16 May How to Hire an Internationally Trained Worker as a Canadian Employer
If you are an employer who wants to enhance the company’s skills, reach new markets, or engage with new clients; you may be looking to hire internationally trained workers.
These employees have so much to offer the workplace, and there are specific steps an employer must follow to begin the hiring process.
Before an employer can start hiring internationally trained workers, they must make sure the worker has done their part by taking the steps necessary to become an authorized worker in Canada. To become an authorized worker, they must apply for a work permit. This permit can be temporary, job specific, or open – which means the employee can work for any employer in Canada. Most post-secondary international students require only a study permit to work while they are in school or on break which guarantees a maximum of 20 hours a week, or for full-time work on holidays or summer breaks.
There are instances where the responsibility of retaining a permit does not solely fall onto the worker. When issuing a job-specific work permit, there could be situations where an employer must first apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) so that international work permits can be allowed at the workplace. An employer would apply for a LMIA when there is a specific job that only an internationally trained worker could complete, not a Canadian worker.
Hiring Process
As an employer engaging in a hiring process, you want to ensure that every worker applying for the job is receiving a fair chance and knows their skills are valued. You must prepare to do your best to make sure each applicant and future hire feels valued, appreciated, and welcomed. This could mean implementing diversity training for current employees to ensure a healthy workplace, or training recruiters on professional conduct when working with international candidates.
The hiring process has two important steps: defining the work role and evaluating the worker’s qualifications.
Like any recruiting process, defining the work role is an essential step because it allows workers to understand what the employer is looking for before applying. The employer should outline skills required, responsibilities, necessary language proficiency, work experience, documents needed, and positions available. Providing this level of detail sets workers up for success and ensures their time is not misused.
Second, evaluate their qualifications. These qualifications can be certain certificates the worker must have to enter Canada as an employee or as a permanent resident. For example, when workers apply for permanent residency, they require an Educational Credential Assessment provided by the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). These documents could also include the workers experience and skills they have acquired internationally.
Knowing the exact documents each worker must provide can become complicated. The Canadian Information Centre for Credentials is a platform that can help employers ensure they are receiving all the formal documents necessary to evaluate their candidates. As this platform can only provide formally issued documents, accessing other documents, like work experience, must be provided by the applicant. Further, obtaining formal documents can take time, and it is within the employer’s right to ask applicants to have these credentials attached to their application.
If you are an employer looking to hire internationally trained employees and need help creating workplace policies or responsibilities to ensure a smooth transition for all employees and new hires, please contact KCY at LAW by filling in an online consultation request or contact us by phone at 905-639-0999 to book your consultation today.