While the US cracks down on the number of immigrants with work visas, Canada is using the opportunity to lure top talent.
Among a number of other consequences, Ireland’s talent pool could stand to benefit from Brexit, as a number of highly skilled EU workers are considering leaving the UK in the next five years.
Could the UK’s loss be Ireland’s gain? Only time will tell. However, the UK isn’t the only country losing its talent to its neighbours.
In the US, it’s no surprise that the current political scene may have driven people to consider emigrating. After US president Donald Trump was elected last November, the Canadian immigration website crashed, most likely due to a high volume of traffic.
Now, Canada appears to be answering those cries for help by making it easier for people to immigrate to the country with a Global Skills Strategy visa programme.
The new programme will make it easier for companies to bring foreign workers to Canada with specific skills.
While this will prove attractive for US workers looking further afield, employees from other countries should take note, too.
With Trump’s proposed restrictions on US immigrants regarding work visas, this traffic will no doubt be diverted to Canada, which appears to be welcoming incoming workers with open arms.
The visa programme will appeal to tech workers who no longer qualify for H-1B visas as well as Americans who want to relocate for personal reasons.
Highly skilled workers coming to Canada on a temporary basis will now be able to benefit from a speedy, two-week application process for work permits and temporary resident visas. Open work permits for spouses and study permits for dependants will also be processed in two weeks when applicable.
Two permit exemptions for short-term work came into effect in June of this year. Workers on a very short-term assignment and researchers taking part in short-duration research projects can come to Canada without requiring a work permit.
