The US has suspended the H1B visa allowing high-skilled tech workers to enter the country. Canada’s response? Billboards.
“You’re seeing folks from Brazil, India, China really consider Canada as an option.”
$100,000 worth, paid for by Kitchener-Waterloo tech hub Communitech, in New York and the Valley, to make the case that maybe now is the time to consider relocating to the Great White North.
But immigration policy is more complicated than billboards! What’s Canada’s?
The federal government recently unveiled a new temporary policy to allow foreign workers to apply for work permits without having to leave the country. Then there’s the Global Skills Strategy, with its fast-track visa process that was made permanent as part of Budget 2019.
But the Global Skills Strategy, and its Global Talent Stream, have their limitations, and Canada is still projected to be 220,000 skilled workers short by 2021. We’re also still in the middle of a pandemic, which really puts a damper on global mobility.
So what to make of all of this? We asked Benjamin Bergen, Executive Director, Council of Canadian Innovators, which is federally listed as a GTS partner. Ben did such a good job that we even let him talk about the importance of an encompassing IP strategy for Canada.
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Black Swan is a BetaKit podcast. Hosted by Douglas Soltys & Rob Kenedi. Edited by Kattie Laur. Sponsored by Cisco Designed. Produced with support from TWG.