Filipinos are encouraged to take advantage of work opportunities in Canada, which urgently needs medical professionals and skilled workers.
Pinoy Care Visa Center Chief Executive Officer Presca Nina Mabatid gave this advice in an interviewlast Tuesday.
Mabatid said medical professionals in demand include doctors, opthalmologists, dentists, physiotherapists, pharmacists, radiologists, biologists, registered nurses.
“Chef, plumber, architects, electrician, psychologists, social workers, industrial electrician, guidance counselors, engineers, mechanics, welders, food services, hotel managers are also in demand,” said Mabatid.
Dr. Ellen Burill, an authorized immigration consultant of Canada, said that there a lot of opportunities for Filipinos in Canada which she described as an ideal place for families.
“They provide free education among other benefits and the government treats everyone equally there,” said Burill, a Filipina married to a Canadian and has been staying there for seven years.
In his speech during the presentation of the Canadian Economic Action Plan for 2012 in March 29, Ottawa, Canada, Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty said that the government of Canada is putting emphasis to jobs creation, growth and long-term prosperity.
One of the priority areas of their plan is building a fast and flexible economic immigration system which puts focus on attracting immigrants who have the skills and experience that their economy needs.
“Since 2006, the Government has pursued much-needed reforms to focus Canada’s immigration system on fueling economic prosperity for Canada. The Government has placed top priority on attracting immigrants who have the skills and experience our economy needs. The Government is committed to making our immigration system truly fast and flexible in a way that will sustain Canada’s economic growth,” said Flaherty.
Burill said this would be the best time to enter Canada with the government set to put in reforms and strengthen further the economy by investing in infrastructure development, which would mean more job opportunities for the skilled Filipinos.
Mabatid also assured that the new immigration law in Canada called the Bill C35 wouldn’t affect Pinoy Care Visa Center, which is a Visa consultancy firm based in Cebu.
“The government of Canada has passed a new law or the Bill C35 which requires agencies, educational institutions and other recruitment consultancy firms to work with authorized immigration consultants. Because of that we have partnered with Dr. Ellen Burill who is an authorized immigration consultant,” said Mabatid.
Burill said under the new law, it is unlawful for firms like Pinoy Care Visa Center to process applications and charge immigration fees without partnering with consultants that were authorized by the new council called the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulating Council.
“This council replaced the old Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants when the Bill C35 was passed just recently,” said Burill.
According to Mabatid, they have over 500 applications for immigration in Canada which they are currently documenting and due for launching in July.
As of 2010, Filipinos remains to be the largest ethnic immigrant group in Canada with a population of over 500,000.
“Immigration to Canada has started as early as the 1960’s and over the years we have been successfully assisting Filipinos to get an immigrant Visa to Canada. This new law is a new challenge but with Filipinos being very well preferred in Canada and our abiding with the law, we’re confident that we will be able to send more Filipinos there,” said Mabatid.