Evaluating your work options

Many newly arrived immigrants to Alberta find it hard to obtain employment directly related to their training or work experience. It may be necessary for you to be flexible about the kind of work you are willing to do. Accepting a job primarily for income, while you are looking for other better opportunities, provides a chance to gain Canadian work experience, develop fluency in English and upgrade other qualifications.

Qualifications from other countries may be recognized in Alberta. If you have professional or trade qualifications, contact the appropriate provincial organization. In some occupations, you must be registered with a professional regulatory organization or the provincial government before you can work in your occupation.

It should be noted that not all professions or trades have associations that register or oversee the work of people employed in their business. To find out if your profession or trade has a regulatory organization in Alberta, go to the CERTinfo (Certification and Registration Requirements for Employment in Alberta) website. Those organizations can sometimes provide advice or other kinds of assistance in finding work for which you have training or experience outside of Alberta.

However, in cases where there is no work-related association or organization to assist you, one of the immigrant-serving agencies in your local area may be able to offer advice. Another possibility is to seek the names of companies in your field of work from the yellow pages of the telephone book and contact those companies directly.

To obtain employment in your profession or trade you may have to improve or upgrade your qualifications.

Date Updated: May 26, 2010
RDP-648