Bringing highly skilled foreign tech talent to Canada.

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Bringing highly skilled foreign tech talent to
Canada.
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• Employers in the Canadian tech industry can
  fast-track hiring highly skilled foreign talent
  through the Global Talent Stream.
• Canada currently has north of one million job
  vacancies across the country. These job vacancies
  are spread throughout nearly every employment
  sector.

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• One such program, specific to highly skilled
  foreign professionals in the tech industry, is
  the Global Talent Stream (GTS).
• The GTS is a fast-tracked program employers can
  use to bring foreign talent to this country and
  allow them to utilize their skills in the service
  of helping innovative Canadian companies grow.
• Part of Canadas larger Global Talent Strategy
  and contained within the Temporary Foreign Worker
  Program (TFWP), the GTS expedites the processing
  of work permit applications and temporary
  resident visas (if applicable) so that qualified
  applicants can start working in around two weeks
  from the date of submission.

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Exemptions

• Note Two exemptions under the Global Talent
  Stream enable certain applicants to enter Canada
  without a work permit.
• First, highly-skilled workers in skill type 0 or
  skill level A occupations of the NOC will not
  require a permit under this program if they are
  working in Canada for a period of 15 days over
  six months or 30 days over 12 months.
• Additionally, researchers coming to Canada will
  not need a work permit should they be working in
  Canada for a period of 120 days over 12 months
  on research projects at a publicly-funded
  degree-granting institution or affiliated
  research institution.

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Breaking down the Global Talent Stream

• Under the Global Talent Stream, there are two
  distinct categories.
• Category A
• Category A High-growth companies who are
  referred to the GTS by one of over 40 designated
  referral partners (in Canada, excluding Quebec)
  and can demonstrate the need to hire unique
  specialized talent from abroad.
• The list of designated referral partners varies
  for employers in Quebec, and therefore, also for
  applicants looking to work in that province.

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• Category B
• Category B Companies looking to hire for
  specific roles designated by the Global Talent
  Occupations List. This list, which may be updated
  periodically to reflect changing labour market
  needs and priorities, includes an expansive list
  of jobs that have been deemed in demand and
  appear to suffer from a lacking number of
  available workers domestically.
• Some occupations on the Global Talent Occupations
  List for Category B include

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• Computer and information systems managers
• Web designers and developers
• Computer network technicians
• Workers in digital media and design
• The full list of occupations for this category
  can be found here.

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Wages in the Global Talent Stream

• One of the most important elements of this
  program is the wages that employers pay to
  successful applicants.
• There is a wage-related requirement that
  employers in either category must meet when
  bringing on foreign talent through the GTS. This
  requirement states that employers must pay
  workers at whichever of the following five rates
  is highest.
• The occupations median wage on the Canadian
  governments Job Bank

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• The wage within the range that the employer pays
  to current employees (in the same position, at
  the same location, and with the same
  skills/experience)
• The minimum wage floor determined by the Global
  Talent Occupations list (category B)
• 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).

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How the Global Talent Stream benefits Canada and
Canadians

• The GTS benefits both Canadians and the country
  at large by requiring employers to develop
  a Labour Market Benefits Plan. This plan,
  established in conjunction with Employment and
  Social Development Canada (ESDC), identifies how
  the hiring of foreign talent through this program
  will work to benefit the Canadian labour market.
• Additionally, these plans outline activities the
  employer will facilitate to encourage job
  creation or invest in skill development and
  training for Canadians (the primary benefits of
  the GTS).

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• More specifically, it is the responsibility of
  employers in category A to encourage job
  creation, either directly or indirectly, for
  Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
  Meanwhile, category B employers are accountable
  for increasing investments in skills and training
  for Canadians.
• Employers in both categories, in addition to the
  above, will need to undertake business activities
  for the purpose of fulfilling an additional two
  complimentary labour market benefits. These
  benefits include, but are not limited to, the
  following two items

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• Transferring knowledge to Canadian citizens and
  permanent residents
• Improving company performance
• The full list of activities that can be used to
  fulfill any labour market benefit can be reviewed
  on the Government of Canadas website. For
  reference, however, some of those activities
  include
• Hiring more Canadian citizens or permanent
  residents

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• Training current employees in new techniques
• Creating paid co-op or internship programs for
  local students
• Increasing revenue and investments
• Finally, it is worth clarifying that employers
  applying to hire talent in both categories will
  be required to commit to one activity related to
  each primary benefit job creation and skill
  development/training as well as two
  complimentary benefits.

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THANK YOU