Canada is home to almost one million job vacancies. These vacancies are spread across the country in nearly every employment sector which is why Canada is coming up with numerous programs to support employers in hiring foreign workers. One such program which is dedicated to hiring highly skilled foreign professionals in the tech sector is the Global Talent Stream (GTS).

Global Talent Stream is a fast-track pathway that employers can use to invite foreign talent to Canada and permit them to use their skills in the service of Canadian companies to thrive and grow.

As part of Canada’s Global Talent Strategy and a component of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), the GTS expedites the processing of work permits and temporary resident visas so that qualified applicants can begin working within two weeks of submission.

As a result, this program also benefits the general Canadian tech landscape, because it enables organizations in this field to quickly access the talent they need.

Exclusions

Note: Two exclusions under the GTS allow a few applicants to enter Canada without a work permit.

Under this program, “highly-skilled workers in skill type 0 or skill level A occupations of the NOC” will not need a permit if they are in Canada for 15 days over six months or 30 days over 12 months.

Moreover, researchers coming to Canada will not require a work permit if they work 120 days over 12 months on research projects at publicly-funded degree-granting universities or affiliated research institutions.

Global Talent Stream

Under this stream, there are two different categories.

Category A

Companies with high growth potential have been referred to the GTS by one of more than 40 designated referral partners (in Canada, except Quebec) and can demonstrate the need for “unique specialized talent from abroad”.

Applicants seeking jobs in Quebec will also find that the list of designated referral partners varies from employer to employer. The list can be found on the website of the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation, and Integration.

Category B

Companies that are looking to employ for specific roles are designated by the Global Talent Occupations List. This list will be updated periodically to reflect evolving labour market needs and priorities including an extensive list of jobs that have been in demand and appear to suffer from a lacking number of workers domestically.

A few of the occupations that are on the Global Talent Occupations List for Category B include:

• Computer and information systems managers
• Web designers and developers
• Computer network technicians
• Workers in digital media and design

Wages in the Global Talent Stream 

When bringing on foreign talent through the GTS, employers in either category must meet wage requirements. Employers must pay workers at the highest of the following five rates.

• The occupation’s median wage on the Canadian government’s Job Bank
• An employer’s current employee’s wage (in the same position, at the same location, and with the same skills and experience)
• Global Talent Occupations (category B) determines the minimum wage floor
• An hourly salary that matches the prevailing wage for the occupation in question and amounts to no less than $80,000 (for the first two positions requested under category A)