If you’re looking to Immigrate to Canada as a Civil Engineer you’re in luck! Civil Engineers are in demand right across Canada and you may be able to secure a Canadian Permanent Residency Visa either with or without a job offer.
No doubt you will have read online that having a job offer to move to Canada is a prerequisite to accessing the Express Entry process but as a Civil Engineer, you also have other options to secure your Canada Visa from the start.
For starters, Civil Engineers are eligible to apply to immigrate to Canada under the Canadian Government’s Immigration program due to the demand for Civil Engineers in Canada being so great they have included the occupation on the targeted occupations list, known as the NOC list (National Occupation Code List).
The code for Civil Engineers on the NOC is 2131
This is great news for qualified Civil Engineers the world over hoping to live and work in Canada.
Express Entry for Canada is not a visa class at all, it is simply the method (or database) that Canadian Immigration uses to select the right candidates for a permanent residency visa and in that case, as a Civil Engineer looking to immigrate to Canada we’ll be looking at the Federal Skilled Worker visa and Provincial Nominee program.
Civil Engineers from all over the world are eligible to make an Express Entry for Civil Engineer Canada Residency providing they have the right skills, experience and qualifications in their home country.
Job Titles to Immigrate to Canada as a Civil Engineer
Civil Engineers looking to move to Canada to work under this NOC category 2131, might be employed under work titles including:
civil engineer
geomatics engineer
transportation engineer
hydraulics engineer
surveying engineer
geodetic engineer
construction project engineer
environmental engineer
highway engineer
public works engineer
traffic engineer
water management engineer
municipal engineer
construction engineer
bridge engineer
sanitation engineer
structural engineer
All these roles held by Civil Engineers are eligible to apply under this specific NOC category of 7251
Skills Required to Immigrate to Canada as a Civil Engineer
In general, Civil Engineers moving to Canada will be able to demonstrate knowledge or experience of the following:
Confer with clients and other members of the engineering team and conduct research to determine project requirements
Plan and design major civil projects such as buildings, roads, bridges, dams, water and waste management systems and structural steel fabrications
Develop construction specifications and procedures
Evaluate and recommend appropriate building and construction materials
Interpret, review and approve survey and civil design work
Conduct field services for civil works
Ensure construction plans meet guidelines and specifications of building codes and other regulations
Establish and monitor construction work schedules
Conduct feasibility studies, economic analyses, municipal and regional traffic studies, environmental impact studies or other investigations
Monitor air, water and soil quality and develop procedures to clean up contaminated sites
Conduct technical analyses of survey and field data for development of topographic, soil, hydrological or other information and prepare reports
Act as project or site supervisor for land survey or construction work
Prepare contract documents and review and evaluate tenders for construction projects
Supervise technicians, technologists and other engineers and review and approve designs, calculations and cost estimates.
Emigrate Canada has a dedicated Engineers Canada desk that only represents qualified Engineers immigrating to Canada. They understand your profession and can talk your language when it comes to explaining your immigration pathway and the route to securing a Canada Visa for you (and your family).
Qualifications Required to Immigrate to Canada as a Civil Engineer
A bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or in a related engineering discipline is required.
A master’s degree or doctorate in a related engineering discipline may be required.
Licensing by a provincial or territorial association of professional engineers is required to approve engineering drawings and reports and to practise as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.).
Engineers are eligible for registration following graduation from an accredited educational program, and after three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering and passing a professional practice examination.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is offered by the Canada Green Building Council and may be required by some employers.
We represent Civil Engineers from all over the World so regardless of your country of qualification feel free to contact us today for a full breakdown of your Canadian Immigration chances.
How to Immigrate to Canada as a Civil Engineer
The first stage in your Canadian immigration process is to calculate your Canada Immigration points for Express Entry using the Canadian Comprehensive Ranking System.
CRS Points are awarded for (amongst other things)
Age
Qualifications
English ability
French ability
Your partner’s skills
Work experience
As well as providing you with important CRS points these factors also count towards your overall Immigration Points score which must equal or exceed a total of 67
Once you receive an ITA (Invitation to apply) from Canadian Immigration as a result of your Express Entry application you’ll only have 60 days in which to lodge a formal application so under no circumstances should you lodge an Express Entry application ‘claiming’ to have certain points without first having all of your points verified through different testing, education equivalence certificates and Professional Qualification assessments.
Once you are invited to apply for your Canada Visa you cannot go back and have these things verified retrospectively, they must be done before you claim any points for them and given that your express entry profile is only valid for one year it makes sense to present the best possible case right from the start.
Civil Engineering Skills and Qualification Equivalence Assessment
The process of getting your Civil Engineering skills, experience and qualifications verified is called Skills and Qualification Assessment and it serves two purposes.
Canada Civil Engineering Skills and Qualification Assessment purpose one: With a positive skills assessment you’ll be able to claim the requisite points on both the Express Entry CRS and eventual Federal Skilled Trades application.
Canada Civil Engineering Skills and Qualification Assessment purpose two: Your positive skills assessment will also double as your Canada Equivalent Qualification and is used for your relevant professional registrations so having your Civil Engineering skills assessed means that you’ll be qualified to work as a Civil Engineer in Canada from day one.
Can I immigrate to Canada as a Civil Engineer without a job offer?
The answer is a resounding yes, providing you have a reasonable total CRS score on your Express Entry application and can meet the 67 immigration point threshold for your Canada Federal Skilled Worker Visa.
Technically there is no minimum CRS score required to submit a Civil Engineer Canada Express Entry profile.
Of course, securing a job offer (documented in the right way for immigration purposes i.e. LMT) will give you an instant CRS boost of 600 points so it makes sense to start this process as soon as is practical.
Civil Engineering Jobs in Canada
Occupations on the Canada NOC list can be classed as being ‘in demand’ and the Civil Engineer code 2131 has been firmly established on the list for many years with lots of opportunities right across the country.
As a qualified new and highly skilled Permanent resident of Canada, you may work full-time from day one, either as a direct employee, contractor or in a self-employed capacity. Civil Engineering jobs in Canada are often better paid than in the UK, Europe, and Asia and Canadian employment law respects the work-life balance.
Additionally, Civil Engineers in Canada are highly unionised which whilst sounds like a dirty word in many parts of the world is actually instrumental in championing better pay and conditions right across the Country.
