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 Tech Talent Strategy is the name given to these actions.
These technological measures include for the following:
1) Under the International Mobility Program (IMP), a new innovation stream
2) Attracting digital nomads
3) By establishing a streamlined work permit for those with H1-B specialty occupation visas, we can increase labour mobility in North America.
4) Enhancements to current IT initiatives including the Start-up Visa and the Global Skills Strategy
Under the International Mobility Program (IMP), a new innovation stream
In order to address the labour 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:
1) Employees who are going to work for a company that the Canadian government has selected as supporting the industrial innovation goal may be granted employer-specific work permits for up to five years.
2) Highly skilled workers in certain in-demand professions can obtain open work permits for up to five years.
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 beneficial 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 laws. The IRCC hopes that these digital nomads would choose to remain in Canada and look for job possibilities with local businesses.
Improvements to current 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 visa holders in specialist occupations
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 speciality 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 policy will be in place for a full year or until the IRCC gets 10,000 applications. This number includes only major applicants; accompanying family members are not included.
Other ways to immigrate to Canada as a tech worker
There are other work permits and immigration programs that are especially suited to foreign tech professionals in addition to the programs under the Tech Talent Strategy, such as the Global Talent Stream and the H1-B specialist occupation visa.
Draws based on Express Entry categories
Sean Fraser made the announcement about the beginning of category-based selection draws for Express Entry candidates at the end of May. IRCC will offer particular consideration to Express Entry candidates with strong French language skills or professional experience in the following fields:
- Healthcare
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
- Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
- Transport
- Agriculture and agri-food
For category-based draws, there are over 24 STEM-related occupations that are eligible, and Statistics Canada published a report at the end of 2022 stating that there is a skills shortage in the Canadian 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 labour and job markets. In addition to other types of Express Entry draws, these ones will also take place.
The Comprehensive Ranking mechanism (CRS), a points-based mechanism, is used to rank applicants in the Express Entry pool. Candidates are ranked using a variety of criteria, including age, education, language proficiency, and work experience.Even if a candidate falls into a targeted group, they must still achieve the minimum CRS score required by IRCC in order to be eligible to get an ITA for that particular draw.
Tech Provincial Nominee Program Streams
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) enables provinces and territories to design their own immigration routes in accordance with the labour 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.
The Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway is a fast-track immigration program for tech professionals with Express Entry profiles. If a candidate is presently employed or has a job offer in a qualifying tech vocation with an Alberta technology industry firm, they can begin the application process using this expedited pathway.
The British Columbia PNP Tech was established in 2017 in response to the rapidly increasing demand for talent in the province’s technology sector. In 2021, the program was declared permanent. The initiative sends invitations to suitable candidates who have a valid job offer in one of the 29 qualifying tech jobs on a weekly basis. The work offer must be full-time, with an eligible employer in the province, and for a minimum of one year.
