Canada has an aging workforce and is recruiting educated, skilled and experienced immigrants to fill jobs and help grow Canada's economy. Canada wants to become a tech hub, and there are continued reports that U.S. companies are moving tech jobs to Canada rather than deal with Trump’s immigration policies. In addition to American companies expanding their operation to Canada so they can recruit and hire foreign tech workers, Canadian businesses need more IT workers and are looking to technology immigrants to meet their employment needs. Recently CBC reported that Calgary has 2000 unfilled tech jobs, and that Calgary Economic Development is spending a million dollars on a campaign to attract tech talent to Calgary.
The Canadian government has put initiatives and programs in place to make Canada attractive to foreign tech workers. For skilled IT workers who want to find tech jobs in Canada, the question becomes, 'How can I find a tech job in Canada?'
Where Immigrants Can Find Canada Tech Jobs
Ackah Business Immigration Law does not provide recruitment services — we cannot help you find a job. As immigration lawyers and paralegals, we help you get immigration papers after you have been offered a position by a Canadian or United States employer.
Evelyn Ackah, Founder and Managing Lawyer at Ackah Law, recently held a Facebook Live for tech workers who want to move to Canada, and addressed the issue of how to come to Canada as an IT worker:
There is a real need across Canada for talented IT workers, and the government has created programs to make it possible for more IT workers to come to Canada. Across the country there is a marked need for high-tech workers. Companies are desperately looking for highly-skilled professionals to join their operations.
American and Mexican citizens can come to Canada under the NAFTA category for engineers. This applies to software engineers also, not just mechanical engineers or oil and gas engineers. You can apply for a work permit at the airport with your package that you have prepared with an immigration professional if you have a professional degree if you have a job offer from a Canadian company, and the processing is done at the airport.
Another NAFTA category, the Computer Systems Analyst category. Many IT workers come with a computer science background. If you have a 4 year degreee and come from Mexico and America with a Canadian job offer, you can apply at the airport for a work permit.
Ideally, you can then become a permanent resident and then a Canadian citizen.
Inter-company transfers with a company in Canada who wants to bring you to Canada from anywhere in the world, and is for a specialized knowledge worker or executive who has worked for the company for at minimum 1 year. Then, you can apply for an inter-company transfer to the operation in Canada.
The government of Canada has created the Global Talent Stream to attract highly skilled technical workers.
Lawyers do not help people find jobs in Canada. The Global Talent Stream expedites work permits for individuals who are sponsored to move to Canada and who are highly skilled and paid. There is a list of job titles available on the IRCC website:
- Engineering Manager
- Architecture and Science Manager
- Computer Information System Manager
- Senior Computer Engineers
- Cloud Consulting
- Web Designers and Developers
- Informations Testing System Technician
- Digital Media Designers
The companies must demonstrate that they need to grow their operations and that hire skilled foreigners can train Canadians to perform these critical jobs.
Another Global Talent Stream group Category A has startup, incubators and other companies who partner with a local company who will sponsor foreign workers to come to Canada. The company also commits to training Canadians to fill these jobs in a Labour Market Impact Assessment; work permit processing time is approximately 2 weeks, which is much faster than the normal 6 month process.
The Labour Market Impact Assessment LMIA is done to identify job requirements needed for foreign workers. This takes 3-5 months, and the company must show the government that they have not been able to find a qualified Canadian for this job.
If you want to find a tech job in Canada, you need to look online for Canadian posted jobs, such as in
- Canada Job Bank
- Monster.com
- Workopolis
- Indeed
When you look at the online Canadian job sites and interview for a job, they will do the LMIA if they want to hire you as a foreign worker to come to Canada.
Watch: Immigration Lawyer Evelyn Ackah Answers Your Questions About Canada Tech Visas
