I strongly recommend obtaining a job offer from a Canadian company before submitting your visa application. If you can get this document, it will not only help you settle easier in Canada , but it will also increase your Pass Mark assessment.

Let me explain the way a job offer will help you increase your Pass Mark assessment:

You will receive 10 points if:

- You have a permanent job offer in Canada . However, please note that this offer has to be confirmed by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).

If you are already in Canada (with a temporary work permit), and you decide to apply from within the country, you will also receive points in the following situations:

You will receive 10 points if:

- Your temporary work permit was issued after receiving a confirmation of a job offer from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada ;
- Your temporary work permit was exempted from the requirement of a issued after receipt of a confirmation of your job offer from HRSDC (due to an international agreement).

Also if it represents a relevant benefit to Canada or its competitiveness (i.e. intra-company or post-graduate work respectively).

I recommend visiting the following website for further information about the specific requirements for these situations: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/skilled/qual-5-4.html

It is very important that you understand this process, in case you are interested in using a Canadian job offer in your application.

First of all, what is The Department of Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSD)?

This Department has a very specific objective: to ensure that all the Canadians have the right elements and tools to succeed in the Canadian workplace.

To achieve this objective, one of the main duties of this Department is to make sure that all the foreign workers support the Canadian economic growth. Foreign workers are very important for the Canadian economy!

For this reason, this Department is responsible of ensuring that the right Skilled Workers are hired by the Canadian companies.

Let me explain what the Canadian companies have to do to make a permanent job offer to a Skilled Worker (I hope that is your case, you will earn 10 points!).

Basically the companies have to options:

1.They can submit an application for an HRSDC labour market opinion (normally called LMO). This is one of the requirements that Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) takes into consideration when they evaluate your visa application.
2.The companies can also submit an application for an HRSDC arranged employment opinion (normally called (AEO).
A positive AEO will also be extremely important when your visa is processed. However, the AEO does not allow the person to work in Canada before the Permanent Residence visa is accepted and issued.

If you have already contacted a Canadian company, and they are interested in giving you a job offer, I suggest letting then know that the following two websites will be very useful.

- To apply for the LMO : http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/epb/lmd/fw/poWorkPerm.shtml
- To apply for the AEO: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/epb/lmd/fw/poArrEmp.shtml

See you in Canada !