Attracting tech talent to Canada
Canada’s technology sector continues to grow. Employers in Canada need more top talent with in-demand skills that can drive the sector forward. Immigration is key to this. It will help us
- meet our innovation priorities
- solidify our place as a world leader in emerging technologies
With the Tech Talent Strategy, we’re developing new programs and improving existing ones to meet these needs.
Programs we’re introducing
Work permits for H-1B visa holders
Status: Closed
Canada wants to offer international tech talent the opportunity to stay and work in North America.
Our new program will let current H-1B Specialty Occupations visa holders
- work for almost any company in Canada for 3 years
- bring their immediate family with them
This temporary program will last for 1 year, or until we get 10,000 applications.
An Innovation Stream for International Mobility Program
March 22, 2024
The International Mobility Program (IMP) lets Canadian employers hire foreign workers without a labour market impact assessment (LMIA).
The Innovation Stream lets employers participating in the Global Hypergrowth Project (GHP) bring talented workers to Canada to scale up their innovative businesses.
Programs we’re improving
Reducing backlogs for the start-up visa
The start-up visa (SUV) offers permanent residence to entrepreneurs looking to bring innovative business ideas and jobs to Canada.
We’re improving the program to cut wait times and fast-track supported groups by
- tripling last year’s target by admitting 3,500 people in 2023 (including SUV and self-employed persons)
- prioritizing applications from start-ups with committed capital New
- inviting all start-up members to apply for an open work permit of up to 3 years New – 2023
Two-week processing for Global Skills Strategy
The Global Skills Strategy (GSS)
- helps employers hire highly skilled workers without an LMIA
- gives workers faster application processing and enhanced customer service
The pandemic caused delays with processing applications, including the GSS. In the next 2 weeks, we’re returning to 2-week processing for complete GSS applications.
Promoting Canada to digital nomads
Digital nomads working remotely for an employer outside of Canada can live and work here for up to 6 months at a time. They don’t need a work permit. All they need is visitor status.
We’re working with provinces and territories to consider more options to attract digital nomads.
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