I am an IT professional currently living and working in Canada (Vancouver area). I was lucky in that my wife's pharmacy skills allowed us to apply under FSW1 (June 2010 batch). My view of the IT market is that there are a good number of jobs available, and that IT skills are in demand here.
But the problem for many immigrants will be
1) Since there are no category 1 IT slots available, a job offer is required to apply as a Federal Skilled Worker. Therefore the is the need to hurdle by educating the prospective employer how to secure an LMO and assure them this is a fairly simple process which will not overly delay recruitment - since some employers will simply want to employ a Canadian to avoid the hassle, even if you are better suited to the job
2) Almost no Canadian employer is going to offer a job without a face to face interview. This can be very problematic for those prospective immigrants whose country is not visitor-visa exempt. Getting a visitor visa to attend interviews may be no small matter.
So the combination of getting a visitor-visa for interviews, the cost of flying over for interviews, and getting the employer to go through the hassle of AOE or LMO presents a challenge. When we attended the CIIP course prior to coming to Canada, one of the tutors there said that IT was being considered adding back onto the in-demand list. Of course, with the freeze for 6+ months on FSW1 applications, everything could change in early next year.
Anyway please me know if I can offer any further advice.
Wayne.
