I am curious on the chances of either new Canadians or PRs in landing a government job; either at federal, provincial or municipal level. Can fellow users of this forum share any relevant piece of information or experience they had? Both positive and negative please? Thanks.
Government jobs for immigrants
- Thread starter marcher
- Start date
it is very difficult to get a federal government job as a PR. you need to have security clearance, which I believe requires a person to have lived in canada for 5 years. unless you have some very specific skill needed, it will be very difficult to get clearance for a government job. now, this may be specific to federal jobs, i'm not sure what kind of clearance is needed for provincial and municipal jobs - it will of course depend on the job. i would assume most provincial and municipal jobs don't need highly secured clearances, and may be easier to get. Also, a lot of government jobs require fluency in french. again, this is specific to the job.
it never hurts to apply.
it never hurts to apply.
Do you think security clearance and language barriers are the only obstacles a PR or new Canadian would have? Or do you think there might be systemic discrimination in which preference would be given to Canadian born applicants? In private sector it is easy to have such a system, but I was wondering if it exists in the public sector too where more transparency is expected.CDNPR2014 said:
i don't believe there is systematic discrimination. it is illegal to ask applicants whether you are a PR or citizen, and i highly doubt there is anywhere in the recruitment process that screens for this. even if there was a way to determine this during the recruitment process, it certainly would not be "systemic". it would solely be the prejudicial opinion of the hiring manager for that role. government jobs are recruited through an online portal, which means they are using an applicant tracking system to scale down applicants. this means if your resume does not hit nearly all the requirements for the job, it will be discarded. I doubt the government has an algorithm in their ATS that screens for immigration status. again, it's not legal to ask that specifically. what they ask is if the applicant is legally allowed to work in canada and possibly if they are eligible for a security clearance. if a person can't answer yes to these questions, then they are not qualified for the job.marcher said:
i've never heard of this being a problem. security clearance and language barriers are the most common issues PRs face with government jobs. there's no reason to create an issue that is not even there.
and quite honestly, i haven't seen "systemic" discrimination against PRs in the private sector either. i've been lucky to work for employers who embrace diversity and hire many immigrants. employers care about how well you fit with the company, what your skills are and how well you can communicate in english (and/or french). while PR's starting out may find it difficult to get high paying jobs without "canadian experience", it doesn't mean there is a systemic discrimination in the private sector. everyone has to pay their dues in any industry. just because someone was at a high level in another country, doesn't mean they are qualified for the same job here in canada. there are some differences in the workplace here. specifically when it comes to processes, laws/regulations and industry specific language. we all have to start from somewhere, and for most of us that means starting at a job that is "below" our qualifications. if you're skilled enough, then you'll move up professionally quickly.
I appreciate your positive feedback; although we cannot generalize and deny any discrimination in hiring processes of the private sector. I guess each individual has different experience depending on the sector or position they are in, and also their country of origin and the individuals that manage the hiring process.CDNPR2014 said:
and it can't be generalized that the entire private sector in canada is discriminatory. what discriminatory practices have you faced when applying for jobs as a PR in canada who is qualified for the role and can communicate clearly in one of the official languages of the country?marcher said:
The purpose of my question was that every job I reviewed said Priority will be given to veterans and Canadian citizens. I understand why both groups get preference, but it just worries me that some might expand on that clause to overlook qualified new Canadians or PRs.CDNPR2014 said:
that is how government jobs work, especially when they are unionized. i'm assuming these groups are more likely to qualify for security clearance. this isn't specific to canada. i'd imagine this is how government agencies work all over the world.marcher said:
it doesn't suggest they are going to overlook new canadians or pr's. a new canadian is a citizen. how will they differentiate a new canadian from an old canadian when all they are asking if you are a canadian citizen? the date of citizenship may be disclosed at time of security/background check. i doubt it is disclosed in the beginning stages of recruitment, when they are looking for someone qualified for the role.
just because the ad suggests priority is given to a certain group, it doesn't mean they won't consider people outside those groups if they are qualified. if there is a job someone is qualified for, it should be applied for and followed up on regardless if that person fits the description 100%. No job applicant fits a job description 100%.
why make this assumption. why not just apply and see what happens. there's nothing to lose either way, and ruminating on something that we don't even know is true is not going to help secure jobs. if you think they are going to discriminate you without any cause, then that is what your experience is going to be. if you think you are qualified for the role and are confident in your skills, you'll get a job that fits your needs. if working in the government is your goal, then start positioning yourself to get in there. for a lot of people (even canadian citizens), it takes a long time to secure a gov't job. i've heard stories of it taking 9 mo. to secure a role, so it's not just PRs and new canadians who face difficulty getting into gov't roles.
At the interview stage I suppose. When I say discriminatory I do not necessarily mean racist. It is a fact most if not all governments prefer and sometimes restrict hiring their own citizens preferably those born in the country for various reasons such as security and supporting local employment ..etc. However, Canada is among the few where the hiring processes appear to be fairly transparent, and you observe individuals from visible minorities in positions at public and private sectors. That is why I am asking hoping such individuals share their experience on how they managed to get into such positions (not necessarily super highly skilled positions; I mean general ones). Equally, I hope those who were not as successful in getting such jobs to share their experience too, so we can all learn from each others successes and mistakes.CDNPR2014 said:
i absolutely agree. sharing experiences of how to get into gov't roles here is a worthwhile discussion, as it is time consuming and difficult. the original post of this thread is suggesting there is discrimination in the system. that to me is not the same conversation. my suggestion is to apply and not assume anything about the process and why they hire some over others. that will not help get ahead professionally.marcher said:
I used the term 'discrimination' but I did not intend the racial or unjust treatment definition; discrimination has a variety of definitions. I meant discriminate as in treat differently for various justified reasons (none being racist though). For example, veterans get a priority over other citizens as a reward for their service or because of an agreement in place. In asking I am not accusing anyone of racism; I just want to know how the system actually works based on other applicants' experience to know where one should focus his or her efforts when considering a long term career.CDNPR2014 said: