HRSDC Assessment for Academics

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To assist your university or university college in the application process, below is a description of the factors that HRSDC takes into consideration when reviewing your job offer. Submitting a complete application and providing information on these factors can result in faster decisions by HRSDC and CIC officers and reduce delays in the recruitment of your foreign academic.

When assessing a job offer, HRSDC considers primarily :

• the occupation that the foreign worker will be employed in;
• the wages and working conditions offered;
• the advertisement and recruitment efforts of the educational institution;
• the labour market benefits related to the entry of the foreign worker;
• whether the entry of the foreign worker is likely to affect the settlement of a labour dispute.

For your information, please note that CIC may also require additional criteria when issuing work permits to foreign academics planning to practice in regulated occupations.

Occupation

An academic is an individual with at least one postgraduate degree (following a Bachelor's degree) who earns the majority of their income from teaching or conducting research as employees at universities and university colleges in Canada. If your institution is interested in hiring a foreign worker for an occupation where the majority of the job duties are other than teaching or research (i.e. management, financial or administrative, etc.) the regular HRSDC process for hiring foreign workers applies.

Also, please note that the regular HRSDC process for hiring foreign workers applies to community colleges unless they are affiliated with a university and their students can obtain degrees, and to the Collèges d'enseignement général et professionnel (Cégep) in Quebec.

Wages

HRSDC reviews the wages that you are offering the foreign academic, and compares them to wages paid to Canadian academics according to your collective agreement.

Advertisement and Recruitment

As explained in the general page on academics, HRSDC expects you to :

• Advertise vacant positions in Canada;
• Make sure any vacant position advertised abroad is also advertised simultaneously in Canada;
• Advertise for a reasonable length of time (about a month) to allow broad exposure of the vacancy to Canadians and permanent residents;
• Demonstrate that the advertising medium used - web, print or electronic - is effective in attracting appropriate candidates for the position;
• Include in the advertisement this statement: "All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority;"
• Meet all conditions of applicable collective agreements;
• Fill the Foreign Academic Recruitment Summary outlining the educational institution's hiring decision and providing summaries of Canadian applicants verified by the vice-president (academic) or other senior academic official of the educational institution.
• Be prepared to fill a yearly summary report on recruitment practices for Canadian academics and results.

Labour Market Benefits to Canadians

HRSDC will consider direct labour market benefits from the hiring of the foreign academics. Showing how the entry of the foreign academic will transfer skills and knowledge to Canadians, fill a labour shortage, or directly create or retain job opportunities for other Canadians will support your application.

Labour Disputes

Please be aware that HRSDC and CIC will not confirm the hiring, or issue a work permit to the foreign academic if you are making an offer for a position that may affect a labour dispute at your workplace, or affects the employment of any Canadian worker involved in such a dispute.

Regulated Occupations

Also, please be aware that CIC will not issue a work permit if the foreign academic is also planning to practice in his/her profession and does not meet certification and licensing requirements for regulated occupations in Canada (e.g. doctors, engineers). Making the necessary arrangements with the regulatory body for certification and licensing is the responsibility of the educational institution and of the foreign academic.

• To learn more about regulated occupations in Canada, please visit Work Destinations.
• To learn more about the requirements to work in specific regulated occupations, visit the Regulated Occupations Data Base.