Work permit for British citizen

[s.enzo.ab]

I am a business owner in Canada. We specialize in car parts, sales, and repairs. We have two locations. One is a body shop/store front for parts and the other is a junk yard/wrecker. We need workers but they need to be competent and willing to do hard work for the right pay. We have family (cousins and brothers) members in UK and they have British citizenship and are looking to move here since the job market is bad over there. And luckily, they specialize in car repairs and have tons of experience. They are willing to move here and we are willing to hire them and provide housing and expenses until they can sustain themselves.

So my question is, what is the easiest and fastest route to take? We are having some financial issues due to lack of man power, and are desperate to hire but the applicants we are getting for the jobs here are either unskilled, asking exorbitant wages, or inexperienced.

I don't know if this is relevant, but I am also a Canadian citizen.

Appreciate all the feedback, thanks.

 

[scylla]

You'll need to research the LMIA process to understand what is involved. It's fairly involved. To start, you will have to advertise the each job for at least a month on recognized job boards to prove no Canadian could be hired for the role. You will then have to pay a $1K fee and submit the LMIA application for approval (the $1K fee is per role / per foreign worker). Processing of the LMIA typically takes a few months. If the LMIA is approved, your family member can then obtain a work permit.

If any of your UK family members are 30 years old or under, the working holiday visa may be another option.

 

[zardoz]

You should also be aware that there is a minimum wage level that you will have to pay in order for an LMIA to be approved. You are NOT going to be able to get "cheap labour" this way, if that's what you are hoping.
Here is a starting point for your research. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/hire/worker.asp
Wherever you see the reference LMO, replace it with LMIA, as some of the Web pages are awaiting updates.

 

[s.enzo.ab]

You should also be aware that there is a minimum wage level that you will have to pay in order for an LMIA to be approved. You are NOT going to be able to get "cheap labour" this way, if that's what you are hoping.

I think you misunderstood what I meant. I am mainly looking to hire at my wrecker/junkyard, which happens to be 30 minutes outside of the main city. So I don't mind paying for the time to drive there, and pay starts at around $15/hour. But some of the people I interviewed want something like $21/hour with no qualifications/experience to work as labour. So no, I am not looking to get "cheap labour" but I am looking for good workers and not some teenagers out of highschool looking to make 2 times as much as burger flipping.

 

[zardoz]

I think you misunderstood what I meant. I am mainly looking to hire at my wrecker/junkyard, which happens to be 30 minutes outside of the main city. So I don't mind paying for the time to drive there, and pay starts at around $15/hour. But some of the people I interviewed want something like $21/hour with no qualifications/experience to work as labour. So no, I am not looking to get "cheap labour" but I am looking for good workers and not some teenagers out of highschool looking to make 2 times as much as burger flipping.

You should check this out -> http://www.esdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/foreign_workers/lower_skilled/index.shtml#wages

Wages, Working Conditions and Occupations
Employers applying for a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) must pay the TFW:

at a minimum, the posted prevailing wage for the occupation and work location where the TFW will be employed; OR
a wage that is within the same wage range that they are paying their current employees working in the same occupation and same work location, if this range is higher than the prevailing wage.
Employers must refer to the median wage published on Job Bank to determine the prevailing wage.

 

[scylla]

What zardoz is saying is that in order for the LMIA to be approved, the wage you are offering must be in line with what Human Resources Canada believes individuals in this role should be paid (which may or may not align to what you want to pay them). Make sure you research this and understand the wage range accepted before you advertise the job. Properly advertising the job is a critical step in the LMIA process. Good luck.

 

[zardoz]

These are the wage reports for NOC 9611 (scrap yard worker comes under this).

http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_report_bynoc.do?lang=eng&noc=9611&reportOption=wage

 

[scylla]

These are the wage reports for NOC 9611 (scrap yard worker comes under this).

http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_report_bynoc.do?lang=eng&noc=9611&reportOption=wage

If you look at the web page zardoz's provided, the wage you are offering should be at least the median wage listed in order for the LMIA to be approved.

 

[s.enzo.ab]

That looks like something I'd be ok with so long as they are qualified for the job. And I forgot to mention, but unlike most scrapyard/junkyards we have a warehouse with heat and everything that they can work in.

 

[zardoz]

If you look at the web page zardoz's provided, the wage you are offering should be at least the median wage listed in order for the LMIA to be approved.

So, $15/hour isn't going to get you very far, which is why I raised the issue in the first place.

 

[s.enzo.ab]

I've worked in the industry for very long, and know people that do the same work. I don't know any of them that pay their employees above $19 to work outdoors dismantling cars. It's not as strenuous as construction and roofing which pay around $18-23 in my experience and its indoors. It doesn't make a huge difference to me between a dollar or two so long as I have the right information to move forward with this.

 

[zardoz]

Well, I hope that the information that we have provided, is helpful to you. Good luck.

 

[s.enzo.ab]

Very much thank you.