Eligibility for a sales guy

[BC forestry guy]

Hello everyone,

I intend to apply for the international graduates category of BC PNP. I graduated from UBC in May 2009 with a Bachelor of Science and Minor in Commerce Degree. My program major is wood products processing and I am now working for a major forest company as a full-time sales representative for its offshore markets. Prior to that, I did the same job at this forest company as a Co-op student for a total of 15 months. I now have a valid work permit till Jun 2012.

My current official title in the company system is Wood Products Intern but my job is focusing on the offshore sales particularly to China. Both the HR director and the PNP office have confirmed that my position is a permanent one. The contract I signed has no pre-determined end date but says "Your employment is subject to the required work visa stipulations and will automatically end on the expiration of the work visa. Ongoing permanent employment may be offered to you upon your receipt of landed immigrant status".

BC's forestry industry has been suffering the worst downtown in decades due to the collapse of the US housing market and that is the reason why it is aggressively trying to make its way to offshore market. The sales to China has grown tremendously. With my language skill and cultural background, I think I can contribute to the success of the future of BC forestry.

Anybody here could kindly suggest whether I have a good chance to be nominated or not?

Many thanks in advance,
BC forestry guy

 

[Leon]

BCguy should really be answering this but a rule of thumb, if you fulfill all the requirements of the BC PNP, you will be nominated. It's not like a lottery. Either you meet the requirements or you don't.

 

[BC forestry guy]

Leon, thanks a lot! I really believe that BC forestry industry can benefit from going offshore and with my skill sets and experience I can be a part of it. But I'm not sure how much detail PNP will look into especially since there is no certificate for this position, unlike nurse or doctor.

That's just my thought so I want to make sure before applying.

 

[Leon]

You need to talk to the PNP in BC on the requirements part. If you are on an open work permit, maybe that is a problem. You need to be on a skilled NOC. On an open work permit, they won't know what NOC. Possibly you could get an AEO for the job. Ask them.

 

[BC forestry guy]

Wow... I wasn't even aware of this... Yah, I am on an open work permit - three year post-graduation work permit. Previously I thought they determine the NOC based on the information you give them... Sorry for a stupid question but what is AEO? Is there any other way to know my own NOC?

Thanks again.

 

[Leon]

I don't know. Talk to BC PNP. They can tell you what they need from you. Maybe an open work permit is not a problem. Read about AEO at http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/foreign_workers/supperimm.shtml if you want.

 

[BC forestry guy]

Thanks Leon. The response I got from BC PNP advisor says that open work permit should not pose any problem and they will assign a NOC based on the job description.

They also mentioned that they look at the company's recruitment efforts, industry surveys, etc when assessing demand and outlook for the occupation in order to determine eligibility.

Hopefully this is not too long but below is a message I copied from the email communication I had with BC PNP:

What I wrote:

Regarding the recruitment effort, my employer hasn't been intensively searching for candidates for this position. In fact, since they forestry industry is facing quite a strong challenge, the whole industry, including my employer has been significantly cutting the production and personnel. That's the reason why the company is looking for diversification by going offshore.

I started with this company three years ago as a Co-op student. Since then I spent every Co-op work term with the same employer and now got hired full time, largely due to my educational background and unique skill set fit the company's strategy of going offshore.

I try not to be subjective but the fact that I got hired full-time during the current downtime where many people got laid off somehow demonstrates that the company is serious about going offshore. However, if I look from another angle, does that mean the industry is shrinking therefore does not have a very good outlook and demand?

BC PNP's response:

Your employer should identify any issues that we might encounter as they pertain to our review of the application against current program requirements and address them in their recommendation letter.
Does that mean the PNP office is quite flexible as long as it sounds reasonable to convince them my position meets the requirement?

Thanks a million for your time and answers.

 

[canuck]

i think you can also qualify under bc pnp being a student of bc ....

 

[Leon]

The PNP's have their own rules to work by. If you fit their requirements, they'll approve you. It's not a big deal really.