Glossary
Following is a short glossary of terms. Please visit the Working in Canada glossary for information on other terms you might want to know more about.
CBSA
Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers screen workers and issue work permits.
CIC
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) officers process applications for work permits and determine who may be eligible to work in Canada.
Compulsory (mandatory) certification trades
Compulsory trades require persons entering or working in a designated trade to possess a Certificate of Qualification issued by a provincial government, or to be registered as apprentices, in order to practice in the trade.
Designated apprenticable trades
A designated apprenticable trade has been formally recognized through provincial or territorial legislation for apprenticeship training and certification. The requirements for in-school and on-the-job training as well as level and certification examinations are outlined in the trade regulations.
Designated Red Seal trade
A designated Red Seal trade has been designated by the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) for inclusion in the Interprovincial Standards Program. The training and certification are based on a national occupational standard, and provinces and territories are permitted to affix a Red Seal to the certificates of candidates who meet the standard.
HRSDC/SC
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada/Service Canada (HRSDC/SC) offices process applications from employers for LMOs.
LMO
A Labour Market Opinion (LMO) is a document prepared by Service Canada and issued to employers, which provides an assessment of the need for a foreign worker to fill a job where there is no Canadian worker or permanent resident available to do the job.
MOU
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed between the province of Alberta and the federal government with respect to hiring construction trades workers for oil sands projects in Fort McMurray, and an MOU has been signed between the federal government and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Home Builders Association with respect to hiring construction trades workers in the residential sector in the GTA.
NOC codes
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes form a standardized framework for organizing the world of work in a coherent system, and are used by the Canadian government to analyse jobs when preparing LMOs. The numbering system considers both skill level and skill type. The NOC skill type criterion is defined as the type of work performed (function, educational background, industry). There are 10 skill type categories, which correspond to the first digit of the unit group. The majority of occupations related to the construction industry are coded as skill type 7, which refers to Trades, Transport and Equipment Operators and Related Occupations; and Skill Type 0, which refers to Management Occupations. The NOC skill level criterion refers to the amount and type of education and training required. It also accounts for experience required, complexity and responsibilities. This criterion corresponds to the 2nd digit for all occupations except Management to which no skill level is assigned. There are four lettered categories: A (university degree); B (college or CEGEP diploma; apprenticeship training (2-5 years); supervisory responsibilities; significant health & safety responsibilities); C (one to four years of secondary school education; up to two years of on-the-job training, training courses or specific work experience); and D (no educational prerequisites; short demonstration or on-the-job training).
Non-regulated occupations
Non-regulated occupations do not require special licensure and can range from those requiring extensive education and training, such as a university degree (i.e., computer analysts and biologists) to those that require little in the way of formal training and involve little risk to the public (i.e., bartenders, salespersons, and housekeepers). There are also many apprenticable trades for which licensing or certification is voluntary rather than compulsory in various provinces and territories. About 80% of the Canadian workforce is employed in non-regulated occupations. The non-regulated occupations requiring little or no special training are the easiest jobs to get. If you are thinking of moving within Canada, or to Canada, and you work in a non-regulated occupations, securing employment may not take long. It is up to the employer, not the province or country, to decide on who to hire. It is possible that a non-regulated occupation in another country is regulated in Canada, and so you should check this out just to be sure.
PNP
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are those negotiated between the federal government and provinces to allow provincial governments to nominate named immigrants who have the skills, education and work experience needed to make an immediate economic contribution to their province or territory.
Prevailing Canadian wage
An employer proposing to bring in TFW must commit to paying them the same wage or higher as they would pay a Canadian or permanent resident to do the work.
Regulated occupations
There are two main types of regulated occupations in Canada:
- Regulated professions
- Apprenticable trades (sometimes referred to as designated trades)
Regulated professions usually require several years of university or college education, practical experience under the supervision of a licensed worker in the chosen profession, and the successful completion of a licensure examination. Physicians, nurses, and engineers are examples of workers in regulated professions. It is important to note that provinces and territories sometimes have different expectations for their regulated professionals. In some instances, this means that a person licensed in one province may have to re-apply for a license in order to work in another province or territory.
Apprenticable trades usually require the completion of a period of apprenticeship training on the job by a licensed supervisor, some specialized college education courses, and the successful completion of a certification examination. Mechanics, plumbers, and welders are examples of workers in apprenticable trades. Across Canada, there are about 50 different regulated professions and more than 100 apprenticable trades. Combined, the regulated professions and trades account for about 20% of the Canadian workforce.
Skilled stream immigrants
Skilled immigrants have education, work experience, knowledge of English or French, and other abilities that will help them to establish themselves successfully as permanent residents in Canada. The skilled stream is one of four main categories of permanent immigrants.
TFW
A temporary foreign worker (TFW) is a worker legally in the country on a work permit issued for a specific amount of time.
Unnamed or bulk LMO
Service Canada can issue an approval in principle to hire temporary foreign workers for an occupation that requires prolonged and/or extensive recruitment. This may also be referred to as a pre-approval.
Visa
A temporary resident visa is required for entry to Canada for people from some countries, and is issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).
Voluntary certification trades
A voluntary certification trade is one for which certification is available in a designated trade, but there is no legislated requirement that apprentices in a trade be registered, or that workers engaged in the trade be certified journeypersons. In these trades, ultimately it is up to the employer to decide if the worker has the skills and knowledge necessary to do the job.
Work permit
A work permit is ssued by Canada Border Services Agency, at the port of entry, to an individual worker, specifying the employer, job and location where he can work, for a specified length of time.
Adapted from http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/lp/lo/lswe/we/ee_tools/data/noc/overview/noc.shtml
This page last updated December 2009
