WatPort: New Faculty SupPort Office & HRSDC for New Hires January 22, 2009

1. WatPort: New Faculty SupPort Office & HRSDC for New HiresJanuary 22, 2009

2. A Little Bit of History • June 2002 “Welcoming Women Faculty: The Report of the Provost’s Task Force on Female Faculty Recruitment” • Need to remain competitive with other Canadian & American Universities to attract the very best candidates for recruitment • Formal launch of the office made in March 2004 after consultation with various stake-holders on campus

3. Program Mandate - 2004 • Establish an office as a central resource • Establish a program to aid faculty recruitment & support • Assist newly hired faculty & their families/partners throughout their resettlement process • Foster cooperation between every administrative & academic departments & WatPort • Maintain & enhance the WatSource (WatPort now) website for prospective and/or new faculty • Provide a list of support services available to prospective & new faculty

4. Best Practices - 2008 • In 2004, 4 Canadian Universities were identified as having robust services which UW could model our new faculty program/office upon • As of 2008, the 3 Ontario Universities are still the benchmark for Waterloo’s program/office to strive for • Of the 3 Ontario Universities, Guelph is our closest “competitor” for which the program/office should at least meet their level of support & service

5. Present Services & Support • ½-hour informational meeting during the candidate interview with the department • KW & UW informational package provided either during the candidate interview or sent after receipt of the signed letter of appointment • Assistance through email/phone/in person with any questions/queries about resettlement to the Waterloo area • Provide support/assistance and information about immigration to new faculty candidates and their families and/or the hiring dept. as requested

6. Who needs a Work Permit • Any foreign worker requires a valid work permit before they can be legally paid for their employment • Most common cases are regular full-time faculty who do not hold a Canadian passport • However, any FULL-TIME worker that do not hold a Canadian passport requires a work permit; this includes PDFs, Research/Teaching Assistants, Research Professors, Lab Assistants/Technicians • Work permits cannot be issued for part-time work regardless of occupation

7. Hiring a Foreign Faculty • Once the Letter of Appointment is received from a Foreign new faculty, what happens next: • Application for a Labour Market Opinion must be obtained • The foreign new faculty must obtain a work permit with an LMO Confirmation • All LMO’s are for a maximum appointment time of 3 years • Upon re-appointment of the foreign faculty, a new Labour Market Opinion must be obtained in order for the faculty member to renew his work permit (unless s/he has since received their PR status/card)

8. The Labour Market Opinion • HRSDC forms: www.watport.uwaterloo.ca • What are they: Recruitment Summary Form & the Foreign Worker Application – Application for Labour Market Opinion • Where to find them: www.watport.uwaterloo.ca/OnCampus/indexWP.html • How to complete them: www.watport.uwaterloo.ca/OnCampus/howto2.html • To Whom do they go to: www.watport.uwaterloo.ca/OnCampus/howto1.html

9. How to complete the LMO • Download the form from the WatPort site – this is necessary as there are some completed fields already • Follow the instructions on the step-by-step guide and there should be no problems – if there is, call me! • Once completed, follow the instructions on the first web-page (General Information) to send it to St. John’s, NB • Within 24 hours, a confirmation letter will be faxed back to you confirming the credentials of the hire • If you receive a denial of the LMO, call me!

10. LMO Confirmation • Normal turn-around time from time of fax to receipt of the LMO Confirmation is 24 hours • If you are called by HRSDC in St. John’s, they are simply looking to clarify a point – most likely something they could not read because of the fax transmission! • Make sure to keep a copy of the LMO Confirmation in the faculty’s file in either the Dean’s or Chair’s office • The original fax must be given to the new faculty for them to include with their work permit application

11. The Work Permit • Once the LMO Confirmation is received by your new faculty, they must do the following: • Download a work permit application form: www.watport.uwaterloo.ca/OnCampus/howto13.html • Follow the instructions given on the WatPort site: www.watport.uwaterloo.ca/OnCampus/howto12.html • The actual work permit is not issued to the new faculty until they enter Canada at any port of entry – they will only receive a Letter of Confirmation of Work Permit, which they must present at the port of entry

12. What Happens Next • Once your foreign new faculty arrive on campus: • Be sure to ask for a copy of their work permit to add to their faculty file (this will help you to remember to apply for a new LMO when it comes time for the re-appointment) • Point them to the WatPort site or refer them directly to me for any questions related to relocation • Call me or refer me to the foreign new faculty if they have any questions about spousal/partner work permits or are looking to apply for PR

13. Extension of LMO • When it’s time for the foreign faculty to be re-appointed: • Make sure that the faculty member has not already received PR – applying and having an application in the process does not negate the fact that they still need a work permit to be legally paid for their work! • Once the re-appointment letter has been signed, Application to Extend a Labour Market Opinion must be completed and faxed to St. John’s, NB • The form can be downloaded from the WatPort site: www.watport.uwaterloo.ca/OnCampus/howto8.html

14. New Faculty Statistics

15. Comments/Suggestions • Is there any other immigration matter(s) that you would like to see on the WatPort website? • Any other on-campus service that you would like linked from the WatPort site? • Are there specific services or support that your dept./faculty provides that you would like mentioned and/or added to WatPort? • Is there anything else that I might have missed, omitted, forgotten, overlooked, ignored?

16. How to reach me…. • On campus: NH 3060L • By phone: 519-888-4567 ext. 36332 • By fax: 519-747-4168 • By mobile: 519-498-4277 • By email: fhanniga@uwaterloo.ca • On the web: www.watport.uwaterloo.ca • Thank you for your time!