Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled Pilot Project
This 2-year pilot project applies to select occupations and eligible employers in the tourism/hospitality, food processing and long-haul trucking industries, and to qualifying foreign workers. Note: The pilot project was expanded to include the food processing industry as of October 20, 2008.
The tourism/hospitality, food processing and long-haul trucking industries were selected for this pilot project as they play a key role in B.C.’s export-oriented economy, and are experiencing acute and persistent labour shortages.
Through their respective provincial industry organizations, these industries have developed human resource development strategies to hire, train and retain domestic workers, and have demonstrated that they will be unable to fully meet their on-going workforce requirements without the opportunity to retain foreign workers through permanent immigration.
Eligible Occupations
Tourism/Hospitality
Applications under the Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled Pilot Project will be considered only for the following occupations in the tourism/hospitality industry as defined in the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
Occupations in Travel and Accommodation
6435 Hotel Front Desk Clerks
Tour and Recreational Guides and Casino Occupations
6441 Tour and Travel Guides
6442 Outdoor Sport and Recreational Guides
6443 Casino Occupations
Occupations in Food and Beverage Service
6451 Maitres d’hotel and Hosts/Hostesses
6452 Bartenders
6453 Food and Beverage Servers
Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Occupations
6641 Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related
Occupations
Note: Applications for Cooks who meet the employment
requirements for this occupation (NOC 6242) are considered under
the Skilled Worker category.
Cleaners (hotels only)
6661 Light Duty Cleaners
6662 Specialized Cleaners
6663 Janitors, Caretakers and Building Superintendents
6672 Other Attendants in Accommodation and Travel:
Doorkeeper, Hotel
Guest Services Attendant, Hotel
Other Elemental Service Occupations
6681 Dry Cleaning and Laundry Occupations
(Hotels/Resorts only)
6682 Ironing, Pressing and Finishing Occupations
(Hotels/Resorts only)
6683 Other Elemental Service Occupations:
Attendant, Sauna Room (Hotels/Resorts only),
Hotel Valet
Employment requirements
Nominee applicants must have been employed full-time in an eligible occupation by the sponsoring company on a temporary work permit for at least 9 consecutive months immediately prior to the date of application to the Provincial Nominee Program and must be legally employed by the sponsoring company at the time of application.
Note: Applications for managers, professionals, service supervisors and other skilled workers, such as chefs and cooks, are considered under the Skilled Worker category of the Provincial Nominee Program .
Long-Haul Trucking
Truck driver applications under the Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled Pilot Project will be considered only for long-haul truck drivers.
NOC 7411.1 Long-Haul Truck Drivers
Definition: Operate articulated or multi-articulated heavy commercial vehicles (over 4,600 kg gross vehicle weight) on routes more than 160 km from home base.
Employment requirements
Nominee applicants must have been employed full-time in an eligible occupation by the sponsoring company on a temporary work permit for at least 9 consecutive months immediately prior to the date of application to the Provincial Nominee Program and must be legally employed by the sponsoring company at the time of application.
Nominee applicants must have at least 2 years employment experience as a long-haul truck driver in the 3 years prior to their application to the Provincial Nominee Program.
Nominee applicants must hold a valid B.C. Class 1 driver’s license and, if required, air brake endorsement and other certification (e.g., for transporting dangerous goods).
Food Processing
Applications under the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Pilot Project will be considered only for the following occupations in the food processing industry as defined in the National Occupational Classification (NOC):
9461 Process Control and Machine Operators, Food and Beverage Processing
9462 Industrial Butchers and Meat Cutters, Poultry Preparers and Related Workers
9463 Fish Plant Workers
9465 Testers and Graders, Food and Beverage Processing
9617 Labourers in Food, Beverage and Tobacco Processing
9618 Labourers in Fish Processing
Employment requirements
Nominee applicants must have been employed full-time in an eligible occupation by the sponsoring company on a temporary work permit for at least 9 consecutive months immediately prior to the date of application to the Provincial Nominee Program and must be legally employed by the sponsoring company at the time of application.
Note: Applications for managers, professionals, supervisors and other skilled workers are considered under the Skilled Worker category of the Provincial Nominee Program.
Demand and Outlook for the Occupation
The Provincial Nominee Program will consider employers’ applications to hire foreign workers in relation to the current demand and future outlook for specific occupations. Applications will not be approved for occupations where there is an adequate supply of workers domestically, or where future prospects for employment in the occupation are poor.
To assess the demand for particular skilled occupations, the Provincial Nominee Program consults labour market information from Services Canada/HRSDC, Statistics Canada, the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development and industry organizations.
The outlook for future employment in particular occupations is based on information from the Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS), national sector councils, Statistics Canada, and other sources.
Employment Confirmation
Employers will need to submit a copy of the Labour Market Opinion obtained from Service Canada that authorized the original hiring of the applicant under the federal Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
For nominee applicants who were not hired through a Labour Market Opinion, employers will need to submit official records of remuneration, such as original cancelled checks or direct deposit confirmation, for the nine month period preceding their application.
Offer of Employment
Tourism & Hospitality Applications
The employer must have offered, and the employee accepted, full-time, permanent employment for an occupation eligible under the pilot project. The employer may offer the applicant a more senior position, provided that he or she is qualified for the job, and will be paid the applicable prevailing wage in B.C.
Food Processing Applications
The employer must have offered, and the employee accepted, full-time, permanent employment for an occupation eligible under the pilot project. The employer may offer the applicant a more senior position, provided that he or she is qualified for the job, and will be paid the applicable prevailing wage in B.C.
Long-Haul Trucking Applications
The employer must have offered, and the employee accepted, full-time, permanent employment as a long-haul truck driver.
For all Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Pilot Project applications the employment offer must state:
- The job title, description of duties, and the permanent, full-time nature of the position
- The rate of pay
- The employee’s standard hours of work
- Employee benefits that exceed statutory minimums, such as pension and medical plans, disability insurance, sick pay, accommodation and meal allowances, and extra paid vacations.
- The employer will make no deductions from the employee’s pay, or require any other payment, for recruitment or retention, including fees related to immigration
- The employer will provide the following assistance in the event of no-fault termination of employment prior to the nominee obtaining permanent residence:
1) Employer-paid return air fare for any unplaced worker. If an unemployed nominee has not obtained employment in an occupation that is eligible under the program within 4 weeks, the Provincial Nominee Program will cancel the individual’s nomination, and the original employer will be required to pay the air fare of the nominee back to his/her country of origin.
A permanent job has no pre-determined end date. Full-time employment means that the employee is expected to work year round and, on average, at least 30 hours a week.
The employer and the nominee candidate must be establishing an employer-employee relationship. Applications will not be accepted for individuals hired under a contract for service (independent contractor agreement).
If the position is covered by a collective agreement, this agreement should be referenced. The written offer must be on official company letterhead and addressed to the nominee candidate. The offer must be signed and dated by a person authorized to hire employees, and also by the candidate, to indicate his or her acceptance.
2) Job Placement Support
The sponsoring employer will be required to provide a letter of reference for any nominee terminated without cause.
Note: go2 (on behalf of the tourism/hospitality industry), the B.C. Food Processors Association, and the B.C. Trucking Association have agreed to work with sponsoring employers to place any nominees terminated without cause in an equivalent job with an eligible employer. Nominees will be required to accept an equivalent offer of employment, otherwise the Provincial Nominee Program will withdraw its nomination.
Wage
If the nominee applicant was originally hired through a Labour Market Opinion, the offered wage must be equal to or higher than that specified in the employment contract. The offered wage can not be lower than the prevailing wage at the time of application to the Provincial Nominee Program and must be comparable to that for equivalent jobs in B.C.
Bonuses, gratuities, tips, profit-sharing distributions, or similar payments to the employee are not considered as part of the wage.
The Provincial Nominee Program uses information from published and unpublished surveys, industry associations, and Services Canada/HRSDC to compare wages. Company size and geographic location, and the skill and experience levels of the employee are considered in assessing wage rates.
Employer’s History and Operations
Sponsoring employers in this pilot project of the Provincial Nominee Program must meet the following requirements:
- The employer must be incorporated or extra-provincially registered in B.C.
- The employer must have a permanent establishment in B.C. (“permanent establishment” has the meaning contained in the Federal Income Tax Act)
- The employer must have been in operation in B.C. for at least 2 years and must have at least five permanent, full-time employees (or full-time equivalents) in B.C.
- The Provincial Nominee Program may consider applications that do not meet these minimum requirements if an employer has substantial business operations outside of BC and the employer has received prior approval from the Provincial Nominee Program to submit an application.
- The employer’s business must be financially sound and have a history of good workplace and business practices, including compliance with applicable employment, immigration, health, and safety laws and regulations
- Employers will be required to provide information confirming that they meet the above requirements, and to sign a declaration confirming their compliance with employment, immigration, health, and safety laws and regulations
Employment agencies and similar placement firms are not eligible under this pilot project of the Provincial Nominee Program.
Educational Requirements
Nominee applicants are expected to have completed formal education to a secondary level.
English Language Proficiency
Nominee applicants should have basic proficiency in English. If the Labour Market Opinion or Provincial Nominee Program Guaranteed Job Offer Form indicates that no English language proficiency is needed for the job, the employer will pay for the nominee applicant to take one of the following approved English language tests: TOEFL, IELTS and LPI. If the applicant fails to demonstrate basic proficiency, the employer will pay for the applicant to enroll in a recognized English as a second language program for a minimum of 6 months.
Economic Benefits to B.C.
The hiring of foreign workers through the program must demonstrate significant economic benefits to B.C. by filling a critical skill need. The Provincial Nominee Program will only approve nominee candidates who are likely to contribute long-term net economic benefits to BC.
Ability to Become Economically Established in B.C.
The potential for nominee candidates to become economically established in B.C. will be assessed according to their income and employment prospects, number of dependents, English language ability, education, and connections to B.C. or Canada through work, study, residence, and family ties.
The Provincial Nominee Program will not accept applications to nominate individuals who have an unresolved refugee claim in Canada, or who are in Canada illegally, are under a removal order in Canada, or are prohibited from entering Canada.
The Provincial Nominee Program will not approve an application if it appears likely that a nominee candidate’s family income (based on the candidate’s job offer and any spousal job offer) will be below Statistics Canada’s applicable low income cut-off. In making this assessment, the Provincial Nominee Program will take into consideration a reasonable estimate of income earned from tips and gratuities for nominee applicants employed in tourism/hospitality occupations.
Application Forms for the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Pilot Program
Applications under the pilot program must include the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Checklist and the Compliance Declaration Form, and all other relevant application forms.
| 
