If you have been considering immigrating to Canada as an unskilled or low-skilled worker, then this article is your ultimate guide to the easiest ways to move to Canada as a low-skilled worker in 2024. Every economy depends largely on unskilled workers such as farm workers, truck drivers, waiters, and janitors, who are all considered to be the foundation on which large industries rely.

Canada has a goal of inviting over 500, 000 immigrants as permanent residents per year by 2025, so this is the perfect time for foreign nationals to start their journey to Canada. With over 100 visa and immigration programs, individuals are sure to find the pathway that works for them.

What job qualifies as low-skilled?

Low-skilled occupations are usually in the fields of trade, primary and manufacturing industries, sales and services, and certain assistant roles. It is classified according to the following National Occupational Classification (NOC) categories:

Skill Type C, which includes occupations that usually require a secondary school and/or occupation-specific training; and
Skill Type D, which includes occupations for which on-the-job training is provided,.

Top Low-Skilled Jobs in Canada

The Best Programs to Immigrate to Canada as a Low-Skilled Worker
There are five major Canadian immigration programs a foreign skilled worker can immigrate to Canada through. They are the following:

Express Entry

In 2023, Express Entry will still be the predominant method of immigration to Canada. Applications for the three main federal programs—Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, and Federal Skilled Trades—are managed through the flagship selection system. According to the most recent Immigration Levels Plan, Canada intends to accept almost 83,000 Federal High Skilled immigrants in 2023, with numbers increasing to 109,000 in 2024 and 114,000 in 2025. There are several new professions that are now eligible for Canada’s mass immigration stream, from truck drivers to nurses, teaching assistants, and payroll administrators.

Provincial Nominee Program

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) offers immigrants who have a Canadian job the chance to move to Canada permanently and settle in one of the 13 provinces or territories. Each PNP has different programs that are aimed at meeting the labor market needs within the province or territory.

Applicants have the option of applying directly to a province they are interested in, or they can apply through the Express Entry system. Those wanting to get to Canada sooner rather than later should know that applying through Express Entry is significantly quicker.

Top tip

To increase their success, applicants should apply to provinces where their skills are in demand.

5 most popular PNPs for unskilled foreign nationals:

Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program
Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program
British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program
Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program
Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program

Quebec

Quebec is unique in that it has complete control over the flow of economic immigrants. The powerful Quebec provincial government’s efforts to ensure that all immigrants welcomed to the province are francophone have received considerable attention.

Francois Legault, the head of the Coalition Avenir Quebec, is committed to keeping the number of immigrants to Quebec at 50,000 or less, with 33,000 of them coming through economic programs. He feels that maintaining the French language is essential to maintaining Quebec’s culture. Candidates who already have a well-qualified job offer receive less importance from the requirement to be fluent in French.

Pilot projects driven by the employer

Canada also runs a variety of employer-driven pilot projects that concentrate on regions or industries with persistent labor shortages. The Atlantic Immigration Program, which began as an experimental program but was later made permanent, is at the vanguard of them.

In 2023, the AIP, which covers the four Atlantic provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Prince Edward Island, will have 8,500 spots available for skilled workers and foreign graduates. Through three additional streams—the Agri-Food Pilot, the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, and the Economic Mobility Pathways Project—an additional 8,500 newcomers will be admitted.

A Startup Visa

Start-ups in Canada For those with a business mindset, obtaining a visa has become a crucial step in the immigration process to Canada. Candidates must have a qualified business or business idea, the backing of a designated angel investor group, venture capital fund, or business incubator, as well as the necessary settlement cash and language skills, in order to be considered.

Before meeting the requirements for permanent residence, candidates may immigrate to Canada on a work permit while they start their businesses. Applicants must be actively involved in the management of the business in Canada in order to be eligible.

In 2023, Canada aims to accept 3,500 new immigrants through business programs, and that number will rise to 6,000 by 2025. These will mostly be obtained through the Start-Up Visa.

Local Business Initiatives

Numerous provinces in Canada run their own entrepreneur programs as part of their corresponding provincial nominee programs. Regarding the province or region they serve, each of these programs has unique requirements.

Programs for Self-Employed

Quebec and the federal government both provide self-employed programs.

Candidates for the federal self-employed class should have relevant self-employment experience in addition to the desire and capacity to establish their own job and significantly enhance Canada’s cultural, artistic, or athletic life.

In Quebec, the main distinction between self-employed candidates and skilled workers is that the former create their own jobs by engaging in a profession or commercial activity.

Contract Employees

Numerous routes exist for temporary workers to enter Canada, including the International Mobility Program and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, depending on whether they need a Labour Market Impact Assessment or not.

A successful LMIA verifies that a foreign worker is required to complete the task at hand and that no Canadian workers are available to carry it out.

Employers in Canada are now able to hire foreign workers without the need for an LMIA, thanks to the IMP. Intra-company transfers, people who enter Canada via trade agreements like the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) or the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), and people who are eligible for an open work visa are all included.

The TFWP consists of four streams: live-in caregivers, seasonal agricultural workers, high-skilled employees, and low-skilled workers.

Purchase a company and relocate to Canada.

Candidates who want to buy a business and immigrate to Canada still have options, such as the Ontario Entrepreneur Success Initiative and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

A recent modification to the TFWP’s owner-operator regulations removed the exemption for LMIA advertising obligations. For the proper applicant, the path still remains.

The OINP Entrepreneur Success Initiative is a two-year pilot program with the goal of attracting $20 million in investment and welcoming 100 migrants from outside the Toronto area.

Benefits of Immigrating to Canada

Foreign skilled workers who immigrate to Canada as permanent residents will have the privilege of enjoying many benefits such as access to outstanding universal healthcare, a healthy work-life balance, employee insurance and paid leave days.

Choose between immigrating to Canada as a low-skilled worker in 2023 and enjoy the mentioned benefits and so much more!