Professions in the Priority Occupation List

The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada has recently announced an Action Plan for Faster Immigration for Skilled Workers and Professionals that includes instructions outlining a set of eligibility criteria that apply to all new federal skilled worker applications received on or after February 27, 2008.

According to the instructions, applications are eligible for processing if they:

  • include an offer of arranged employment, or
  • are from a foreign national living legally in Canada for one year as a temporary foreign worker or international student; or
  • are from a skilled worker who has at least one year of experience under one or more of the 38 occupations listed in the high demand occupation list announed by the Minister of Immigration recently.

These occupations fall under high-demand areas such as health, skilled trades, finance and resource extraction. Following is the list of 38 professions included in the Minister's instructions:

  • Financial Managers
  • Computer and Information Systems Managers
  • Managers in Health Care
  • Restaurant and Food Service Managers
  • Accommodation Service Managers
  • Construction Managers
  • Financial Auditors and Accountants
  • Geologists, Geochemists and Geophysicists
  • Mining Engineers
  • Geological Engineers
  • Petroleum Engineers
  • Specialist Physicians
  • General Practitioners and Family Physicians
  • Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Physiotherapists
  • Head Nurses and Supervisors
  • Registered Nurses
  • Medical Radiation Technologists
  • Licensed Practical Nurses
  • University Professors
  • College and Other Vocational Instructors
  • Chefs
  • Cooks
  • Contractors and Supervisors, Pipefitting Trades
  • Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
  • Contractors and Supervisors, Heavy Construction Equipment Crews
  • Electricians (Except Industrial and Power System)
  • Industrial Electricians
  • Plumbers
  • Steamfitters, Pipe fitters and Sprinkler System Installers
  • Welders and Related Machine Operators
  • Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
  • Crane Operators
  • Drillers and Blasters – Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction
  • Supervisors, Mining and Quarrying
  • Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service
  • Supervisors, Petroleum, Gas and Chemical Processing and Utilities

You can contact us for an assessment of your eligibility and we will be pleased to conduct a detailed analysis of your case. To that end, please download our assessment form available at our web site www.amirismail.com and provide us a duly completed copy together with your detailed C.V. outlining our job description and dates of employment.

We understand that there will be a number of applicants who will find their occupations not listed in the high demand list. Nonetheless, it is pretty much expected that the list is going to be updated periodically to reflect the Canadian labour market needs and, as such, the professions which are not on the list may become available in future. Similarly, those who do exist on the list may find themselves out of luck if their occupation is excluded in future. That is why, it would be appropriate for clients qualifying now to apply as soon as possible if their profession is on the list to ensure that their application is processed and the change on the list doesn't affect your application adversely.

In addition there are also many other ways to immigrate to Canada. People who are not successful through the Federal Skilled Worker Program may qualify under another category such as various Provincial Nominee Programs, Quebec skilled worker program or they may consider coming to Canada as a Temporary Foreign Worker to be eligible to apply for permanent residence from within Canada upon accumulating 2 years of work under the new Canada Experience Class. People may also come to Canada as a student as well whereby they also may benefit from the Canada Experience Class once they may have secured one year of work experience after graduating.

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