream pool for not being able to achieve the required Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points benchmark to receive Invitation To Apply (ITA). The Express Entry stream is considered the fastest and easiest gateway for Canada immigration.
In order to help IT professionals in Canada migration, the Arranged Employment Offer (AEO) or valid job offer can play vital role. Securing AEO makes IT professionals qualified to secure work opportunities in Canada under Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP).
It is important to note that AEO boosts chances of eligible candidates having Low CRS Score in Express Entry pool to migrate to Canada by gaining extra 50 points and thus getting the required CRS points. It means that AEO or a valid Canada job offer can be a great help for immigration.
Securing cut-off CRS points make applicants eligible to receive Invitation To Apply (ITA) as well as Permanent Residence (PR) status of Canada.
