In recent years, Canada’s tech industry has been going strong. Even though there was a pandemic, the sector is still robust, and companies are actively looking for new employees. As the country’s promising tech talent pathway plans are advancing to welcome more than a million new arrivals every year, it is imperative to see the exponential rise in Canada Immigration applications even amidst the outbreak of coronavirus.

The most chosen pathway for immigration to Canada encompasses a lot of permanent and temporary ways to help the tech sector get a work permit in Canada because it needs more ICT workers. There are programs for skilled workers in general, and there are also programs for tech talent which indeed has helped such talent get to immigrate to Canada. In response to the high demand for skilled tech workers, the federal and provincial governments have made it easy for companies to hire people from other countries by giving them many options for permanent residence and work permits.

Temporary Work Permits in Canada

An employer who wants to hire someone from outside the country has several options for getting a temporary work permit. Whether you want to be a permanent resident of Canada or just for a while, here are some important things to look into.

Global Talent Stream or GTS

Tech workers who don’t want to live in Canada permanently or who want to get into the country quickly before applying for permanent residence in Canada can choose from several temporary residents in Canada’s Immigration tech pathways. Working in Canada temporarily can increase your chances of becoming a permanent resident, since many Canadian provinces and immigration programs like the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) are designed to help with this process.

It is an utmost important aspect of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). Before hiring, employers must get a neutral or positive Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). Employers must also meet one of the following two sets of requirements to be able to hire people through this program:

• Category A is for businesses that have been given the green light by a referral partner. Most of the time, these referral partners are local, government, or semi-government agencies whose job is to help the local economy.
• Category B is for companies looking for skilled workers with jobs that are on the Global Talent Occupations List. Computer engineers, software engineers, and designers, as well as information systems analysts and consultants, are a few of the jobs that qualify.

CUSMA

If an employer hires tech talent from somewhere else in North America, they may be eligible for the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). It is a short-term work permit in Canada, just like the GTS. This agreement can make it easier to embrace the pathway for tech talents to move between countries. The agreement is further broken down into two categories that are important to tech workers: professionals and ICTs (Intra-Company transfers).

Labour Market Benefit Plan

Employers must also give EDSC a plan called a Labour Market Benefits Plan (LMBP) that shows how it will help Canada’s job market in the long run. The main significance of each category is different.

• Category A plan must show how hiring through the GTS will help Canadians and permanent residents find jobs.
• Category B LMBPs need to show how they will spend more money to help Canadians and permanent residents learn tech skills that are in demand.

How to get Canadian citizenship?

People with tech skills want to become permanent residents of Canada. However, the most skilled tech workers get permanent residency through immigration pathway programs like a provincial nominee program (PNP) or Express Entry.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

If you have never lived in Canada before, your best chance of getting citizenship in Canada is through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The Constitution of Canada says that the provinces and territories can run their own immigration programs. The PNP works in almost every state and territory. Provinces and territories offer skilled workers both general and specific ways to get jobs based on where they are short of workers. For example, Tech is a big area of need, which is why some provinces have “tech worker streams” to help people get jobs in this field. The provinces of Ontario and British Columbia offer two of the best PNPs.

Express Entry

Express Entry is the leading pathway to pool skilled or tech immigrants to enter Canada. Under Express Entry, the most permanent residence invitations go to people with backgrounds in technology. One of the best things about Express Entry is that it is quick and constantly changing. Suppose you are one of the highest-ranking candidates. In that case, you can get an invitation to apply for being a permanent resident in Canada just a few days after submitting a completed profile. If you are one of these lucky people, the federal government will try to finish processing your application for permanent residence within six months of when you sent it in.

Even though the pandemic has hurt Canada’s immigration system, the country is inviting candidates with open arms. That being said, Canada is still considered to be an open and impressive backstreet to millions of tech experts from around the world who want to move here, live here, and work here.