Move to Canada as a Tech Worker

Immigrating to Canada as an IT professional is possible in a variety of ways. To work lawfully in Canada, foreign nationals require a work permit. Some of these work permits are designed particularly for IT professionals. However, for IT professionals, it is conceivable to qualify for permanent status without ever having set foot in Canada.

Nonetheless, research has indicated that immigrants with prior job experience in Canada fare better in the labour market. They earn more money and are more likely to find work within the first year of their arrival. Here are some Canadian work visa alternatives for IT employees: 

CUSMA

This is an agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, which superseded NAFTA. It includes rules that make talent mobility across the three nations easier. Professionals and Intra-Company Transfers (ICT) are the two categories that are important to tech employees. CUSMA lists 63 professions that fall within the Professionals category such as the Computer Systems Analysts. Employees who are relocating to a branch in Canada are referred to as ICTs. An intra-company transferee is often someone who has worked for the firm for at least one year and has either management or specialized expertise.

Global Talent Stream

The Global Talent Stream is a popular temporary option. The goal of this approach is to handle 80% of applications in two weeks or less. Employers utilize it to swiftly hire high-skilled workers. Employers who meet the criteria might fall into one of two categories: Category A or B.

Companies in Category A are those that are rapidly expanding and require specialized personnel from outside the country. This is generally a municipal, governmental, or semi-governmental organization whose goal is to promote economic growth in a city or region.

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Employers in Category B are searching for certain skilled employees that Canada has identified as being in low supply. It is managed by the Global Talent Occupations List wherein there were nearly twelve jobs on Canada's most current list.

Intra-Company Transfer (ICTs)

All you need to know about Canadian immigration and work visa options for tech workers

It is a type of internal transfer that occurs within a company and is categorized as a non-CUSMA category. Making an ICT from a nation other than Mexico or the United States is feasible. For example, the CETA free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada, as well as the deal with the United Kingdom, include provisions for ICTs. A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is not required for a worker who comes to Canada via the ICT route. The LMIA, or Labour Market Impact Assessment, is a method of demonstrating that hiring a temporary worker will not replace any Canadian workers.

Routes to a Permanent Residence

Permanent residence status is available to those who choose to stay in Canada for a longer period. Temporary residents generally have less mobility within Canada than permanent residents. They no longer require a work permit, however, their PR card may need to be renewed at some time. After a few years of living in Canada as a permanent resident, the prospect of becoming a citizen increases to a greater extent.

Express Entry

It is the most popular immigration route for highly qualified professionals from all fields. It is an online application management system, not an immigration program, as it is sometimes misunderstood. The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW) and the Canadian Experience Class are two of the three programs handled by the Express Entry system that can bring tech employees to Canada (CEC). The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) is designed for those who work in the trades.

Express Entry is a great route for tech employees to enter Canada. As per the latest annual Express Entry Report, IT employees make up around a third of all the successful candidates. Technology accounts for four of the top five most popular ITA jobs. Each province also runs its own immigration schemes to assist meet regional labour market need. Several of them have their own technological streams.

British Columbia Tech Stream

A preferential pathway dubbed as the BC Tech stream is offered to select tech employees under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC-PNP). Candidates who have employment offers in one of 29 qualifying tech occupations are eligible for this Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). To be qualified, you must be eligible for at least one other immigration program in British Columbia. The BC Tech stream is a unique path that complements other programs rather than replacing them and for that the candidate should have a job offer in his/her field of study. This contract must be for a minimum of one year. Weekly tech drawings encourage eligible individuals to seek a provincial nomination from the BC PNP. Candidates for BC Tech get many perks, including priority processing and a dedicated processing officer.

 Ontario Tech Draws

Ontario has Tech Draws regularly. You must be qualified for Ontario's Human Capital Priorities Stream to be considered while being eligible for either the FSWP (Federal Skilled Worker Program) or the CEC (Canadian Experience Class) to do so. You should have work experience in one of the six tech occupations including 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, to be eligible for a Tech Draw.

Quebec's Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, and Visual Effects Workers Immigration Program

This immigration experiment was just initiated a few months ago, in April 2021, by the province of Quebec. There are two streams in this program i.e., Artificial intelligence (AI) and Visual effects & Information Technology (IT). There are two more divisions in both streams that is Francophones and non-Francophones. If you apply under the francophone category, you must demonstrate that you have an advanced intermediate level of French. The presence of a non-francophone stream is uncommon. A knowledge of French is usually required for a Quebec immigration category.