Immigrate to Canada as a Personal Assistant

Currently, many foreigners immigrate to Canada as personal assistants. Most of them use express entry programs, while some use job offers. 

Therefore, due to the different immigration options to Canada, being a personal assistant in Canada has never been easier.

The work of a personal assistant in Canada is vital to both public and private employers. 

Hence, the demand for people who will render personal assistant services increases daily. This has made it an open opportunity for foreigners to immigrate to Canada as personal assistants. 

Moreover, this occupation gives one a good income in Canada; through it, one can get a permanent Canadian residence permit. 

So, if this has been your dream, you can now take a bold step towards immigrating to Canada as a personal assistant.

Nevertheless, it will still not be a dream that comes true if you haven’t known the requirements, steps, and pathways with which you can immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant. 

For this purpose, this article will surely guide you through what personal assistants do in Canada, other titles you can use to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant, and other requirements, steps, and pathways to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant. 

What does a personal assistant do in Canada?

Foreigners immigrate to Canada as personal assistants, also called administrative assistants. Their work in Canada is to perform various administrative duties in support of managerial and professional employers. 

Moreover, they are employed throughout the private and public sectors.   

Examples of personal assistant jobs under NOC 1241

Some examples of personal assistant work titles under NOC 1241 for those who immigrate to Canada as personal assistants. Those titles are:

• Administrative assistant – office
• Secretary (except legal and medical)
• Administrative Secretary
• Appointment secretary
• Church Secretary
• Administrative assistant
• Contracts secretary
• Executive secretary (except legal and medical)
• Finance Secretary
• Human resources secretary
• Loans and grants administrative assistant
• Office administrative assistant
• Personal secretary
• Private secretary
• Recording Secretary
• Sales secretary
• School Secretary
• Secretary, school
• Taxation service secretary
• Secretary, Church
• Technical secretary

Job Inclusion

This job is included in the personal assistant job, though not under the Canadian NOC code 1241

• secretary-clerk

Job Exclusions from personal assistant

Some jobs are related to personal assistant jobs but are excluded from personal assistant work. Therefore, if you immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant, you don’t go for the following jobs below:

• Court reporters, medical transcriptionists, and related occupations (See 1251 Court reporters, medical transcriptionists, and related occupations)
• Executive assistants (See 1222 Executive assistants)
• Legal administrative assistants (See 1242 Legal administrative assistants)
• Medical administrative assistants (See 1243 Medical administrative assistants)
• Office managers (See 1221 Administrative officers)

Primary duties of a personal assistant in Canada

When you immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant, you are going to do any of the following works below as your primary work 

• Prepare, key in, edit and proofread correspondence, invoices, presentations, brochures, publications, reports, and related material from machine dictation and handwritten copy
• Open and distribute incoming regular and electronic mail and other material and co-ordinate the flow of information internally and with other departments and organizations
• Schedule and confirm appointments and meetings with the employer
• Order office supplies and maintain inventory
• Answer telephone and electronic inquiries and relay telephone calls and messages
• Set up and maintain manual and computerized information filing systems
• Determine and establish office procedures
• Greet visitors, ascertain the nature of business, and direct visitors to the employer or appropriate person
• May compile data, statistics, and other information to support research activities
• Record and prepare minutes of meetings
• May supervise and train office staff in procedures and use of current software
• Arrange travel schedules and make reservations
• May organize conferences

Employment requirements to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant

If you want to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant or as a foreign worker, you must meet two general and specific requirements.

General requirements to work in Canada

Every immigrant who wants to work in Canada must meet these general requirements to immigrate to Canada. Therefore, the general requirements to immigrate to Canada are:

• Language requirements
• Age requirements
• Education requirements
• Arranged employment
• Adaptability
• Work experience
• Your partner’s ability

#1: Language

Proof of your language proficiency is required; therefore, language is one of the requirements to Immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant. 

Moreover, you can take any language proficiency tests below to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant. 

• International English language Testing System (IELTS)
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
• Canadian English language proficiency index program
• Pearson Test of English (PTE)
• The Canadian test of English for scholars and trainees
• Test de connaissance du Français Canada (TCF).  

#2: Age

You should be up to 18 years before you can immigrate to Canada to work. So if you have yet to reach the Canadian working age, you cannot work in Canada. Therefore, the working age in Canada is 18 years.

#3: Education

Another requirement is education requirements. To work in Canada, you must at least have a high school certificate or its equivalent to qualify as a Canadian worker.

#4: Arranged Employment

If you can arrange employment with a Canadian employer, it becomes easy for you to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant. First, your employer must get the Labour Market Impact Assessment certification. In addition to that, you must also be the best candidate for the job. 

#5: Adaptability

Your adaptability to the Canadian weather can also help you while immigrating to work in Canada as a personal assistant. Apart from that, you must be able to adapt to the demands of the job. Therefore, before moving to Canada to work, you must have a medical checkup to determine your fitness.  

#6: Work experience

You need work experience as it is needed if you want to immigrate to Canada to work. Moreover, if you don’t prove your competency, you may not be able to do the work efficiently and hence will not get an opportunity to be employed.

#7: Your partner’s skills

Your partner’s skills are also necessary to boost your comprehensive ranking system(CRS) score. Moreover, your partner’s skills also matter to your immigration success.

Therefore, your partner’s age, education, and other qualifications are needed to qualify you. 

Specific requirements to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant

Irrespective of the general requirements, there are specific requirements you must meet to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant. Therefore, you must meet these requirements below:

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• Previous clerical experience is required.
• Completion of a one- or two-year college or other administrative assistants or secretaries programs.

Immigrate to Canada as a Medical Administrative Assistant

Pathways to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant

You can use many pathway programs to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant. These pathways have five options which are:

• Express entry program
• Provincial Nominee Programs
• In-Demand occupations
• Job offer
• Quebec Experience Class

1: Express entry

This program is the most common and accessible pathway to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant. Moreover, the express entry program has three other programs under it. And each of these three programs under it has requirements. 

However, you must meet the requirements for whichever program you choose among the three programs available in this entry. 

Therefore, before you select any program, check to see if you meet the program requirements. Meanwhile, the three programs under the express entry system are: 

• Federal skilled trades program
• Canada experience class
• Federal skilled worker program

2: Provincial Nominee Program

If you do not want to use the express entry, you can use the PNP. This is equivalent to the express entry. However, this program is managed by the provincial governments. Therefore, if you meet the requirements for this program, you can apply for it. However, you must be ready to live and work in the province that nominates you. In addition, you must be ready to adapt to the weather and work conditions of the province.

3: Job offer

Immigrating to Canada as a personal assistant may not be easy, but with a valid job offer, you can move to Canada easily. However, before you can use this pathway, there are certain conditions your employer must fulfill. 

First, the Canadian employer must get a clearance from the LMIA. Secondly, the employer must prove that you are the best candidate for the job. In addition, you must meet all the requirements for the job. 

4: In-demand jobs

Suppose a personal assistant is an in-demand job in Canada. By using an in-demand program, it is easy to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant. 

5: Quebec Experience Class

You can use this program to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant if you wish to settle in Quebec. Therefore, this program is for you when you plan to live and work in Quebec. 

However, there are specific requirements you must meet before using this program. For instance, you must prove your proficiency in the French language. Secondly, you must meet the requirements for working in Quebec. Then, you must be able to adapt to the weather conditions of Quebec.

Steps to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant

Once you know the steps required to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant will be easy for you. Therefore, below are the steps to guide you on how you can begin processing to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant

• The first step is to check your eligibility for Canada’s express entry.
• Secondly, you must create an express entry profile account and submit an express entry required documents in your profile online.
• Thirdly, you must apply for Canada’s working visa permit as soon as you get an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
• Then you must send your application within sixty days.
• After that, you wait until your application is approved or declined. This often takes about six months.
• You can start preparing to immigrate to Canada if your application gets approved.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is the average salary of a personal assistant in Canada?

Canada’s average personal assistant salary is $37,275 per year or $19.12 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $31,200 per year,

How much does the application fee cost?

Your application fee cost is $150

Must I use only a job offer to immigrate to Canada?

 No. You can use other entry options outside job offers to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant. 

What is the processing time for a work visa to enter Canada?

The processing time for a Canadian work visa is three months.

Conclusion

You have nothing to regret if you immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant. Therefore, the earlier you start preparing to immigrate to Canada as a personal assistant, the better.