Citizenship requirements and security checks put many foreign-trained professionals out of the running for federal government jobs, say those who help immigrants find work.

Immigrant services providers such as Anca Sultana say immigrants in Ottawa have a tougher time finding work than do newcomers in other cities.

"[The] federal government … remains the biggest employer and new Canadians can't have access to the biggest employer," said Sultana, who heads the employment programs and other services at Vanier Community Services Centre.

Many government job postings specify that Canadian citizens will be given preference. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, newcomers cannot apply for Canadian citizenship until they have lived in Canada for at least three years.

By then, Sultana says, they have worked outside their field for so long that their professional skills may be considered out of date.

Tom Kelly, the spokesman for the Public Service Commission of Canada, says the citizenship requirements for public service jobs are embedded in the Public Service Employment Act, and they do affect immigrants.

"It's going to provide a challenge for them," he said.

But he said that doesn't mean it is harder for newcomers to find jobs in Ottawa than in other cities, as there are non-public service jobs in the city.

"I'm guessing that most people who are immigrating to Canada aren't immigrating to get a government job," he added.

But it's not just the citizenship requirements that pose a challenge for foreign-trained workers. Newcomers such as Cristina Pulido say security checks can also be a big hurdle in their job hunt.

Pulido was a journalist in Venezuela before she immigrated to Canada 18 months ago. After arriving in Ottawa, Pulido was offered a short-term contract doing communications work with the government. But she lost the contract because her security check took too long — six months later, she is still waiting for the security check results.

"The most frustrating part is that I don't know why and I don't know what to do to make it easier," she said.

Security checks easier after 6 years in Canada: CSIS

A spokesperson for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said people must live for six years in Canada before the organization can easily check their background, references, work history and criminal history. If the agency needs to get information from foreign governments, that can affect the amount of time it takes to complete the check.

A CSIS spokesperson said the regular security checks that newcomers go through when they immigrate are not as rigorous as those required by most jobs, and the security check process starts from scratch when they apply for a position with the government.

The agency confirmed that it is getting more and more security check requests, especially since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S.

The checks are required for many jobs for which the employer is a government department or on contract with the government.

Kelly said an increase in the number of jobs that require security checks is to be expected.

"Security all around town is more stringent now," he said.