How to Migrate to Canada as a Tech Worker

There are several ways for tech employees to immigrate to Canada.

Let’s start with how to get to Canada. Foreign nationals must have a work permit to lawfully work in Canada. Some of these work permits are designed expressly for computer employees. However, it is possible for tech employees to seek permanent status without ever stepping foot in Canada.

Having said that, research has indicated that immigrants with Canadian work experience fare better in the labor market. They earn more money and are more likely to find work in the first year following landing.

Without further ado, here are several work permit possibilities in Canada for computer employees.

Global Talent Stream

The Global Talent Stream is a significant temporary path. This path is intended to process 80% of applications in two weeks or less. Employers utilize it to quickly hire highly skilled employees. A qualified employer can fall into either Category A or B.

Category A companies are those that are rapidly expanding and require specialist skills from overseas. A referral partner must approve a Category A employer. This is typically a local, governmental, or semi-governmental institution tasked with the economic development of a city or region.

Category B is for employers looking for specific skilled people that Canada has identified as needed but in short supply. The Global Talent Occupations List is the name given to this list. The most recent list from Canada includes twelve vocations. They are all involved in technology.

Other conditions must be met by employers. For example, they must demonstrate that hiring the foreigner would result in long-term benefits for Canada. This might be accomplished by demonstrating that the new hire will create jobs for Canadians or by passing on skills or expertise to Canadians. The company must also demonstrate that they are paying the foreigner a minimum wage. This varies according to occupation and province.

CUSMA

This is the agreement that superseded NAFTA between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It has provisions that enable talent mobility among the three countries. Professionals and Intra-Company Transfers are the two groups relevant to tech personnel (ICT).

CUSMA lists 63 occupations that fall within the Professionals category. Computer system analysts are one of these jobs.

ICTs are employees that are relocating from another place inside the organization to a branch in Canada. There is no list of occupations that are eligible or excluded. An intra-company transferee is typically someone who has been with the company for at least one year and has either management or specialized knowledge.

Intra-Company Transfer (non CUSMA)

An ICT can be created in a country other than Mexico or the United States. The European Union-Canada free trade agreement (CETA), for example, has provisions for ICTs, as does the deal with the United Kingdom.

A Labour Market Impact Assessment is not required for a worker who enters Canada by any ICT. The LMIA, as it is frequently shortened, is a procedure that demonstrates that hiring a temporary worker will not displace any Canadian workers.

Pathways to permanent residency

Those who wish to remain in Canada indefinitely may apply for permanent status. Permanent residents typically have greater mobility inside Canada than temporary residents. They no longer need to have a work permit, although they may need to renew their PR card at some point. In addition, after a few years of residing in Canada as a permanent resident, the prospect of becoming a citizen becomes available.

Express Entry

Express Entry is the most popular immigration route for qualified employees in all fields. Although it is frequently referred to as an immigration program, it is actually a web-based application management system. Tech employees, in particular, can enter Canada under two of the three Express Entry programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) is designed primarily for tradespeople.

Express Entry is intended to complete 80% of applications in six months or fewer. Express Entry profiles are scored based on variables such as education, language, and work experience. Canada picks high-scoring profiles every two weeks or so and issues Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence.

FSW is frequently appropriate for persons who have had little exposure to Canada. To be eligible for FSW, a person must have at least one year of high-skilled work experience in Canada or abroad. These are vocations classified by Canada as National Occupation Code (NOC) Categories A and B. Tech occupations are typically NOC A. FSW applicants must additionally have a minimum language score of 7 on either the English CLB or the French NCLC. They do not require a job offer, but having one can boost their overall score.

CEC is intended for individuals who have already studied or worked in Canada. To be eligible, a person must have worked in a NOC A or B employment in Canada for at least one year (within the last three). If they work in NOC A, they must have CLB or NCLC 7. No job offer is required, as with FSW. However, possessing one can help you gain points.

Tech personnel perform exceptionally well in Express Entry. According to the most recent Express Entry annual report, almost one-third of all successful applicants are technologists. Four of the top five occupations chosen for ITAs are in technology.

Each province also manages its own immigration schemes, which aid in meeting more regional labor market demands. Several have distinct technological streams.

British Columbia Tech

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) provides a preferred lane for specific tech employees dubbed the BC Tech stream. This Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) seeks applicants with job offers in one of 29 suitable technology occupations.

You must be qualified for at least one other immigration program in British Columbia. The Tech stream is a unique path that operates within other programs rather than being a program in and of itself. You must have a job offer in your occupation. This deal must be for a minimum of one year.

Through weekly tech draws, eligible candidates are asked to seek a provincial nomination from the BC PNP. Candidates for BC Tech have various benefits, including priority processing and a designated processing officer.

Ontario Tech Draws

Ontario holds Tech Draws on occasion. You must be eligible for Ontario’s Human Capital Priorities stream. This implies that you must be qualified for either the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Canadian Experience Class. You must have work experience in one of the following six tech occupations to be eligible for a Tech Draw: software engineers and designers; computer programmers and interactive media developers; computer engineers; web designers and developers; database analysts and data administrators; and computer and information systems managers.

Quebec Immigration Program for Workers in Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, and Visual Effects Sectors

The province of Quebec launched this immigration pilot only a few months ago, in April 2021. This program has two streams.

See: How to Move your Company or Business to Canada

Artificial intelligence (AI)

This stream is divided into two sub-streams: those who graduated from a Quebec college or university, and those who received their training elsewhere. The requirements for the two categories will change slightly. For example, the Quebec sub-graduate program will require applicants to have prior experience as well as a job offer. In some circumstances, the foreign workers sub-stream does not require a job offer. However, both require that an applicant have relevant education that is at least equivalent to a Quebec bachelor’s degree.

Information technology (IT) and visual effects

Participants in this program must have worked in at least two of the last five years in one of ten occupations. They must also have a current employment or a fresh job offer in their field. They must also fulfill the educational criteria. They must show proof of at least a Quebec technical studies diploma or a bachelor’s degree.

Both streams are further subdivided. One is for francophones, while the other is for non-francophones. A person applying under the francophone category must demonstrate advanced intermediate understanding of French. The non-francophone stream is extremely rare. A knowledge of French is usually required for a Quebec immigration category.