If you’re looking to immigrate to Canada as a Dressmaker you’re in luck! Dressmakers 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.
For starters, Dressmakers are eligible to apply to immigrate to Canada under the Canadian Government’s Immigration program due to the demand for Dressmakers 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 Dressmakers on the NOC is 6342
This is great news for qualified Dressmakers 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 dressmaker looking to immigrate to Canada we’ll be looking at the Federal Skilled Trades visa and Provincial Nominee program.
Dressmakers from all over the world are eligible to make an Express Entry for Dressmaker Canada Residency providing they have the right skills, experience and qualifications in their home country.
Dressmakers looking to move to Canada to work under this NOC category 6342, might be employed under work titles including:
alterations dressmaker
alterations seamstress
custom fur joiner
custom furrier
custom tailor
dressmaker
fur remodeller
fur repair estimator
fur repairman/woman
fur tailor
furrier
garment alterationist
garment fitter
garment repair seamstress
garment sample maker
made-to-measure garment tailor
master tailor
men’s garment alterations tailor
milliner
millinery maker
ready-to-wear garment tailor
seamstress
shop tailor
tailor
tailor supervisor
women’s garment alterations seamstress
women’s garment custom seamstress
women’s hat maker – milliner
All these roles held by dressmakers are eligible to apply under this specific NOC category of 6342
Tasks for those looking to Immigrate to Canada as a Dressmaker.
In general dressmakers moving to Canada will be able to demonstrate knowledge or experience of the following:
Dressmakers
Make women’s garments
Select and modify commercial patterns to customers’ and clothing manufacturers’ specifications
Fit, mark, cut and sew fabric
May alter and repair garments as required.
Furriers
Make, alter, restyle and repair natural fur garments and accessories.
Milliners
Design, lay out, cut, sew and press fabric, leather and other materials into hats and related accessories.
Alterationists
Fit, alter and repair garments according to customers’ requests by hand or using sewing machines.
Emigrate Canada has a dedicated Trades Canada desk that represents qualified dressmakers to immigrate 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 Dressmaker
Completion of secondary school may be required.
Tailors and dressmakers require demonstrated ability to sew, style and fit men’s or women’s garments and may require completion of college or other courses in tailoring or dressmaking.
Furriers require several years of experience in selecting pelts and making, fitting, styling and altering fur garments and accessories.
Milliners require demonstrated ability to sew, style and fit hats and caps.
Alterationists require demonstrated ability to sew, alter and repair garments.
How to Immigrate to Canada as a Dressmaker
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 skilled trades 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.
Skills Assessment to Immigrate to Canada as a Dressmaker
The process of getting your dressmaking skills, experience and qualifications verified is called Skills Assessment and it serves two purposes.
Canada Dressmaker Skills 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 Dressmaker Skills Assessment purpose two: Your positive skills assessment will also double as your Red Seal qualification so having your dressmaking skills assessed means that you’ll be qualified to work as a dressmaker in Canada from day one.
Can I immigrate to Canada as a Dressmaker 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 Trades Visa.
Technically there is no minimum CRS score required to submit a Dressmaker 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.
Dressmaker Jobs in Canada
Occupations on the Canada NOC list can be classed as being ‘in demand’ and the dressmaker’s code 6342 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. Dressmaker jobs in Canada are often better paid than in the UK, Europe and Asia and Canadian employment law respects the work-life balance.