International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Improving Access to Labour market Information for migrants and employers
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The goal of the pilot project was to explore ways to provide potential applicants to
the FSWP with essential orientation pre-immigration, including knowledge of the
Canadian labour market, realistic expectations about post-immigration outcomes,
and the ability to fully prepare for immigrating to Canada. Since the vast majority of
resources are now online, a primary objective of the CIIP was to increase awareness
among skilled worker applicants of important online resources. The pilot project also
provided extensive referrals to SPOs such as Career Bridge (ACCC, 2012), sector
councils, and regional governments with PNP streams in place that would be more
advantageous. The programme expanded in 2010 to include provincial nominees as
well as FSWs.
Between the launch of client services in January 2007 and the conclusion of the pilot
project in November 2010, the CIIP provided direct service to 9,000 FSWs and
PNs from India, China, and the Philippines, through offices established in Manila,
Delhi, and Guangzhou (ACCC, 2011). An important feature of this programme
is that it began as an outreach programme which automatically contacted principal
applicants in the final stage of the FSWP, though response was voluntary. Once
contacted, FSW applicants participated in a three-step process (ACCC, 2011):
group seminars providing basic LMI about the Canadian labour market, individual
counselling sessions designed to help clients produce a personal action plan for
labour market integration, and referrals to SPOs that could assist clients remotely
in preparing to immigrate or search for a job. Referrals were also made to postsecondary
institutions to prevent immigrants from being unprepared or unable to
meet unexpected educational requirements. This last point is particularly important,
as the ability to seek necessary education and training had previously been identified
as a major challenge for immigrant cohorts (Schellenberg and Maheux, 2007).
The LMI seminar includes information on the Canadian economy and labour market
trends, integration challenges faced by immigrants (such as credential recognition
and language requirements), and job search instruction. The individual counselling
sessions, which take place pre-departure, are guided by each applicant’s particular
situation and supported by partnerships with SPOs, licensing bodies, post-secondary
institutions, and regulatory bodies, to ensure each FSW applicant receives all of the
information they would need prior to immigrating. Employers also partnered with
CIIP to deliver information to immigrants pre-departure: during the pilot phase,
this included Canada’s five major banks and companies in every major sector of
the Canadian economy, such as energy, health care, and IT. The services offered by
employers varied, but typically include résumé advice and seminars (usually offered
electronically) on job search strategies and career opportunities.
As indicated above, the CIIP provided direct service to over 9,000 clients, of the
estimated 30 per cent it was successfully able to contact in its early stages (ACCC,
2011). This was in addition to having over 12,000 clients registered for the programme
at the time the Government of Canada decided to continue it as an ongoing service.
The response to the project from the clients surveyed was overwhelmingly positive;
among other encouraging outcomes, 62 per cent of economic immigrants who