The initiatives that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) would take to entice foreign tech talent to Canada were revealed on June 27 by Immigration Minister Sean Fraser. Canada’s First-Ever Tech Talent Strategy.
These measures are referred to as Canada’s Tech Talent Strategy.
These tech measures include:
- New innovation stream under the International Mobility Program (IMP)
- Attracting digital nomads
- Improving labor mobility in North America by creating a streamlined work permit for H1-B specialty occupation visa holders
- Improvements to existing tech programs such as the Global Skills Strategy and the Start-up Visa
New innovation stream under the IMP
In order to address the labor shortages in critical tech vocations and increase Canada’s talent pool, IRCC wants to create a new innovation stream under the IMP to entice highly qualified tech workers.
By the end of 2023, the launch is scheduled to take place. With the stream being exempt from the LMIA procedure, firms and employees will be able to support Canada’s priorities for the IT sector.
IRCC is considering two options:
- Employer-specific work permits for up to five years for workers destined to work for a company identified by the Government of Canada as contributing to the industrial innovation goal
- Open work permits for up to five years for highly skilled workers in select in-demand occupations
Attracting digital nomads
The IRCC also intends to market Canada as a destination for digital nomads by working with both public and private partners to assess if further digital nomad-attraction regulations would be advantageous for Canada.
A digital nomad can only stay in Canada for up to six months while working remotely for a foreign company under the country’s current immigration restrictions. The IRCC hopes that these digital nomads would choose to remain in Canada and look for job possibilities with local businesses.
Improvements to existing tech programs
The programs already in place in Canada that can help people in high-skilled tech jobs are being improved by IRCC.
The goal of the Global Skills Strategy is to assist Canadian firms in finding fast access to highly qualified overseas personnel. Application processing times for work permits under the Global Skills Strategy have returned to their pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, ESDC (Employment and Social Development Canada) is processing LMIAs for the Global Talent Stream in less than two weeks, and IRCC is processing work visa applications in less than two weeks.
For foreign business owners who get funding from a designated Canadian venture capital fund, angel investor organization, or business incubator for their startup, the Start-Up Visa offers a route to permanent residence.
In order to solve the lengthy application wait times, more slots were given out under this program. Additionally, this indicates that the number of permanent residents anticipated in the Federal Business category in 2023 has tripled and is anticipated to rise in 2024 and 2025.
The IRCC is changing the temporary work permit option for SUV applicants and will now allow them to apply for an open work permit of up to three years, rather than a one-year work permit that restricts them to working only for their own start-up, in recognition of the lengthy application wait times due to the interest in the SUV program.
Unlike currently, when only team members who are deemed important and urgently needed in Canada can apply, the work permit will be available to every member of the entrepreneurial team. Finally, to expedite processing, the IRCC will give priority consideration to applications that are backed by committed cash or approved by a business incubator.
Work permit for H1-B specialty occupation visa holder
Companies with significant operations in both Canada and the US employ thousands of workers in high-tech industries, and many of them have H1-B specialist occupation visas.
Holders of H1-B specialty visas in the US and their accompanying family members will be permitted to enter Canada as of July 16. These applicants will be granted an open work visa that is valid for up to three years and allows them to work for nearly any employer in Canada. Also eligible to apply for a temporary resident visa with a job and study permit as needed are spouses and dependents.
This measure is to remain in effect for one year, or until IRCC receives 10,000 applications. Only principal applicants will count towards this number, not accompanying family members.
Other ways to immigrate to Canada as a tech worker
In addition to the programs in the Tech Talent Strategy such as the Global Talent Stream and the H1-B specialty occupation visa, there are other work permit and immigration programs specifically tailored to foreign tech workers.
Express Entry category-based draws
At the end of May, Sean Fraser announced the launch of category-based selection draws for Express Entry candidates. Express Entry candidates who have a strong French language proficiency or work experience in the following fields will be given priority by IRCC:
- Healthcare
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
- Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
- Transport
- Agriculture and agri-food
- There are over 24 eligible STEM occupations for category-based draws, and Statistics Canada released a report at the end of 2022 reporting that there is a gap in skills needed in Canada’s STEM labour force.
- The first-ever category-based drawings for STEM careers were held on July 5. Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residency were sent to 500 applicants in the STEM fields.
In category-based Express Entry draws, the IRCC selects the top-scoring applicants who are eligible for a certain category and who can contribute to the achievement of a given economic objective and fill openings in the Canadian labor and job markets. In addition to other types of Express Entry draws, these ones will also take place. Tech Provincial Nominee Program Streams.
Tech Provincial Nominee Program Streams
- The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) enables provinces and territories to design their own immigration routes in accordance with the labor market and economic objectives of their respective jurisdictions. The PNP will be used by the provinces and territories to designate skilled foreign workers for immigration to their provinces.
- Some regions offer streams specifically for tech employees.
- For tech workers who had a profile in the Express Entry system, there is a fast-track immigration program called the Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway. A candidate may begin the application procedure under this accelerated pathway if they are already employed by an Alberta technology industry employer or have a job offer from one in a qualified tech occupation.
- In 2017, the British Columbia PNP Tech was established in response to the province’s rapidly expanding need for expertise in the technology sector. In 2021, the program became a permanent one. To qualify applicants who have a genuine job offer in one of the 29 relevant tech occupations, the initiative sends invitations once per week. The job offer must be full-time, with an eligible employer in the province, and be at least one year in duration.
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