Losing your US visa status is devastating and happens more often than you think. The Covid-19 pandemic and present-day layoffs have been greatly affecting immigrant tech talent in the US, with no chance of greater visa stability in sight.
Depending on your nationality, there might be no guarantee of a greencard in your lifetime despite your employment status.
Forbes magazine found that under current immigration law, Indians in the employment-based second preference category theoretically could wait 119 years for permanent residence (a green card), while an Indian in the employment-based third preference (EB-3) could wait 27 years for a green card, according to an analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy.
According to US government data, up to 82% of H-1B registrants for highly skilled foreign nationals will be rejected in the next 2023 lottery. Indeed, in 2021, more than 70% of applicants were rejected because of the H1B visa’s low annual cap of 85,000.
With such strict limitations many visa-holders have found themselves forced to leave the US and return back to their home country.
So if you want to get back to North America, what are your options?
If you’re a tech worker with US work experience, come to Canada via Global Talent Stream
There are a few options to consider but one in particular stands out – one that is arguably more secure in terms of visa status and means moving to the fastest growing tech scene in North America: moving to Canada to work for a Canadian tech company via Global Talent Stream.
What is the Global Talent Stream?
The Global Talent Stream (GTS) is one of the best routes into North America for skilled tech workers.
Canada launched GTS in 2017 as a way to attract highly skilled workers that doesn’t have the same annual limits that stops talent from staying in the US Since its creation, it has helped tens of thousands of immigrants move to Canada for work.
You can get authorization to work in Canada through GTS in about two weeks, which is currently Canada’s fastest immigration pathway for skilled workers.
GTS has also enabled Canadian companies to grow with specialized talent from all over the world.
Another major benefit is that the GTS — part of Canada’s Global Skills Strategy — empowers Canadian employers to speed up the process of hiring foreign workers to fill specialized jobs.
You can get authorization to work in Canada through GTS in about two weeks, which is currently Canada’s fastest immigration pathway for skilled workers.
What are the qualifications for GTS?
To be eligible, you must have a job offer from a Canadian employer that is seeking workers for a unique, specialized, or high-skilled and in-demand occupation that can be found on a Global Talent Occupations List – a list that is updated frequently.
The Global Talent Stream is a popular immigration pathway for two main reasons: expedited processing means that workers can have a work permit in approximately 10 days and that after just 12 months of work experience in Canada, it is possible to apply for permanent residency.
Once permanent residency is granted, you can access most of Canada’s national benefits such as health insurance coverage.
GTS has enabled Canadian companies to grow with specialized talent from all over the world, and it has drawn many thousands of highly skilled professionals to Canada each year.
In recent years, many tech workers who might have considered the US in the past are instead opting for Canada because of the challenges, complexity, and confusion of America’s immigration policies and Canadian employers are looking for the tech talent that have left the US
If you’re a skilled tech worker, Canadian companies want you!
First, Canadian companies are constantly growing and looking for tech talent.
Toronto is currently the third largest tech scene in North America, just behind Silicon Valley and New York City, and has had the most tech-related growth from 2016 through 2021 adding more than 88,900 jobs.
Vancouver has also had the 3rd largest tech-related growth in the same time frame bringing in 44,460 new jobs. This growth isn’t projected to stop any time soon, which means that Canadian companies are looking for talent to fill the gaps in their current employment market.
On top of that, Canadian companies are looking for employees who want to stay in North America so that they will be within the same time zone as their clients for client-facing roles.
Candidates who have experience working in the US fit the bill for Canadian companies because of their guaranteed English proficiency and cultural fit from working in an almost identical work culture.
On top of that, Canadian companies are looking for employees who want to stay in North America so that they will be within the same time zone as their clients for client-facing roles.
Plus, residing in a North American time zone is best to work with fellow team members, to take part in meetings and work during times that clients can access them even if they aren’t in traditionally client-facing roles.
For people with US tech experience, strong English skills and a desire to stay in North America, Canada can provide both the job opportunity and the security of a great work visa and overall immigration program.
So how do you start looking for a tech job in Canada via GTS?
Path to Canada can help experienced tech workers find great jobs with Canadian tech companies.
If you are looking for a new tech job that takes you back to North America, Path to Canada, a service provided by Syndesus, a fast-growing Canadian PEO, can help you find your new tech job with a company that can sponsor your work permit in Canada.
You could be employed and living in Canada in less than 90 days!
Path to Canada partners with Canadian tech companies that are looking for international talent and helps connect them with highly skilled tech workers, many of whom have either a US education or work experience or both.
And whether you’re already back in your home country after having studied and / or worked in the US, or if you’re still in the US figuring out your options, Path to Canada can help.
Path to Canada also partners with immigration professionals to help candidates with the visa process once they’ve accepted their job offer and have been approved to the Global Talent Strategy Skills program. The process is simple – if you’re an experienced tech worker looking to get back to North America or take a tech job with more certainty than the current US visa programs, take five minutes to complete your candidate profile and tell us a little about yourself and you’ll be on your way to getting matched with a Canadian employer!