Dear Mr Brown:

I am thinking of making an application under Canada’s Federal Skilled Workers Programme, but I’m not sure which eligible occupation to apply under. I think I may qualify under three different areas. How should I select which occupation or can I apply for all three? Also, I have been looking for employment in Canada. I am familiar with a Labour Market Opinion, but I see many advertisements mentioning Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). I would like you to explain the requirements of an LMIA.

— DD

Hello DD:

I am not sure which specific eligible occupations you make reference to. However, it is important to recognise that one may submit multiple applications under the Federal Skilled Workers Programme, which may actually increase the chances of immigration.

Multiple applications

The Canadian government allows applicants to submit multiple permanent residency applications at the same time. In fact, one may even submit applications for permanent residence and temporary residency applications at the same time. Separate government processing fees must be paid for each application. As for the additional government processing fees, it is important to note that any application returned due to the cap being filled will have their government processing fees returned.

There are many scenarios in which an applicant may wish to submit more than one application. For example, an applicant and his or her accompanying spouse may both have experience in eligible occupations. As such, they can both submit applications. A second example is an applicant having work experience in completely different eligible occupations. A third example could be an applicant having work experience in one eligible occupation and then being promoted to another eligible occupation. A List of eligible occupations for the Federal Skilled Workers programme can be viewed on Canada Immigration and Citizenship website.

Quotas/Caps

Naturally, not all applicants will be eligible to submit multiple applications, as each application submission must be under a separate eligible occupation. However, for applicants who may be eligible under different occupations, submitting multiple applications may increase their likelihood of having an application accepted before programme caps are filled. With regards to the caps, some occupations will reach the quota faster than other areas.

Labour Market Impact Assessments

In response to your question about an LMO/LMIA, in most cases Canadian employers need to obtain government approval before hiring a foreign worker. This approval comes in the form of an LMIA, formerly known as LMO.

The LMIA process assesses whether the employer is eligible to hire from abroad. The responsibility for securing an LMIA rests solely with the employer in Canada.

For a list of the eligible occupations for the Federal Skilled Workers programme or additional information regarding other programmes, visit jamaica2canada.com.

Antonn Brown, BA, (Hons), LLB, MSc, RCIC is an immigration counsel, education agent and managing director of Jamaica2canada.com — a Canadian immigration and education firm in Kingston. Send questions/comments to jamaica2canada@gmail.com.