Immigration to B.C., Canada, with Tips for Employers Hiring Foreign Workers - with Gabriel Leal Vazquez - VIDEO PODCAST

Bernie Chats with Gabriel Leal Vazquez of Pathways Immigration & Recruitment Canada, providing insights about immigrating to Canada and British Columbia.

If you’re an employer considering hiring a foreign worker, residing in Canada or abroad, there are also some great insights for you.

The conversation is in English, and we throw in a few sentences and insights in French and Spanish for those members of our audience.

Topics, full transcript & timeline is listed Below.

Get the Podcast version on the B.C. Jobs Page on JobsinCanada.com: https://jobsincanada.com/provinces/british-columbia-jobs-bc/

YouTube Transcript:

0:01
tips for getting jobs in Canada and immigrating to Canada as well as insights for employers who are
0:08
considering hiring foreign workers although the conversation is mostly in English you can’t expect a few sentences
0:14
in French and in Spanish now let’s get right into it
0:20
[Music]
0:27
hey everybody Welcome to Bernie chats we’re recording this one for jobsincanada.com and with us today we’re
0:33
joined by Gabrielle Leal Vasquez who runs Pathways immigration and recruiting
0:41
Canada he’s based in New Westminster British Columbia hi Bernie thank you
0:46
thank you for inviting me it’s a pleasure to be with you everyone and to talk a little bit about these topics
0:53
that is how to find a job in Canada and how to get a work permit exciting to be here sounds great and I could have
1:00
mentioned an introduction you were you were raised in Mexico I I was raised in Mexico I came to Canada in 2012 with my
1:08
family with my wife back then great so it’s always interesting to hear a little bit of the the background and
1:14
you’ve traveled a fair amount around the world it sounds like we have something in common we both speak French and and I
1:21
speak a little bit of Spanish
1:38
[Music] a Canada
1:46
is
2:15
so everybody we just said that Gabrielle can serve people in French and as you
2:22
can see he’s got a good command of the language so it’s something to uh to keep in mind as well so what part of that
2:28
we’re going to leave in I have no idea but it’s there and certainly so you have a fair amount
2:33
of clients coming from I would imagine all over the world but mostly from Latin America yeah most of them are from Latin
2:39
America and that’s mostly because of the clients that I have had they refer more clients and they are from those
2:45
countries right and that’s how it has become and I have good Partnerships with some people in these countries that
2:51
that’s how we have been growing and it’s my natural kind of say a market if you
2:57
wanna meaning like that a little bit of me I’m a regulated Canadian immigration
3:02
consultant so what I do is I help people finding information about how to come to
3:08
Canada and how to do a work permit I do all the applications I’ll do Consulting and that’s a mostly what it’s my job
3:16
with the people that seek to come to Canada and now are you helping both the job Seekers and employers as well yes there
3:25
are some employers that contact us because they do have a person that wants
3:30
and can do the job and they are looking how can they give a work permit to this person so we can work for either the
3:37
employee the job Seeker or the employer so why don’t we start a little bit with the employer we’ll talk about that a
3:44
little bit that side of things and then we can transition to the job Seeker side
3:49
and of course you’re based in British Columbia so we can kind of have a British Columbian flavor and talk a
3:54
little bit about British Columbia so if somebody is an employer somebody listening to this as an employer and
4:01
right now from what I’m understanding and what we’re hearing in the news it’s very challenging to find the right
4:07
employees for the right fit in certain positions in Canada and my understanding
4:13
is that the doors are a little bit more open right now to to foreign job Seekers
4:19
or at least in the mindset of employers that they’re willing to look a little bit more
4:25
outside of their normal scope is that is that what you’re getting as well and there is yes indeed there is a huge need
4:31
of uh workers right the general way to bring a worker is to do what it’s called
4:38
an lmia which is a labor marketing practice assessment so this is the norm and this is what most of the employers
4:45
know so some of the employers are not aware how to bring someone they don’t have really an idea and that’s a they
4:51
are different ways depending the position they want to offer one of them is a labor marketing assessment where
4:57
the employer has to show that they did an effort to hire permanent residents or
5:03
citizens so this is a little bit uh challenging but in some positions is you
5:10
just have to prove it and it takes about amount to three to four months two so so
5:15
if I can if I can help unpack that a little bit the employer has to
5:21
um has to show that they’ve tried to hire a Canadian so that they’re not
5:26
taking a job away from a Canadian that Canadian is ready here and willing and
5:31
able to to fill that’s correct correct what other kinds of considerations do
5:37
employers in British Columbia specifically and what are their kinds of assistance is available or programs are
5:45
available for Employers in Canada in British Columbia to make it easier for
5:51
them or or what kind of concerns should they watch out for okay so that’s a a
5:59
lot of yeah it is I don’t know one thing because there are several ways and everything it’s a related to two things
6:06
what is the position that they are offering and the citizenship of the employee or the permanent residence
6:12
because we have this great option and that are with countries that Canada has
6:19
an agreement right and counties such as Mexico the U.S Chile Peru Korea Japan
6:25
Australia there is a trade agreement that it’s makes the employer exempt of
6:31
requesting an lmia okay oh so these are a good good tool that mostly most of
6:37
players doesn’t know and if they seek employees from this or job Seekers from these countries they save a lot of time
6:43
and money and and then make it easier so that’s interesting
6:48
um Canada when I studied foreign trade Canada had five International Trade Partners uh and that wasn’t that long
6:55
ago it was about 12 years ago and now it’s there’s quite a few more and I
7:01
believe Colombia has a Free Trade Agreement now right Colombia and with the European Union as well right that’s
7:07
for the whole country is an agreement that Canada has with Discounters and each agreement has its special uh
7:14
professions right technicians that they can be a part of this it’s not everyone
7:21
it’s not always workers yeah and that’s the part I was thinking about so that’s applicable to uh all of Canada and
7:28
what’s an example of some some of the kinds of occupations or workers that would fall under that category okay we
7:35
can talk a little bit per country because it’s a important to make the
7:41
difference and it’s country specific right country specific and just a legal disclaimer that’s this information that
7:47
we are sharing is only for general purposes right it’s not intended or replacing a legal consultation if they
7:54
want to seek more information all the whole uh way of how the program works
7:59
they should seek a consultation right let me unpack that a little bit for you as well I’m just going to add and
8:05
reiterate that so so the information that we’re talking about today is in
8:10
generalities and nothing is specifically applicable to any particular case it’s just a general broad understanding so
8:16
that people listening can kind of get an idea oh that’s the way it might work in my case okay please go ahead so for
8:26
Mexico and the United States we have the kuzma right it is the the agreement that
8:31
previously was called the NAFTA it covers 63 professions some of them the most common or popular are accountants
8:38
Architects Engineers computer systems analysts industrial graphic designers
8:44
geologists chemists a lot of occupations that are scientific related so if a
8:52
person is offered a job offer for this position for a Canadian employer and
8:58
this person is a Mexican citizen or a citizen from the U.S they are exempt of this lmia and it could take about two to
9:06
four weeks to get a work permit if everything is done properly oh wow
9:11
and that’s in a case where the employer has already identified the employee or
9:17
somehow they’ve connected they’re aware of each other correct otherwise otherwise an employer would
9:25
have to go through some kind of a recruiting process or an employee would have to somehow find an employer that is
9:31
willing to go through the process how how would that work uh there are different ways sometimes
9:38
the most common is people that are already in Canada like students they in
9:44
their part where they work part-time their employer says oh you know I would like to hire you full-time and is that
9:50
possible and if this job Falls Within These professions then we do this work permit it’s the most common way for
9:57
people that are outside of Canada it happens as well but it’s a lot more of work right they do need to have some
10:04
skills that are interesting for the recruiters in Canada
10:10
and then they can introduce how can this employer obtain a work permit for them
10:16
mostly is the work of the job Seeker to show the employer if the employer is seeking this kind of professionals from
10:23
these countries then they do need to look for someone but it’s knowledgeable about these countries
10:29
so there are already people here who might not be citizens but but have uh
10:34
student visas and other other legal ways that they would be here and these people
10:41
uh if they have the qualifications if it’s a fit with employer the employer could do that more easily than somebody
10:49
from out of the country and skip the labor market impact assessment that’s a big thing so that’s for citizens of
10:56
Mexico and the United States for citizens of Colombia and Peru it’s a little bit different most of the
11:03
professions are included except some of them right so it’s more open and the
11:10
ones that are excluded so when we say a profession in this agreement is what we
11:15
call a knock a or zero right it’s professional level or managerial level and some of the occupations that are
11:23
excluded are those that are within the health education and Social Services right so and there are some technicians
11:31
that are included like mechanical engineering Technologies and technicians industrial engineering graphing
11:37
designers interior designers and one important is chefs right so this is a
11:42
little bit different how it changes a little bit when content to another we have also for Chilean Chilean citizens
11:48
or permanent residents from Chile also from Colombia permanent residents are included which is a big big thing for
11:53
some uh for chile is similar to the kuzma for regarding professions
12:01
okay and so you mentioned chefs so one of the things that I was going to ask
12:06
next and maybe this Chef kind of kind of segues into it is what if somebody is
12:11
not a professional maybe they’re a little younger maybe they’re thinking of going to University but they haven’t done it yet
12:17
um you know what Pathways can they take nice pun right what Pathways can they
12:22
take and and and also um a chef seems like a natural one because somebody
12:30
could plan their career as partly what it would take to get into Canada
12:36
and live in Canada uh legally correct so the person that it’s uh outside of
12:44
Canada looking to come and end up working they have the opportunity to come and study they can study a program
12:50
for one year or two years and this program if it’s eligible for a post-related work permit once they
12:57
complete their studies full-time studies they will get a work permit that can be up to three years within these three
13:03
years they have to find a job that will give them uh that is an oxy rate if they
13:10
intend to become a permanent residence in the future so that’s one of the easiest ways for
13:16
some to come and have the opportunity to have an international experience to have a diploma from Canada that is very
13:23
important for the labor market back in these countries as well so you are winning two things in international
13:30
diploma and then work experience in Canada great
13:35
great and and in British Columbia here do we have any programs that might stand
13:40
out over and above the national programs or any initiatives for
13:46
job Seekers and employers what’s what’s the best pathway there and and what’s the best opportunity for employers
13:52
correct we have what is called the the bcpnp is the provincial nominee program
14:00
for British Columbia every province has their own programs in in British Columbia it has two
14:07
interesting ones that for this subject for a couple actually one is for skilled
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workers right the skilled worker is that one that has two years work experience in the profession that is being offered
14:19
how it works they need a job offer as well uh from the employer and with the
14:25
qualifications of the job seeker and the job offer we do an assessment and it
14:31
will give you a point right let’s say 60 points 80 points depending their English
14:37
level their education their work experience their salary their location of the job and we submit a profile to
14:45
the vcpnp as a skill worker the person can be outside of Canada the employer
14:50
has to demonstrate that they were not able to find a uh our Canadian or permanent resident in
14:56
Canada is not with the same it’s not as strict as a labor marketing
15:03
impact assessment but it’s a little bit similar this is a route towards permanent resident right so once this
15:10
person creates his profile they could be invited by The Province they can be nominated by The Province and they will
15:18
get a work letter a work permit and a letter that will help them to obtain a
15:24
work permit and then become a permanent residence mm-hmm
15:29
so that’s for for skilled workers that are not uh or that are already in Canada
15:34
either way it’s different profiles but there are another options for healthcare workers for international graduates uh
15:41
International postgraduates and entry level and semi-skilled workers so it’s different areas depending the profiles
15:47
of each one and what about the caregivers you’re saying Caregivers for
15:52
caregivers there’s a pilot program right which is a
15:58
couple one or two years is a little bit challenging nowadays because it’s uh only offering about 2500 uh
16:06
places for caregivers and 2500 for for
16:11
um seniors Caregivers for not for caregivers for the elderly okay so it’s
16:18
it’s already backed up they uh have more than what they can afford to give the these places this is a program for the
16:25
permanent resident as well so that’s that’s how it’s all demanding sometimes it might take them one or two years to
16:31
be able to come with an open work permit and there are then some revisions to this program we will have to see in the
16:38
future how it goes next year on the employer side are most of these Care Homes day cares families
16:46
they’re mostly families yeah so it’s a family that needs someone to seek after
16:51
their kid or after their parents let’s say and they they have someone that
16:57
meets their qualifications it’s a little bit uh now the person that is wants to apply for this program has to show that
17:04
has a certain level of English and that has a post-secondary diploma
17:10
okay great they have these and the employer gives them a job offer then they can they could apply they need to
17:16
meet other requirements but they could apply and then they need to wait probably a year or two years to have an open work permit come to Canada or open
17:23
work permit further Administration come to Canada and work as such once they get 24 months of work experience they could
17:31
become a fermented resin okay great and so I I’m thinking there’s
17:37
probably a lot of confusion what I see anyway running jobs in canada.com is
17:42
um there seems to be confusion among a lot of people out there about you know should I just take a flight to Canada
17:48
should I just come to Canada and find an employer who’s going to hire me um you know what do you recommend there
17:54
because I’m sensing I’m guessing that you’re going to say that they should stay in their country until they know
18:00
what they’re doing blah blah blah what do you recommend to somebody who really doesn’t have a clue maybe they’re young maybe they don’t have a serious
18:07
um uh credentials in any given profession what what do you recommend for somebody
18:13
like that yeah it’s it’s always a good question and it’s a very common question
18:18
and it’s hard to answer because you need to know the person and you need to know yourself like what who are you how do
18:25
you work what motivates you are you going to do your job looking for a job in your home country or you will you be
18:31
doing that better in Canada and what will that cost you one the most important thing what do you need to work
18:38
in Canada and that’s the language right and yes there are some jobs that you could do with minimal uh knowledgeable
18:45
English but in general that’s going to help you to move forward to have a good interview so you have to be studying
18:51
English and it’s not enough what we could say I I I’m a profession in English in my country once you come
18:59
to Canada in an English environment it’s not the same so the first thing uh
19:05
reads magazines make a subscription to a newsletter or news magazine paper in
19:11
Canada so you get to know more the language in Canada and get to know more the kids or the businesses what’s going
19:17
on over here that will help you to have a topic into an interview that’s the first thing right and the second
19:24
what do you want to do in Canada what kind of job and you have to realize that
19:30
you will have to try to look for a job that is not exactly the same that you might be doing in your country you have
19:35
to start two or three steps before so you can get there later on right so
19:41
you might need to get an entry level once the employer knows you and they know that you know how to do
19:47
the job you could be promoted or you have experience in Canada and you can look for another job that is more
19:53
towards your professional objective right when you’re saying look for another job you mean in a given amount
19:59
of time with an employer right like you probably have to be with with your your initial employer you you might you might
20:04
have to be there for how long let’s say at least a year because less than a year
20:10
sometimes doesn’t look that great right so once you have a year of work experience you’re good with your
20:16
employer and you can you have some enough experience in the job market in Canada and then you can try to look for
20:22
something else right sometimes it’s easier to find a job if you have a job and the first thing also what you were
20:28
talking come here or stay if you come to Canada most of the work
20:34
to find a job is online right and you have the resources and it’s sometimes easier doing the looking for a job in
20:42
here because you have you can go to some centers like where we see centers and they help you find a job to permanent
20:47
residents and citizens but it has something also for people that holds a work permit and they have a lot of
20:52
resources on the libraries you can access all this also in Internet so
20:58
one big tool is LinkedIn right that’s how you can do your networking find
21:04
people that have a job that you’re looking for and ask them for an info
21:09
view right just ask them general questions about their job their company try not to be too needy we call it like
21:16
that don’t be too needy just in a friendly way share your experiences in your country ask them for uh insights
21:24
about this role how challenging is it for someone but the first important thing is the job that you’re looking for
21:31
is it regulated or not and what does this mean regulated
21:36
profession is like a nurse like an engineer like an architect if you need to sign document for an engineer if you
21:43
need to sign documents like diagrams or things like this you have to uh it’s a
21:49
regulated occupation but if you don’t need to sign documents as an engineer then you can find a job as a search
21:55
right so that’s the first thing get to know what you want to do if that profession is regulated or not and find
22:01
a body that regulates your your occupation and you can connect with this body in
22:07
Canada and they can help you find a way how to become an engineer in Canada you
22:12
might not get there but you will know the paths and you will get some courses and you will get more insights and
22:18
probably more things will come your way regarding your job search
22:24
well so uh one thing one thing that we should probably qualify and correct me if I’m wrong but when you say people
22:29
doing a search here in Canada you’re talking about people who’ve come in Legally
22:35
they have some kind of a Visa some kind of a student visa
22:41
something like that you have to be you have to have entered legally to Canada as a visitor as a student as a worker
22:48
but if you are not legally in Canada you cannot look for anything right you don’t
22:54
have a future in Canada you have to restore your status or go back to your country and come back
23:00
right and and so you have to uh the bottom line is if you’re not here
23:05
legally then none of these resources are going to open their doors to you correct
23:11
and if an employer happens and interviews you they will stop once they
23:16
know this situation because they won’t be able to move forward most of the times right depending a specific
23:22
situation we have to analyze a specific situation right of course Very broadly there might be cases where we can do a
23:28
restoration if someone lost their status because they miss the time to extend their status or something happen right
23:34
sure sure that was a great program like that in last year that they extended these 90
23:39
days that you have to extend your status for up to a year a year and a half that is gone now so it’s very important for
23:45
everyone that is in Canada to be careful of their status exploration and extend
23:50
it right okay yeah so you have to do your homework um so one of the things that you
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mentioned before was about speaking English uh maybe you could just speak a little bit about the French side of the
24:03
equation um because obviously there’s programs or people people have
24:09
um uh similar entry access with French as well well French speakers have a lot
24:16
of uh have good opportunities they say a program for francophones that make it
24:22
easier to get a work permit also to get a permanent residence right or are
24:27
qualified towards Quebec to find get a permanent residence as well so those we need to know the specifics they have to
24:33
find an employer that needs a professional in French outside of in
24:39
Quebec or outside of Quebec it doesn’t matter it’s a federal program yeah and that’s a an exception to the
24:47
lmia similar to the trade agreements in that regard are there any categories of workers that
24:54
are at higher Demand right now or that that you’re finding employers are asking about or that you’re finding or getting
25:00
in easier yes yeah well a big one is cooks and a lot of needs for Cooks in
25:06
restaurants Hospitality needs a lot of workers and that’s a uh I won’t say an
25:12
easy one but it’s pretty common it’s happening often right and so what kind
25:18
of experience and qualifications are they looking for are they looking for uh you
25:24
know two or three years experience or are they looking for culinary certification what are they looking for
25:31
all kinds sometimes they just need one to two years of work experience so that
25:36
would be a minimum is a couple of years experience would be yeah the starting point sometimes it could be even one
25:41
year as long as you have that experience and you can prove that and the employer is okay with what you know
25:47
so would you think that if if I’m let’s say I’m uh Carlos and I’m in Colombia
25:53
and and I think you know it’d be nice to go to Canada and and see if I could make
25:58
a goal of it there um you know would it make sense if he’s 21 years old
26:05
let’s say to say okay I’m gonna I’m going to see how far I can get in the restaurant industry in Colombia and then
26:10
I’m going to apply to come to Canada find an employer and
26:16
yeah that’s doable it’s easier and better if they can come and study here
26:21
and then find a job right really to be honest with you finding a job being outside of Canada without a status in
26:27
Canada it’s hard it’s tough that an employer will open their doors for an interview and then do all this process
26:34
unless you are a good reference or they know you somehow so the easiest way is
26:39
to come to Canada is study a program get at work the employer will look for you and then they will help you out with
26:46
their work permit that’s what it’s most of the times Times
26:51
Really few times is when the employer didn’t know them and they are outside of Canada so probably a good objective is
26:57
to say okay I’m I’m Carlos in Colombia and and what I think I want to do is go
27:02
study culinary arts in Canada or take a uh uh
27:09
college level course in in food preparation correct that that’s that’s a
27:14
good start sometimes they can come just let’s say for a study English six months sure weeks they cannot work but they are
27:21
in Canada they’re improving the language they can get around and they can ask for for interviews they they are they are
27:27
allowed to seek work they are not allowed to work so once the employer knows them and then they say okay
27:35
I I will give you the opportunity to offer you yes then let’s do this lmia
27:41
and then they it will take some time but it’s easier when the person the employer
27:46
connects with them yeah so if you’re here studying and and you meet a restaurant owner who likes you then
27:53
that’s a good thing correct yeah that’s that’s a good step
27:58
um okay great well that’s great Gabrielle thanks so much for joining us um before we go do you want to say a few
28:06
things in Spanish do you want to can I should I ask you a couple of questions in Spanish
28:11
[Laughter]
28:23
uh
28:29
uh entrar in Canada um
29:03
impressa [Music]
29:08
uh immigration and recruitment Canada is
29:16
a beautiful British Columbia
29:22
estudiantes is
29:59
foreign
30:22
[Music]
30:28
Wisconsin
31:01
jobs in canada.com uh receive a mucha traffic
31:08
America the Los paises Mexico Colombia Peru uh curriculum
31:26
presentation is
32:13
[Music] the survey he uh he expects explication
32:20
is uh um
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[Laughter]
32:40
buenos videos
32:54
[Music]
33:24
job posting perfecto gracias Gabrielle is there
33:29
anything else you would like to say in English or in Spanish before we sign off well it was a pleasure to be here I
33:36
really hope that this information helps you somehow in your pathway to Canada it’s a really beautiful country it’s not
33:43
easy you have to put time on work and once you it’s it makes our sometimes or
33:50
two or three years or more yeah it’s a big dream for a lot of people and you
33:55
know sometimes what I tell them as well it probably is not for everyone but also you will never know if you don’t try it
34:00
and it’s always a good experience and it it matures yourselves person as a
34:06
professional for sure it’s always a challenge but then it’s very important to be well informed and know what you
34:13
might face it make it easier to move forward you can come back and you will
34:19
have more experience whatever it was you you’re experience in Canada if you didn’t succeed
34:25
you will have more tools to go back and the experience that you earn will definitely help you in whatever it is in
34:32
back in your country as a person as a family as a professional absolutely just
34:38
just having uh more advanced English and the scriptural experience you know it’s
34:43
just a culture experience because it really a lot of work in or in Latin
34:49
America it’s with another companies and then exposure to so many
34:54
countries in just Canada so many nationalities and cultures it opens up a
35:00
lot of a vision and if someone is an entrepreneur even better yes for sure for sure
35:06
that’s great it’s interesting you know it’s a life souvenir forever like if you
35:12
go sometimes for a trip you already have a nice souvenir for your life when you experience coupled months or a year you
35:19
will remember forever it’s beautiful I like it living here I’ve been living here for eight years so if it’s your
35:26
objective you have to work on it nothing is for free and it’s it’s a long way ahead but
35:34
you can reach it and once you reach it it will be rewarding yeah it’s
35:40
definitely um uh have to expect work and and uh to
35:46
put in the effort and and work your way up because usually you’re not going to start at the top unless you are a highly
35:52
uh trained professional correct correct um so with that Gabrielle how can people
35:58
reach you it’s probably a good idea if people are trying to sort this all out that they speak with a professional and
36:03
and get an idea of some I guess grounded reality from somebody
36:08
with some experience and and obviously the qualifications sure they can send us
36:14
an email to info patsimmigration.com probably you can share their the email it’s sure info
36:21
info immigration.com thanks so much for doing this Gabrielle
36:28
it’s good to be here with you it was a nice connection yeah it’s awesome good I really
36:34
appreciate it I hope I think there’s a lot of good information there so I look forward to uh keeping in touch and
36:39
thanks so much for doing this taking the time in the evening here anytime Bernie I’m a pleasure to help
36:45
okay gracias ciao
36:52
and that concludes this Bernie chats for jobs in canada.com please feel free to subscribe like share and comment thank
36:59
you so much for supporting the channel I look forward to seeing you on the next Bernie chats for jobs in canada.com
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