Canada consultants not licensed to offer jobs

Immigration consultants are dedicated to provide assistance in the application for immigration to Canada. But, they are not licensed to provide job offers, said the Canadian Embassy to the UAE.

However, claiming to provide job offers is a booming business for immigration consultants in the UAE, and as long as the demand is there it is not likely to change.

Getting to Canada is one thing, but getting started is another challenge. Many immigrants experience great difficulty in finding jobs once they have set foot to land.

Although there is a demand for labour from abroad, the mechanisms for connecting the newly-arrived potential employees to the employers who are on the outlook are weak, and many immigrants remain unemployed.

This phenomenon has led to the development of a networking mechanism right from the start of the application.
"The demand for jobs has encouraged immigration consultants in the UAE to sell such job offers," says Sam Bayat, immigration lawyer and owner of Bayat Legal Services in Dubai.

These job offers do not come for free. Depending on the consultant and on the package that is offered, applicants are asked to dig out Dh15,000 or more. In return, they will receive a working permit and guaranteed job; the visa is not included.

"The problem is that it is difficult to link employers with employees in Canada. Employers are required to prove that they tried to hire local labour before they decided to look out for labour force from abroad. This is a lengthy process, while many employers prefer to hire labourers from abroad," explains Jalil Parker, manager at Vision Consultancy Services, Dubai.

This mostly concerns the unskilled labour market. While employers are looking out for truck drivers, chefs, construction workers or plumbers from abroad, because this often turns out to be much lower in cost, workers of the same category are looking out for employers and their job offers when they apply for immigration from the UAE.

"There are immigration consultants situated in Canada who have a network of employers looking for labour from abroad. These consultants sometimes work together with consultants in the UAE, which sell the job offers to their customers," says Jalil.

"A lot of applicants are helped by this. They do not mind paying for a job offer if this is getting them a job. Strictly speaking immigration consultants do not have the license to do this. But I think you have to read between the lines, and see that people are helped by this," says Jalil.

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