However, like with most countries employers consider Canadian natives before foreign workers. The Canadian shortage occupations list could be your key to finding jobs in Canada for UK citizens, but you’ll need skills and experience to qualify. As a bilingual country, both English and French are the official languages. If you’re not fluent in French that’s ok, this would only be required for certain jobs in the French-speaking provinces and companies.
Find out more about working in Canada at PROSPECTS.
Working visa requirements
Most people need either a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to travel to Canada. You will also need a social insurance number (SIN) and work permit to undertake any paid work in Canada.
Your work permit will be either an open or employer-specific permit to work in Canada. If you’re a citizen of a partner country and aged 18 to 35, you can apply to the International Experience Canada (IEC) programme to get a temporary work permit in Canada for up to two years. There are three types of experience available on the programme, depending on which country you are from. Depending which experience you embark on you will either get an open work permit or an employer-specific work permit.
- Working Holiday
- Young Professionals
- International Co-op
If you’re looking for something more permanent, such as a graduate job, your Canadian employer will need to get an LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) in order to employ you. These are documents issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) that confirm that the hiring of a foreign worker will not have a negative impact on the Canadian labour market.
- Visit Government Canada and Government Canada – Types of work permits to assess your eligibility for the different schemes, permits and visas.
- The rules and regulations surrounding residency are subject to change so check with Immigration and Citizenship ensure you have the latest information.
Foreign Commonwealth office (from UK):
Highlights the most common types of travel and reflects the UK government’s understanding of rules currently in place. This information is for travellers using a full ‘British Citizen’ passport. If you are unclear about any aspect of the entry requirements, or you need further assistance, you need to contact the Embassy, High Commission or Consulate.
Job searching links
Job opportunities are often available to all and in most cases posted online, but networking often proves useful so make use of any connections you have in the country. Canadian employers will require a résumé rather than the UK standard CV and cover letter. A résumé is designed to be more concise and tailored to each job application. A writing guide, along with downloadable examples, can be found at Settlement.org.
Useful contacts:
Recruitment Agencies:
- style Nine to Five
- STYLE CAREERS
- Fashion Jobs
- Creative Circle
- QHQ – Fashion, Home and FCMG Recruitment
- Hays Canada
- Prestige Recruitment
- Impact Recruitment
Job boards, newspapers and networking sites:
- CanadaJobs.com
- BUNAC Work in Canada
- Summerjobs.ca
- i-to-i
- tefl.org
- tesl.ca
- Eluta.ca (the official job search engine of the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project)
- Job Bank (a Government of Canada website)
- University Affairs: Jobs (employment opportunities at Canadian universities)
- Workopolis
- Jobboom
- The Globe and Mail
- The National Post
International Brands with Franchisee Companies:
- Fashion Revolution Canada
- VF Brands India Pvt Ltd – Based in Quebec.
- Forever 21 – Based in Ontario.
- URBN Brands – global consumer brands comprised of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, FP Movement, Anthropologie Weddings, Terrain, Menus & Venues, and Nuuly.
- DBA Apparel Group – Subsidiaries include Playtex, Wonderbra, Abanderado – Spain, Lovable – lingerie in Italy, Nur Die – hosiery in Germany, Shock Absorber – the no.1 sports bra brand and Dim – hosiery and lingerie.