Did you know that Canada not only needs skilled but unskilled workers too?

Canada’s economy is thriving, in large part due to unskilled workers. The Canadian government has created various programs to make it easier to hire foreign workers for jobs in Canada that cannot be filled by Canadian permanent residents or citizens. One of these programs is the Temporary Foreign Work Program (TFWP).

Every year, the TFWP allocates 90,000 work permits to foreign workers and international graduates in essential occupations. About 56,000 of these workers fall within the agricultural sector as it is one of Canada’s strongest industries. Canada is in need of workers in almost every sector, particularly in these five:

1. Healthcare;
2. Agriculture;
3. Agri-food processing.
4. Construction; and
5. Hospitality.

Ready to find out if your job is in demand in Canada and how to get a Canada work permit in 2022?

Top Unskilled Jobs in Canada

 

 

Unskilled to semi-skilled workers can earn a lot of money working in Canada. This, of course, depends on your occupation and whether or not it’s in demand as well as your level of skill and years of experience.

For example, a food and beverage server could earn up to $30,000 per year whereas a long-haul truck driver stands to earn as much as $77,000 per year.

Below are just some of the low to unskilled jobs in Canada that need to be filled in 2022.

Top Jobs in Canada for Unskilled Workers in 2022
Industry	Occupation
Healthcare	Maintenance workers Janitors Cleaning staff Caretakers Home care providers
Agriculture	Farmworkers Greenhouse worker Harvesting Labourers Long-haul truck drivers
Agri-food Processing	Food and beverage processing labourers Industrial butchers Poultry production workers Fish plant workers Long-haul truck drivers
Construction	Construction labourers and helpers Metalworkers, labourers, and machine operators Carpenters Welders
Hospitality	Food & beverage servers Bartenders Food counter attendant/kitchen helper Hotel front desk clerks Maintenance workers Janitors Caretakers Building superintendents Light duty cleaners Housekeeping/cleaning staff

What is the Temporary Foreign Worker Program?

 

 

The Temporary Foreign Work Program (TFWP) allows foreign workers to work in Canada for a specific period of time. To legally work in Canada you’ll need a work permit. There are two different types of Canada work permits:

With an open work permit you can work for any company in Canada
With an employer-specific work permit you can only work for a specific company for a defined period of time as per your job offer letter

There are various visas and programs you can choose from as an unskilled worker. Let’s take a look at your top options.

Immigration Options

If you are looking to immigrate to Canada, your best option would be to apply for permanent residency through one of the following programs:

• Express Entry: Federal Skilled Trade Worker Program
• Provincial Nominee Program
• Atlantic Immigration Program (semi-skilled)
• Rural & Northern Immigration Pilot
• Agri-food Pilot
• Home Care Provider Pilot ((if you have at least 24 months work experience)

Work Visa Options

If, however, you want to start working in Canada on a temporary basis, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is the best option for you. Below are some of the programs and visas under the TFWP.

• High Wage Worker Stream
• Low Wage Worker Stream
• Agriculture Worker Stream
• Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP)
• Home Care Provider Stream (if you have less than 24 months work experience)
• Foreign Academics

Things You Should Know

Apply For a Work Visa

 

 

1. Is Canada looking for unskilled workers?

Yes. Canada needs workers of all skill levels in almost every industry. Each province or territory has a list of eligible in-demand occupations. If your occupation is on a provincial list of in demand occupations, and you happen to have a job or job offer in a particular province, your chances of getting a visa are greatly increased.

2. How much can an unskilled worker earn in Canada?

On average, unskilled workers earn around $30,000 per year or $15 per hour. This does, however, depend on your occupation, skill level, years of experience and the province or territory you are working in. Below are the minimum wages by region for 2022:

3. How do I apply for unskilled work in Canada?

Finding a job in Canada as an unskilled worker can be done in five simple steps.

 

Province/Territory	Minimum Wage
Alberta	$15.00
British Columbia	$15.20
Manitoba	$11.95
New Brunswick	$11.75
Newfoundland & Labrador	$12.75
Northwest Territories	$15.20
Nova Scotia	$12.95
Nunavut	$16.00
Ontario	$15.00
Prince Edward Island	$13.00
Québec	$13.50
Saskatchewan	$11.81
Yukon	$15.20

Step 1: Find out where your job is in demand in Canada

Knowing where your skills are needed most can help you to not only increase your chances of getting work in Canada, but could potentially help you get permanent residency too. Provinces or territories, and sometimes smaller communities, are always looking for experienced workers to help boost the Canadian economy. And to achieve this, the Government has created a range of immigration and work visa programs specifically designed to make the application process quicker and easier for foreign workers. The top three pathways to a specific region in Canada are:

• the Provincial Nominee Program,
• the Atlantic Immigration Program, and
• the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.

These programs have already helped thousands of newcomers, skilled and unskilled, get Canadian permanent residency in as little as two to six months!

Step 2: Check your eligibility for immigration programs and work programs in Canada

The next step is to see what your best options are and whether or not you meet all the visa or work permit requirements. This process may seem easier than it actually is.

Canada has over 100 immigration and visa options to choose from and finding the right one for your needs can be a tiresome and lengthy process. Hiring a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or immigration lawyer to help determine which ones you’ll most likely be successful at will make the process a lot quicker, easier and will reduce your chances of having your visa application denied.

Step 3: Apply for jobs in Canada and secure a job offer letter

Next, you’ll want to start applying for jobs in Canada. Although not all immigration programs require having one, others do and having one could also boost your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score if you’re applying through Express Entry. If you struggle to find a job online via digital platforms like Jobbank, Linkedin, Workopolis, Indeed or Monster, the next best option is to use a Canadian recruitment agency.

Once you’ve secured your job, it’s important to make sure that you get a copy of your job offer letter as you will need it when applying for your Canadian work permit.

Step 4: Gather important documentation

Before applying for your visa or permit it’s recommended that you find out what documents you’ll need, especially those that may take longer than others to retrieve and apply for those first.

For example, once you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency you’ll only have 60 days to submit your application with documents. If you miss the deadline you may have to restart the application process.

Step 5: Submit your application

Now that you know which programs or visas you qualify for and what documents you’ll need, you can confidently move forward with the visa application process. Most Government and representative fees will need to be paid online, which means you’ll need a valid credit card to do so.

4. Is Canada still processing temporary work permit applications?

Yes. Although there have been some delays in visa application times due to backlogs caused by COVID-19, Sean Fraser, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, recently made a statement saying that Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has set a goal to reduce visa processing time through various steps. Some of these steps include hiring 500 new visa processing staff members, digitising applications and redistributing the workload to global offices.

The IRCC aims to process a backlog of 147,000 applications by the end of March 2022. On average, work permit processing normally takes about 60 days but will differ depending on the amount of applications and whether or not additional documentation is required.

5. How long is a temporary foreign work permit valid in Canada?

There are no standard rules or regulations regarding the amount of time a temporary worker is allowed to stay and work in Canada. The validity of the temporary work permit depends on:

• the length of your job offer
• the length of time listed on your Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), if required); and
• the validity of your passport

Ready to start working in Canada? The most important step is to discover which visas and programs you qualify for and are best suited to your needs. What’s the easiest and most accurate way to do this? By enlisting the help of visa and immigration professionals who are well versed in Canadian immigration, like those we work with at CanadaMigration.

Apply For a Work Visa