Question Period Note: TECH TALENT STRATEGY

Canada’s Tech Talent Strategy

• On June 27, 2023, IRCC announced Canada’s first-ever Tech Talent Strategy to help businesses in Canada thrive in a competitive landscape by ensuring they have the talent they need, when they need it.

• Canada remains a top destination for highly-skilled workers. The open work permit for holders of an American H-1B visa was highly successful, with its intake cap of 10,000 applications being reached within 2 days of its launch.

• The other pillars of the Strategy, including a new Innovation Stream of the International Mobility Program and improvements to the Start Up Visa will be introduced soon. More information will be made available in the coming months.

• The Tech Talent Strategy consists of four pillars:
o Open work permits of up to three years for H-1B visa holders in the Specialty Occupations category, capped at 10,000 applications received.
o The development of an Innovation Stream under the International Mobility Program to attract highly talented individuals
o The promotion of Canada as a destination for digital nomads
o Improving existing programs for workers in high-skilled occupations

Open Work Permits for H-1B Visa Holders
• On July 16th, IRCC launched the open work permit for H-1B Specialty Occupations visa holders, with additional work and study permit options for eligible family members. IRCC reached the program’s intake cap of 10,000 applications submitted within 2 days.

• Approved applicants receive an open work permit of up to three years in duration, which means they will be able to work for almost any employer anywhere in Canada. Their spouses and dependants will also be eligible to apply for a temporary resident visa, with a work or study permit, as needed.

New Innovation Stream of the International Mobility Program (IMP)
• IRCC is creating a new innovation stream under the IMP exempt from the Labour Market Impact Assessment, which will be announced in early 2024. This will help both high-growth employers and talented workers alike in support of Canada’s innovation priorities and high-tech industries.

• IRCC is considering 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 our industrial innovation goals.

• The innovation stream remains under development and IRCC plans to consult with provincial and territorial partners imminently.

Promoting Canada as a Destination for Digital Nomads
• A digital nomad is a person who can perform their job remotely from anywhere in the world.

• Under current Canadian immigration rules, a digital nomad only needs visitor status to relocate to Canada for up to six months at a time while they perform their job remotely for a foreign employer.

• In the context of the Tech Strategy, IRCC has updated online information to promote Canada as a destination for digital nomads.

Improvement of Existing Measures
Global Skills Strategy
• IRCC launched the Global Skills Strategy in June 2017 to provide companies with access to global talent by getting highly skilled workers into Canada faster. Both IRCC and ESDC are meeting the two-week standard for work permit applications and Labour Market Impact Assessments, respectively.

Category-Based Selection
• On May 31, 2023, Minister Fraser announced the launch of category-based selection in Express Entry (EE). This allows more targeted invitations to apply for permanent residence to candidates in the EE pool who are eligible for specific categories established by the Minister to meet identified economic goals.

• Candidates with work experience in STEM occupations (e.g. computer engineers, data scientists, cybersecurity specialists, etc.) were chosen as a category for 2023, and the first related invitation round took place on July 5, 2023.

Start-Up Visa
• The Start-up Visa (SUV) Program provides a path to permanent residence for foreign entrepreneurs who gain the support of a designated Canadian venture capital fund, angel investor organization or business incubator for their start-up.

• Under this strategy, IRCC is taking several steps to address lengthening wait times and improve program outcomes:

o Under the multi-year levels plan tabled on November 1, more admissions spaces were allocated to this program in 2024, with another increase projected for 2025, before levelling off in 2026.

o Applicants will be able to apply for a work permit that is up to three years in duration instead of one year, which will make it easier for start-up founders to come to Canada and develop their business while they wait for their permanent residence application to be processed. This work permit will also be an open work permit instead of one that limits them to working for their own start-up.

o We’re also prioritizing applications that are supported by venture capital funds, angel investor groups and business incubators that have committed capital to the start-ups they support, along with applications that are supported by business incubators who are members of Canada’s Tech Network. Prioritization will be applied to both permanent residence applications currently in the backlog and to newly submitted applications.

None