Canada Announces 6 New Initiatives To Attract Global Tech Talent
Canada has unveiled a new plan aimed at attracting foreign digital nomads and remote workers to the country. As part of a broader strategy to attract global tech talent, the Canadian government plans to allow individuals with foreign employers to work in Canada for up to six months as remote workers, often called "digital nomads". If the remote worker receives a job offer while in Canada, they will be permitted to continue working in the country.
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All the details of how Canada's digital nomad strategy will work have not been released yet. The new immigration initiatives were announced on June 27 at the Collision Conference in Toronto by Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser:
“There’s no question as borders opened up, that we are in a global race for the same pool of talent with competitors around the entire world. Now, in my view, Canada is winning that race, and we might be winning it, but I think we can win by an even larger margin.”
The government's plan aims to attract these IT tech professionals to come work in Canada for an extended period of time.
6 New Immigration Initiatives To Attract Global Tech Talent
Canada announced 6 new immigration initiatives to fill in-demand jobs and address the labour shortage, and to "attract highly talented individuals":
1. The digital nomad plan for remote workers.
2. Starting July 16, the Canadian government will introduce a stream to allow 10,000 H-1B visa holders from the US to work in Canada, supporting tech employees impacted by recent layoffs.
3. Canada will launch a dedicated pathway for permanent residency for STEM sector employees.
4. Faster application processing times will be implemented for work permits under the Global Skills Strategy, and work permits will be processed in 2 weeks “so companies can have access to the talent that they need when they need it.”
5. Available spaces in the Start-up Visa Program will increase from 1000 to 3500 per year. Moreover, start-up visa applicants and their families will be issued open work permits for three years, allowing them to reside in Canada while awaiting application processing.
6. An "innovation stream" under Canada's international mobility program for skilled workers who are "in select in-demand occupations" or are destined for work with companies the government selects as "contributing to our innovation goals."
The goal of these immigration initiatives is to position Canada as a leading destination for global talent and support the growth of its tech industry.
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