Immigrate to Canada as a Travel and Tour Guide

Any foreigner can immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide provided they meet the requirements to work in Canada. In today’s travel industry, tour guides are more important than ever. Guides who drive business have the responsibility to enhance the travel experience by keeping guests happy, safe and inspired.

Generally, working in Canada has become very easy because of the friendly immigration pathways set up by the Canadian government. However, in order to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide, you have to qualify to work in Canada. Therefore, in this article you will be learning everything you need to work in Canada as a travel and tour guide.

What do travel and tour guide do?

Tour guides work in the travel industry, giving guided tours to groups of visitors. They are experts on the history of the location and offer their tour groups interesting information at nature attractions.

Furthermore, travel and tour guides escort individuals and groups on trips, on sightseeing tours of cities and on tours of historical sites and establishments such as famous buildings, manufacturing plants etc.

They also provide descriptions and background information on interesting features. They are usually employed by tour operators, resorts and other establishments or may be self-employed.

In addition, travel and tour guides may give walking tours, bus tours, or even lead river tours on a boat.

Although, some guides are employed for seasonal and temporary positions, working only during the summer months when tourism is at its peak.

More so, travel and tour guides frequently use microphones, megaphones, video cameras, maps, guide books, or may display pictures or videos to the tourists.

They are also often expected to memorize large scripts regarding the tour and they may use annotations and other tools to help them remember what they’re supposed to say.

The NOC code number for travel and tour guide in Canada is 6531.

Primary responsibilities of a travel and tour guides

Here are list of common tasks travel and tour Guides are required to complete in Canada.

Tour guides

Transport or escort individuals or groups on tours of cities, waterways and industrial and other establishments.
Describe points of interest, answer questions and supply information.
Provide historical and cultural facts related to the site.
May collect admission fees and sell souvenirs.

Travel guides

Escort individuals and groups on vacation and business trips.
Ensure that reservations for transportation and accommodations are confirmed and that prepared itineraries are met.
Visit and describe points of interest and plan and carry out recreational activities.
Resolve problems with itineraries, service and accommodations.

Examples of jobs under NOC 6531

Obviously, there are numerous list of occupations under NOC 6531. As a prospective immigrant, you can seek employment into any of the following positions in Canada.

Adventure travel site interpreter
Bicycle tour guide
Boat tour guide
Bus tour guide
Caleche operator
Establishment guide
Factory tour guide
Horse-drawn vehicle sightseeing tour guide
Industrial site interpreter
Local tour guide
Mine guide
Plant tour guide
Sightseeing guide
Ski resort host/hostess
Tour escort
calèche driver
Tour guide
Tourist guide
Travel escort
Tour director
Travel guide
Walking tour guide

Exclusions under travel and tour guide

Museum guides and historical and heritage interpreters (See 5212 Technical occupations related to museums and art galleries)
Outdoor sport and recreational guides (See 6532 Outdoor sport and recreational guides)

Tour operators (See 0651 Managers in customer and personal services)

Requirements to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide

As a foreigner who wants to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide, you must meet both the general and specific requirements.

General requirements to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide

Undoubtedly, you must meet some basic requirements before you can be allowed to live and work in Canada. They include:

Language
Age
Educational requirements
Adaptability
Work experience

Language

Of course, you need proof of language proficiency for you to live anywhere in Canada. That means you must be able to communicate in English or French.

As a result, you must pass one of the following language proficiency tests

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
Test de Connaissance du Français (TCF) Canada
Pearson Test of English (PTE)
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Test d’Evaluation de Français (TEF) Canada.

Age

Equally important, your age has an influence on your immigration to Canada as a travel and tour guide. In addition, you must be up to 18 to qualify for a job in Canada.

However, employer’s age requirement for a particular job may vary.

Educational requirements

Unarguably, the minimum educational requirement you can immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide is your secondary school certificate in a relevant field.

However, master’s degree certificate or PhD will improve your CRS points.

Work experience

Significantly, you must have previous work experience to qualify to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide. The minimum work experience is one year, full-time experience in relevant fields.

Adaptability

It is very important you know that the weather in Canada is different from your home country. Therefore, you must show a certificate of medical fitness to adapt to the Canadian weather.

Your partner’s ability

The work experience, skills, language proficiency and age of your spouse or common law partner can also help you to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide.

Therefore, your partner’s ability/skills can boost your CRS point.

Specific/employment requirements to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide

On-the-job training is provided.

Knowledge of both official languages (English and French) and an additional language may be required for some positions in this group.
New employees may obtain positions as tour guide/tour leader, interpretive guide or travel expert.

In addition, with further experience and education, you may progress to jobs such as tour guide supervisor or tour operator.

You may also obtain positions in the administrative office, assisting with tour bookings, market planning or tour development.

Immigrate to Canada as a Travel and Tour Guide

Pathways to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide

There are different ways you can immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide.
However, this can be done under any of the following pathways:

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

Express entry

The Canada express entry has three programs under it for workers who want to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide.

More so, express entry can be categorized under different programs. The programs include:

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

In order to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour giude, the best program here is the Federal skilled worker program.

However, if you have the needed experience, you can as well apply under Canadian Experience Class.

Provincial Nominee Program

There is a provincial nominee program for every province in Canada. Therefore, if you plan to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide, you can use any of them.

However, you must plan to live and work in that province or territory for a minimum of two years.

In-Demand occupations

Travel and tour guide falls under the in-demand jobs in Canada, you can as well use it as an option to immigrate to Canada.

Job offer

This is an easy pathway to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide. However, before you can do this, you must get a valid job offer from a Canadian employer.

In addition, the employer must get a certificate from the Labour Market Impact Assessment before employing.

Steps to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide

Below are the important steps to follow when you want to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide.

Step 1: Sign up to express entry

The first step towards immigrating to Canada as a travel and tour guide is to visit the IRCC website and sign up for an express entry profile.

It is important to know that without an express entry profile, you cannot receive updates about Canada immigration.

Therefore, you must open an account. In addition, you must frequently visit the profile to check for updates.

Step 2: Enter a program

Secondly, you must choose the best program that suits your profile. Therefore, you must check to know the program that you qualify for based on your occupation. The programs include:

Step 3: Find a job in Canada

However, if you want to immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide easily, you will have to find a job in Canada.

With a valid job offer, you will score more points in the CRS. Hence, your chances of getting an invitation to apply increase.

However, your employer must prove that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident can fill the position.

Step 4: Receive an invitation to apply

If you are among the applicants with highest points, you will receive an invitation to apply. You must reply within 60 days of receiving an invitation to apply.

Therefore, all your supporting documents must be ready.

Step 5: Submit your application with supporting documents and application fee

The next move after getting an invitation to apply is to submit your application. In addition to the application, you must include all the necessary documents.
Most importantly, make sure to include an application fee of nothing less than CAD $150.

Step 6: Get your work permit

Within one month of submitting your application, you will receive the final report about your application.

However, if you are successful, you will receive a mail stating you that you have been issued a work permit.

Step 7: Congratulations

Finally, you can now move to Canada once your application has been approved and make sure you pick up your work permit at a Canadian border crossing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average salary of a travel and tour guide in Canada?

The average salary for a travel and tour guide is $16.56 per hour in Canada.

Can my family join me when I migrate to Canada as a travel and guide?

Yes, the rights and privileges given to the main visa holder are passed onto partners and children automatically.

In fact, your partner’s skills, education and qualifications may even make your overall application even stronger.

Conclusion

Being a tour guide can be a great career option for people who love to travel, enjoy being in front of a crowd, and are masters of multitasking.

If that is you, then start looking for job opportunities online and immigrate to Canada as a travel and tour guide.

Immigrate to Canada as a Travel and Tour Guide

What do travel and tour guide do?