The Proposed EOI System Of Canada And Its Scope For Ontario

13 Feb 2014

Canada is working on faster approval of the Skilled Migration system and to accomplish this, the system of ‘Expression of Interest’ is being proposed. The proposed system is a two-stage process.

In the first stage, prospective immigrants file applications to ‘express interest’ in migrating to Canada, and a pre-screening is done to ensure the applicants meet the minimum criteria to be placed in the pool of candidates.

In the second stage, either the provinces and federal government select the qualified candidates based on local labor market needs or employers will identify the applicants with a job offer. An ‘Invitation to apply’ to submit their Canada Permanent Residency applications will be given only to applicants who are selected.

Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s Vice President, Josh Hjartarson, said that the Canadian EOI system will differ from the Australian system as Ottawa has indicated that it will act as the matchmaker and employers will not be allowed to leaf through the profiles of the potential candidates. Instead, with the help of a series of algorithms and a Canada Job Bank, candidates are likely to be matched automatically with employers.

However, Hjartarson said that employers will not be able to properly assess the best fit for the job depending on the ‘soft skills’ of the candidate such as analytical and teamwork skills, critical thinking, through means such as tailored aptitude tests, questionnaires and multi-stage interviews.

The EOI is an opportunity to aid and hasten intra-company referrals and transfers from branches overseas.

A report from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce also recommends that in using the EOI, Ottawa should follow other countries to entertain employers with semi and low-skilled labor needs through the rules of prioritization.

Hjartarson said that though employers want to hire Canadians first, labor mobility is a continuing issue which increases the need for overseas workers migrating to Canada.

He added that caregivers are in shortage in Sudbury, and there are potential Canadian workers, however, they are not ready to move there, and that is the reality.

Last year, in association with the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, the chamber of commerce surveyed employers across the province of Ontario. It found that within the past 18 months, 30 per cent of businesses in Ontario experienced difficulty filling a job because they were not able to find someone with the correct qualifications.