Canadian Tech Immigration Pathways
Canada offers some of the leading immigration programs to quickly and efficiently bring in your international candidate. International candidates in technical roles benefit from an expedited entry stream through the Global Talent Stream (GTS) for temporary work and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) for obtaining Permanent Resident (PR) status. Both of these programs require a considerable amount of work and expertise, so it is recommended you use a Registered Immigration Consultant (RIC) to complete both steps on the immigration journey.
GTS
The Global Talent Stream (GTS) is the first step in bringing an international candidate to work for your organization. The program is designed to bring in workers under specific NOC codes, geared mainly towards technical roles. This is also an expedited process, garnering results in is little as 2 months.
To begin the GTS process you must first complete and submit a Labour Market Benefits Plan (LMBP). The LMBP demonstrates your company’s commitment to activities that will have lasting and positive impacts on the Canadian labour market – Job Creation, Diversity, Learning, and Development. While this may seem like a large undertaking, many portions of the LMBP are things your company is already doing. Next will be submitting for a Work Permit, both these steps take approximately 30 days each. Some considerations to make when utilizing the GTS program:
- Companies are required to pay a minimum salary as set by the Government of Canada, and specifically related to the NOC code the worker is coming in under
- Work permits are valid for up to 3 years, and are company-specific. Your worker cannot leave to go work elsewhere in Canada, without the explicit support of another company.
- The families of your immigration candidate will be granted either student permits or open work permits
PR/PNP
The next step in the immigration journey, should your candidate decide, is to seek Permanent Residency status (PR). This will allow your candidate open work eligibility, with no restrictions as to the time they can stay in Canada. Employers should be aware that this open work status allows candidates to seek employment elsewhere after being granted. The Canadian government offers an Express Entry (EE) option for skilled workers in which they seek a nomination through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). These programs require coordination between candidates, provincial government, and Federal immigration programs so it is again recommended to use a Registered Immigration Consultant. Links to specific provincial programs can be found below:
With the above programs, skilled workers can obtain PR status within 1 year of arrival in Canada.
