A new open work-permit stream that Canada has announced will enable 10,000 H-1B visa holders in the US to enter and work there could be advantageous for many Indian tech experts.
Canada’s Unibots.in aims to dominate the globe in a number of cutting-edge fields and recruit talent displaced by the US IT industry’s large layoffs.
A non-immigrant visa called the H-1B allows US businesses to hire foreign nationals for specialised jobs that need for theoretical or technical skills.
It is essential to the hiring of tens of thousands of workers each year from nations like China and India by technology companies.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser on Tuesday, the Canadian government will establish an open work-permit stream by July 16 to permit 10,000 American citizens with H-1B visas to enter and work in Canada.
The project would also offer for study or work visas for their family members, the ministry stated in its news release.
We have high immigration targets, but they’re not just about the numbers; they’re also strategically sound, so we’re excited about them. We are focusing on immigrants who can help cement Canada as a global leader in a number of emerging technologies via Canada’s first-ever immigration tech talent strategy, Fraser said.
Those who are accepted into the new programme will be given an open work permit that is valid for up to three years and allows them to work for nearly any employer in Canada. According to the press release, their spouses and dependents will also be qualified to apply for a temporary residence visa with the appropriate job or study permission.
During the pandemic, tech companies went on a recruiting spree, but they have recently initiated mass layoffs. Many H-1B visa holders are now rushing to locate new employment before they are required to leave the US, according to a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Numerous recent layoffs at businesses like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have resulted in the loss of employment for thousands of highly qualified foreign-born workers in the US, including Indians. Nearly 200,000 IT workers have reportedly lost their jobs since November of last year, according to US media estimates.
According to industry sources, between 30 and 40% of them are Indian IT professionals, many of whom are in possession of H-1B and L1 visas.
The US government issues 65,000 H-1B visas each year. The three-year visas can be extended for an additional three years.
According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, of the H-1B petitions approved in FY 2022, 72.6% were for recipients whose country of birth was India.
Of the total H-1B visas authorised in FY 2021, approximately 74.1% were granted to Indians in the previous fiscal year.