Graduate Hong Kong People Now Being Granted Open Work Permits to Come and Work in Construction in Canada
Posted by Steve Thomas Construction Recruitment Director, UK & Canada on Tuesday, June 22, 2021
For many Hong Kong people, 2021 and 2022 will offer an exciting new career and immigration opportunity to relocate to work in Canada in a variety of construction industry professional job roles.
With lots of quantity surveying, project management, engineering and other construction jobs available in locations such as Vancouver and Toronto, and across Canada it is a great time to consider a move from Hong Kong to Canada if you have graduated and are working in the professional technical construction industry.
In my blog back in April , I wrote about the fantastic opportunity for Hong Kong people with BNO status to come and live and work in the UK, and a similar opportunity also exists for Hong Kong people to apply for an open work permit to live and work in Canada.
Maxim Recruitment is a construction recruitment agency and we do not offer immigration or visa advice, but we are able to summarise a few reported details and signpost those interested on how to either apply directly or seek professional advice on their options and the processes involved. Once the right to come to work in Canada has been confirmed and dates for arrival in Canada are provisionally made, Maxim Recruitment can then assist candidates secure interviews and job offers for some of the best construction jobs available in Canada.
Our specialist areas of construction recruitment include recruiting for building and civil engineering contractors and consultants, employing quantity surveyors, engineers, project managers, planners, quantum and delay claims and dispute professionals and a range of other professional and technical construction job roles. We have a strong track record of successfully recruiting overseas construction professionals into jobs in Canada, including in Toronto and Vancouver and this looks set to grow further with the opportunity and flexibility offered by the new scheme to allow Hong Kong people to enter Canada.
The Canadian Government website reports that it is possible for Hong Kong SAR passport holders who apply within 5 years of graduating, can secure a 3 year open work permit in Canada. This can potentially be further extended and ultimately for Hong Kong people to become Canadian residents or Canadian citizens if desired.
Maxim Recruitment was founded in 2003 in the UK by Steve Thomas and Richard Poulter, Directors of Maxim Recruitment. We opened HK Maxim Recruitment in Hong Kong in 2011 to take advantage of the need for both local Hong Kong candidates for construction jobs as well as the need for British and international expatriates to join major Hong Kong construction projects.
In addition our Canada office, based in Toronto, Ontario was opened a number of years ago now and we are busy recruiting both Canadians into local construction jobs as well as recruiting from a variety of other countries for skilled professionals to come to Canada.
This Canada visa scheme is an excellent way for Hong Kong people to come to Canada as this right to enter Canada to work visa can be secured and confirmed before an actual job is confirmed. This means that potential employers will be much more interested in these candidates as they have already secured the right to work in Canada and in-depth conversations about suitability and start date can be undertaken straight away. The visa also appears to allow Hong Kong people to change jobs or employers without any additional paperwork being necessary which is very helpful and offers genuine choice and freedom to progress their careers at whatever speed they wish.
Maxim is aware of a number of candidates that have applied for a Canada open work permit, and one promising candidate, Eva, told Steve at Maxim:
"It has always been my dream to live and work abroad, and the new Hong Konger pathway launched by Canada’s government has made the possibility of this dream coming true. I am applying for the open work permit which will be valid for 3 years. As a construction practitioner in Hong Kong, I had gained a lot of hands-on project experience in high rise building construction, I believe I can make a worthwhile contribution to the construction industry in Canada"
The most exciting thing is that after a 2 month wait, her visa has now recently been granted and her job searching can now start in earnest.
Maxim can never promise certainty that we can secure any individual person a job with one of our many clients with open vacancies. it is fair from experience to say that high calibre Hong Kong experienced construction candidates such as quantity surveyors, cost managers, engineers, project managers, estimators and most other professional construction job candidates are in demand in Toronto and Vancouver and in many other parts of Canada, and have a great potential opportunity to be able to start a new life and progress their engineering and construction careers in Canada through this (and potentially other) Canadian visa routes.
Summary
A variety of opportunities exist for high calibre construction professionals to work in different countries around the world. Sometimes however, these construction job opportunities are significantly limited by the need to secure employment before a work/residency visa is granted. Sometimes construction employers, including in Canada, can be reluctant to apply for visas for non-Canadian citizens given the extra cost, administrative burden and delays that can be encountered. The new open work permit route for Hong Kong people that hold a valid Hong Kong SAR or UK BNO passport offers an exciting new way in which qualifying applicants can secure the right to work in Canada separate from any specific job offer. This new immigration route for Hong Kong construction professionals allows them to become even more attractive and competitive candidates to construction industry employers in Toronto, Vancouver and across the Canadian construction jobs market.
The team at Maxim Recruitment would welcome CV applications from Hong Kong people with a construction degree who are intending to follow this new immigration route and we hope that we will be able to help.
Steve Thomas
Construction Recruitment Director, UK & Canada
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/maximrecruitment
Government of Canada Public Policy
Maxim Recruitment is a recruitment consultancy and not a visa agency or immigration advisor, so please do seek your own professional immigration advice from companies such as Holthe Law on what if any visa is most suitable in your own circumstances.