MINISTRY OF CITIZENSHIP, IMMIGRATION AND MULTICULTURALISM

Minister Jason Kenney speaks at the National Metropolis Conference about his vision of fast and flexible immigration.

Federal skilled worker program revamp

There will be a separate and streamlined program for skilled tradespersons under the modernized Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), which is expected later this year.

Canadian Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney recently spoke at a Bow II construction site in Calgary about the program changes to help fill the nation’s growing labour shortages in areas such as construction, natural resources.

The Canadian Building Trades are pleased with this announcement as the skilled trades traditionally have not been able to access the program because of the rigidness of the 100-point grid system.

Currently, FSWP applicants are assessed against a 100-point grid, with a pass mark of 67. The grid takes into account the candidate’s official language ability, education, work experience, age, whether they have a job offer in Canada and their overall adaptability.

Robert Blakely, Build Trades director of Canadian affairs, called this a landmark change for skilled trades professionals who want to work in Canada.

“Our economy is challenged with producing enough people domestically to meet industrial demand — it is a natural fit to realign, in a positive way, the rules to come to Canada to assist with this demand. Previously, prospective applicants to Canada who were proficient in a skilled trade had very little hope.”

Some criteria in the FSWP grid, such as years of education, have traditionally favoured professionals and managers more than skilled trades — skilled tradespersons only make up three per cent of all FSWs entering Canada. During Citizen and Immigration Canada’s consultations on FSWP modernization over the past year, stakeholders also agreed that changes were necessary to make the program more accessible to tradespersons.

The proposed FSWP Skilled Trades program would create a means for skilled tradespersons to be assessed based on criteria geared towards their reality, putting more emphasis on practical training and work experience rather than formal education.

Skilled trades applicants will, however, need to meet minimum language requirements. If approved, further details about the Skilled Trades program and the revised FSWP are expected to be announced later in 2012. The full regulatory changes to the FSWP will also be published in the Canada Gazette in due course.

DCN NEWS SERVICES