Information Session with Columbia College's Senior Recruitment Officer (March 10, 2020)

If you are considering to study in Canada after completing your Grade 12 in the Philippines and is in the process of finding the right school for you, you may want to attend this Information Session with Ms. Chelsey Acierno, Columbia College's Senior Recruitment Officer. 

Take MBA Program at University Canada West, Get up to CAD 10,000 Bursary

Here's another reason why you should consider taking your MBA Program at University Canada West: Bursary of up to CAD 10,000  for Gateway to Canada Clients!

Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Takes Off

A couple of moths ago, we wrote about the upcoming  Northern Ontario Immigration Pilot which is similar to the concept of Atlantic Immigration Pilot. 

Today, the program officially takes off which will be known as Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.

Move Up Prince George, British Columbia | Study at College of New Caledonia

Prince George is the largest city in the region of nearly 320,000 people that it serves. With a considerable number of large natural resource-oriented projects slated for construction across the north, existing Prince George businesses are already seeing an increased demand for their products and services and the city is seeing an influx of new businesses starting up.

Yorkville University: $10,000 Exclusive Scholarship

If you are planning to study in Canada as International Student and you are considering a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, you may want to consider Yorkville University. Gateway to Canada qualified students may be eligible to a CAD 10,000 Scholarship Discount!

British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program Tech Pilot (BC PNP Tech Pilot)

In order to address British Columbia's critical skills requirement for the province's technology sector, BC PNP recently launched BC PNP Tech Pilot.  This new BC PNP Stream will be targeting bot Internationally Trained Workers and International students who have completed their education in BC or anywhere in Canada.

To be eligible, applicant must have the experience and qualifications in any of the eligible occupations for the BC PNP Tech Pilot.  Applicants need a full-time, indeterminate (permanent, or with no set end date) job offer from an eligible B.C. employer.

BC Private Training Act benefits students, public and institutions

The Private Training Act is a new regulation by the British Columbia government that was brought into force effective September 1, 2016.  This BC Private Training Act will benefit students, public and institutions.

This post is about how it will benefit the students.

Health Care Professional - British Columbia Express Entry

If you have an active Express Entry Profile and you belong to any have at least 2 year experience in any of the following Health Care Professional Occupations, you may be eligible to apply for British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program - Health Care Professional Stream:

British Columbia Industry Training Authority (ITA) Certificate of Qualification

The Federal Skilled Trades Program may have already started, but, apparently the provincial institutions to issue certificate of qualification are not yet ready.  Here's an email I received from  Industry Training Authority (ITA) Customer Service of British Columbia:

If you are planning to immigrate to British Columbia, Canada under the Federal Skilled Trades Program and wish to challenge the trade certification; please find all the information and requirements here http://itabc.ca/challengers/overview

You will require a BC mailing address to apply for the challenge process. You can do this by:

• 1.acquiring a PO Box
• 2.using a family member's address who resides in BC
• 3.through an immigration service.

You will also need a Canadian or US passport to write the Certificate of Qualification exam. We are currently reviewing our id requirements in order to write an exam and anticipate that this requirement will be changed in approximately 3 months. At that time you will be able to write the exam without a Canadian or US Passport. However, we urge that you do not make any travel arrangements to come to British Columbia, Canada until we have revised our identification requirements.

So there.  You really have to visit Canada to challenge the exam and get a Certificate of Qualification.  Then again, changes will be implemented soon to cope up with the Federal Skilled Trades Program requirements. We will keep you posted.

BC FSW Backlog Reduction Pilot

As promised, here's the additional information about BC FSW Backlog Reduction Pilot Project as mentioned in my Update on FSW Backlog Pilot blog post last week. This is a new stream under British Columbia - Provincial Nominee Program.

The criteria to be eligible under the BC FSW Backlog Reduction Pilot Project are:

1. You have intention to reside in British Columbia

2. You are not more than 50 years old on the date their application is received by the BC PNP.

3. You must demonstrate that he or she meets the minimum English language requirement by submitting a test report from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (General Training test only), or the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) (General test only).

The minimum English language requirement is benchmark 6 or higher under the Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000 (CLB) for each of the four skill areas (listening, reading, writing and speaking).

The CLB 6 equivalency scores for IELTS are:

Listening 5.5
Reading 5.0
Writing 5.5
Speaking 5.5

4. Intention to work in the following eligible occupations:

2131 - Civil Engineers
2132 - Mechanical Engineers
2133 - Electrical & Electronics Engineers
2231 - Civil Engineering Technologist and Technicians
2232 - Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
2234 - Construction Estimators
2241 - Electrical & Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians
2281 - Computer Equipment Operators, Network Operators & Web Technicians

5. Work Experience. Applicant must have a minimum of three years of full-time equivalent work experience obtained within the last five years that is directly related to employment in a qualifying occupation.

6. Education. Applicant must have completed at least 12 years of full-time equivalent formal education and must have the educational background required for employment in BC in the qualifying occupation.

7. Ability to Become Economically Established - Settlement Plan and Funds.

More information about BC FSW Backlog Reduction Pilot here. You must receive an invitation from Case Processing Pilot - Ottawa before you may apply under this pilot project.

British Columbia Nurses Union Demand 2,000 More Staff Nurses

Instead of demanding any wage hike, British Columbia Nurses Union is demanding demanding 2,000 additional nurses in the latest round of contract negotiations.

The union representing British Columbia's 30,000 nurses is throwing a spotlight on what it argues is declining patient care as it appeals for public support to hire thousands of additional workers in the latest round of contract negotiations.

Read full story from CTVNews.




For Registered Nurses planning to apply for permanent residence in Canada via FSW who are asking if there's a chance that their occupation will be included again in the priority list or in-demand occupations, there's the answer to your question.

Mark is now in Vancouver!

If you have read my post about Guide for Filipino Nurses, you will be familiar with the case of Mr. Mark Hernandez. For those who are just new here, Mark sent his resume to me for assessment a year ago. He is a Registered Nurse but at the time, he barely have one year work experience. He is not eligible to apply under Federal Skilled Worker program and like what I normally advise to those who are not yet eligible, I told him to start looking for a job offer from Canada (Here's how to find jobs in Canada).


He did and he is now working in the beautiful city of Vancouver!


I haven't met Mark in person but we constantly communicate through email and IM's. Yesterday, he told me that he was able to watch 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics! He also told me that he met Marieton Pacheco last month.

See you in Vancouver soon, Mark! :-)

Vancouver: A local's perspective

I stumbled upon this blog, Vancouver: A local's perspective, while blog hopping. If you are planning to visit or live and work in Vancouver, you will get useful information there.



After all, there is no better way to get information about Vancouver than from a local.

Robyn Hanson, the blog author, was born and raised in Vancouver. She worked in the local tourism industry and studied Geography and Art History at University of British Columbia.

Her tag clouds will give you an idea what she's blogging about:

2010 Olympics, accommodation, activities for a rainy day, afternoon outings, art, autumn, beaches, books, charity, Chinatown, Christmas, dance, Davie Street, dining, downtown, English Bay, False Creek, filmed in Vancouver, fog, food, free activities, gardens, Gastown, geography, history, holidays, kid friendly activities,money, monuments mountains, museums, music, nature, neighborhoods New Year's Eve, nightlife, parks, photos, rain, restaurants, Richmond, Robson Street, seawall, shopping, shopping districts, snow, special events, sports, spring, Stanley Park, summer, transportation, UBC, vegetarian, restaurants, Victoria, videos, weather, whale watching, Whistler, wildlife, winter activities, winter, climate, Yaletown

Visit Vancouver: A Local's Perspective at http://bcrobyn.blogspot.com

Manny Pacquiao May Train in Canada

Filipino fans of boxing champ, Manny Pacquio, may have a chance to finally meet him in person ahead of Pacquiao-Cotto showdown in November. According to this report, Team Pacquio considers Canada to be Manny Pacquiao's training camp because of the large number of Filipinos residing there, among other reasons.

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is luring Manny Pacquiao to the Bahamas for the first half of his training camp for the November 14 duel with Miguel Cotto but the Filipino fighter might end up going to Canada, Mexico — or even the Philippines.[Source]

Team Pacquiao is particularly considering Vancouver because it is near the US. Vancouver will also host the 2010 Winter Olympics.

About Vancouver | Craigslist, Tourism and more...

Here are some information about the City of Vancouver, British Columbia and a couple of online resource. First, here's a promotional video about Vancouver, a city situated in the West coast of Canada. In 2005, it was officially named the best city to live in the World.





Some source of information about Vancouver

Craigslist Vancouver
Craigslist started as an email distribution list of friends which later expanded to a centralized network of online communities, where you will find information about jobs, housing, for sale, services, community, events, résumés, and discussion forums about a certain area. So it is a good online resource in case you are planning to settle in Vancouver. Visit http://vancouver.craigslist.org to get started.

Vancouver Sun
British Columbia's newspaper for news, reviews, sports, business, weather, entertainment, classifieds, listings, features, providing in-depth analysis and everything about the province. http://www.vancouversun.com/

Vancouver.Com
Vancouver.com is the ultimate guide for travel and local information on spectacular Vancouver, Canada. It gives a local's perspective on everything from restaurant listings and events to weather reports and maps. We are part of the Vancouver community and strive to provide it with the most relevant, accurate and engaging information possible.

The 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics will be held in Vancouver.

2010 Vancouver Olympics means jobs

The 2010 Winter Olympics that will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia will definitely create employment opportunities in construction, retail trade, and the tourist industry. Both locals and aspiring temporary foreign workers will benefit from this.

For those in Canada who wants to work with Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, click here to look for opportunities.

TheStar reported that it is estimated that B.C. will need 30,000 more tourism workers by 2015 based on a Conference Board of Canada report. While the study was released prior to the economy's sharp decline, industry experts still believe a significant shortfall will exist for two reasons: the impending retirement of baby boomers and the legacy of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

To find jobs in Canada, visit Canada Jobs Portal.

To visit Canada to watch the Winter Olympics, here's a tourist visa application guide.

Wanted: House Cleaner

Just a quick post to help one of my blog readers from Richmond, British Columbia. He is looking for a part time house cleaner for his senior parents.
photo credit: http://www.2shareajoy.com/

Employer is willing to pay C$12/hour for 2 hours a week job. If you are interested, you may email him at aziz103@yahoo.com

For more job opportunities as a house cleaner, visit jobbank.gc.ca.

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) deployment guidelines for British Columbia

Here's another opportunity for Filipino Workers who want to work in Canada. Officials of the Canadian Province of British Columbia will arrive in Manila Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008 to finalize the proposed guidelines on the employment and deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to British Columbia.

RP, British Columbia to finalize guidelines on OFW employment, deployment

Assistant Deputy Minister Mike Carter of the Ministry of Technology, Trade, and Economic Development, Executive Director of Canada's Labor Market Development Mark Gillis, and other officials of the Canadian Province of British Columbia will arrive in Manila Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008, to help Canadian employers find needed skills and finalize the proposed guidelines on the employment and deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to British Columbia.

Minister Carter will subsequently meet with Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Intramuros, Manila.[Soure:www.dole.gov.ph]

Prior to this, the Philippine government signed an agreement with the Province of Alberta, Canada. About 10,000 to 30,000 Filipino workers are needed in Alberta.

Early this year, the government of British Columbia has signed an agreement with the Philippines to prioritize the employment of Filipino migrant workers in the Canadian province to stem the growing labor shortage in British Columbia.

Employers' Guide: Hiring Filipino Workers

Last month, Apples Jalandoni of ABS-CBN's Bandila visited our office to gather information about application process to live and work in Canada. And few weeks ago, I was contacted by a couple of employers from British Columbia who want to hire Filipino Workers. Why is there a huge demand for Filipino Workers is probably best explained by this: Imagine a world without Filipinos.

If you are an employer from Canada planning to hire temporary foreign workers from the Philippines, the following information may help you.

First, you must apply for a Labor Market Opinion (LMO) from Human Resource Social Development Canada. (We can help you with this if you are not familiar with the process.)

A prospective employer interested to hire Filipino workers must be pre-qualified or verified by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Canada and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the Philippine government’s arm that manages the deployment of Filipino workers overseas.

Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) verification process is to ascertain the existence of the company or project and that there is indeed a need for Filipino Manpower.

The following documents must be provided by the employer:

Special power of attorney issued by the principal or employer to the licensed Philippine agency or recruitment agreement or service agreement;

Master employment contract which stipulates among others the minimum provisions of employment contracts of landbased workers;

Manpower request indicating the position and salary of the workers to be hired;

Valid business license, registration certificate or equivalent document.

Upon POLO Validation, employer must be registered by a local recruitment agency to POEA in order for them to conduct recruitment activities. The following document are required for registration

Special Power of Attorney or recruitment agreement or service agreement with the Philippine licensed agency;

Master employment contract of the direct employer or foreign placement agency containing the minimum requirements for contracts of employment of land based workers;

Manpower request indicating the position and salary of the workers to be hired.

Valid business license, registration certificate or equivalent document or proof of existence of project validated or certified by the issuing authority in the host country;

Visa assurance or any equivalent document validated by the issuing authority. (LMO will do)

With the complicated process of hiring Filipino Workers, you need an experienced partner like Internationl Jobs Recruitment Agency.

Our partner, International Jobs Recruitment Agency (I-Jobs), is in the best position to assist you if you are planning to hire Filipino Workers They will not only provide you qualified workers with skills, training and education that you need. They will also help you plan for your manpower requirements.

Visit http://www.intl-jobs.com now!

British Columbia

British Columbia is famous for its natural beauty. It is home to 7 of Canada's National Parks:

Glacier National Park

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site

Kootenay National Park

Mount Revelstoke National Park

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Yoho National Park

This video will give you an idea what BC's Latin motto is all about: Splendor sine occasu (Splendour without Sunset)


But British Columbia is not just about tourism. There are employment opportunity for you, too, if that is what you're looking for.

Employment and Immigration Opportunity

British Columbia is currently facing a labor shortage. And to address this problem, it opened its door to temporary foreign workers. Just few months ago, its sealed a deal with the Philippine Government to provide hiring priorities for the Filipino workers.

British Columbia is one the provinces in Canada with Provincial Nominee Program. Its PNP program has two components:

1.Strategic Occupations. Applications in this component of the BC PNP are considered in the following categories:

Skilled Workers
Managers, professionals, technologists and technicians, and skilled trades

Designated Health Professionals
Registered nurses, midwives, registered psychiatric nurses, and physicians

International Graduates
Recent graduates of recognized BC post-secondary institutions

Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Pilot Project
Select occupations in Tourism/Hospitality and Long-Haul Truck Drivers

2.Business Immigrants. The BC PNP provides opportunities for business immigration in three separate categories:

Business Skills

Regional Business

Strategic Projects

For information about BC Provincial Nominee Program, click here.
Cost Living

The cost of living in British Columbia varies depending on which town or city you live. Housing costs in Victoria, Vancouver, Richmond and North Vancouver are higher there than in other cities or towns. British Columbia's general minimum wage is C$8/hr. For more info about cost of living in British Columbia, click here.

Climate

British Columbia has the finest and warmest weather in Canada. It has highest temperature during summer 30°C (86°F) and has the mildest winter. For more information about BC's climate, click here or here


Filipino Communities

Pilipino-Bisayans in British Columbia
Philippine Women Center
Filipino Nurses Support Group
BC Commitee for Human Rights in the Philippines
Filipino Expat Meetups in Vancouver
Filipino-Canadian Marketing Group

Need driving direction? Here's MapQuest Canada: Driving Direction and Map of Canada.

If you're planning to apply for temporary resident visa to visit British Columbia please also read: Canada Visa Application Guide.