For Employers

Why hire an immigrant

Today more than ever, employers need to find employees from every possible source.  Globalization combined with a shrinking workforce, makes hiring skilled immigrants an important part of staying competitive.  Employing foreign trained professionals is a strategic business decision.  For more information visit Hireimmigrants.ca.

Accessing Global Talent

A good plan for finding skilled immigrants will bring the most success, and make you an employer of choice for skilled immigrants.  Here are some of the agencies that place skilled immigrants in the workforce: 

• The Working Centre
• K-W Multicultural Centre
• YMCA Cross-Cultural & Immigrant Services in Kitchener-Waterloo or YMCA Cross-Cultural & Immigrant Services in Cambridge
• Focus for Ethnic Women
• Skills International 
• Canadian Immigrant Job Board
• Lutherwood

How to hire an immigrant

Hiring an immigrant is like hiring any new employee, but there is an added element of complexity, so patience and flexibility are key.  

 Here are a few questions to think about:

• Do hiring decision makers know the difference between job requirements and job preferences?
• Are evaluation criteria for the hiring process clearly stated?
• Are policies and practices in place to eliminate bias in selecting candidates for interviews?
• Have interviewers had diversity training?
• Is Canadian experience absolutely necessary or can you consider foreign experience to be as good as Canadian experience?
• Do you have relationships with language assessment agencies?
• Do you have relationships with credentialing agencies?
• Are you able to check international references?

Resources for Employers who want to hire newcomers

There are a number of useful resources for employers who are thinking about hiring immigrants:

• Hireimmigrants.ca is a useful site with many tools, resources, and links.
• Waterloo Region Immigrant Employment Network has many resources to encourage employers to recruit, hire, and retain skilled and professional immigrants.  These resources include employer visitation, networking sessions, employer workshops, and best practice case studies.  WRIEN also has a valuable Employer Resource Guide.
• Waterloo Wellington Training and Adjustment Board

Internship Programs:

• Waterloo Region Immigrant Employment Network has an internship program for internationally trained professionals.
• Career Bridge

Language Assessment:

• English Language Services in Waterloo Region
• The Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks 

Credentialing Agencies:

• World Education Service 
• Waterloo Region District School Board  (will test for academic equivalency)
• Waterloo Region Catholic School Board  (will test for academic equivalency)
• Conestoga College (will test for academic equivalency)

Networking Events

• Waterloo Region Immigrant Employment Network (WRIEN) offers regular networking events.

You may also be interested in Locating your Business in Waterloo Region.

For more information…

• The Canada-Ontario Business Service Centre has information about business regulations and licensing.
• The Canada Safety Council has information about occupational health and safety.
• Settlement.Org also has information about employment standards and other related articles.