Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has announced intentions to implement a job bank for international applicants seeking to live and work in Canada.
The idea is based upon the New Zealand model, wherein all skilled worker applicants’ information would be entered into an online database, accessible to local governments and employers who can select those whose skills are most needed. That worker would then have their application fast-tracked.
“We’d essentially operate that as a huge, overseas federal job bank if you will,” said Kenney.“If they get that job offer and if they’re already among our qualified pool of candidates we’d bring them in at light speed, because we know they’re set for success.”
The government also hopes that the online job bank will encourage more unemployed Canadians to seek out the jobs that are currently being filled by Temporary Foreign Workers. The new model would include verifications to ensure that local employers have done their part in reaching out to the community before looking abroad.
“We’re basically going to try to put pressure on the folks who are collecting Employment Insurance in those areas to at least take the work that’s available, so we don’t have this bizarre situation where we’re bringing in foreigners to do work in areas with double-digit unemployment,” Kenney added.
The online job bank is still in the pre-planning stages, as it would have to go through the Canadian government’s legislative branch, which would take at least another two years.
Source: National Post