How To Get A Canadian Work Visa

Canada has tons of immigrants from all over the world. More people want to move to America, but their immigration policies have grown more and more difficult, and their officials meaner and weirder since 9/11 (metal detectors, shoe searches, bizarre questions, passport surrender, bomb-proof windows for all clerks, even in New Zealand). But Canada is the pleasant neighbour to the north and is crying out for the tired, the poor, the huddled masses (with some qualifications).
Note that with all the ways listed below, you're supposed to have about CAD$4000, but they usually don't bother to check. (This can be access to Visa credit, or money sitting in your account at the time which you'll transfer back later.)
The easiest way is to be young. If you're under 31, you can get a Working Holiday visa, which allows you to work in any field anywhere in the country for one year. Generally it's easier to get if you're from a English-speaking OECD country like Ireland or Australia. This is a fairly rapid rubber-stamp kind of deal. Companies like STA Travel package this deal for you with a lot of hand-holding that can save you time and hassle. (They deal mainly with college kids who want to work the ski fields for minimum wage.)
The next way is to be educated and experienced. Applying for the Skilled Worker visa falls under a points system you can find the test here (overview here). This visa is expensive to apply for ($1000+). Generally if you speak English, have a qualification and 3+ years experience in one of these fields, you'd expect to make it. Bonus points for having a well-qualified partner, too. This visa makes you a Permanent Resident. It takes at least six months to complete.
There's a loophole for some trades, because there's a great need for them in some provinces. For Alberta, they are shown here. These fields are called 'Occupations Under Pressure' and visas for people who work in these fields are much cheaper and faster.
Yet another way is to rock on up and grab a visitor visa on your way in, then get a job and apply for a temporary work visa once you've got a job offer. This takes "four weeks" (note quotations marks). You could just start working and get your money back-paid once your visa is approved, but this requires collusion with your boss, and most Canadians are pretty straight-arrow.

The whole list of ways is shown here. Most are specific to business types or whole families though. If your English is weak or highly accented you'll have a harder time finding a job than if you're from England or America, but generally Canucks are accepting and interested in travellers.

Oh, and bring a pair of these:
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