In this video posted on our site, Renée Demers, President of Atelier d'usinage Quenneville Inc., explains how the arrival of five Filipino machinists helped maintain her company's operations, which would otherwise be jeopardized by the dire lack of resources in Quebec. Since recruiting foreign workers is a tedious process, Ms. Demers chose to do business with the SBR Canada agency, a division of Fabrications Brandon, a steel company in the Lanaudière region.

“In 2014, we started employing foreign workers in our factory,” says Marylène Séguin, the group’s human resources and purchasing coordinator. “Little by little, because many of our partners, clients and suppliers were also interested in hiring in the Philippines, and because we were not entirely satisfied with the services of the agency we were working with, we set up our own recruitment agency.”

In 2018, SBR Canada carried out its first mission in Asia. Several local entrepreneurs met with candidates to submit them to interviews and technical tests.

To ensure that the applicants met the required criteria, an initial selection was made by a partner placement agency in the Philippines. Since then, SBR Canada has enabled nearly a hundred Filipinos to be hired by some fifteen companies in the province.

Simplify your life

A company can certainly do it itself to hire foreign workers, but the risks of getting lost in the legal and administrative maze are high. “The rules for immigration and obtaining temporary work permits are complex, because they fall under the jurisdiction of both levels of government and because major changes are continually being made,” explains Marie-Josée Chouinard, Senior Director, Talent Attraction at Québec International. Since 2008, this Québec City economic development agency, mainly supported by public funds, has been conducting missions annually in several sectors of activity and countries.

"There are also several government grants and programs that can make the process faster and more economical for a business, but they are complicated to understand and little known," adds Ms. Chouinard, who also emphasizes that the process must be carried out with an immigration specialist authorized to do so, such as a lawyer, notary or certified consultant.

A long-term solution

Once companies with positions to fill have met with candidates, either directly in their country or virtually, it can sometimes take up to a year for workers to arrive in Canada. At this stage, the type of support differs from one recruitment agency to another and depending on the package chosen by companies. Depending on the amount invested, they can benefit from a turnkey service or one that only takes care of the hiring process, for example.

"At SBR Canada, at the client's request, we can go to the airport to welcome workers, take them to the accommodation found for them by their employer, help them fill out the paperwork needed to obtain a social insurance number and register with the RAMQ, accompany them to the bank and the grocery store and make their daily lives easier," says Marylène Séguin, who adds that most of the workers she does business with want to settle here long-term with their family.

Marie-Josée Chouinard also confirms that the link between a company and a foreign worker most of the time extends well beyond the period of the temporary work permit, varying between one and three years: "I estimate that more than 90% of people recruited then apply for permanent residence and obtain it."

From $10,000 to $20,000

A company that wants to hire a foreign worker through an agency will generally have to pay between $10,000 and $20,000 depending on the services included in the chosen package, such as the logistics surrounding the mission (purchase of plane tickets, hotel reservations, etc.), handling of administrative forms and accompanying the worker upon arrival.

To learn more about recruitment missions abroad

Montreal International

Quebec International

To find an organization in your region (Local Development Center, Economic Development Corporation, etc.) that can refer you to the right international recruitment resources, consult theInfo entrepreneurs search engine.