Getting A Job In Canada On H1b Visa
The Trump administration recently released a new executive order limiting economic immigration to the United States for the remainder of the year. Such types of visas enable over half a million immigrants to come to the United States every year. Since the latest rule imposes limitations on the common H-1B visa, American businesses will be restricted from hiring hundreds of thousands of qualified workers in 2020.
So, many of those skilled employees will now look forward to settling in Canada as a more acceptable option. Canadian Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino has mentioned during a recent televised speech that Canada will proceed to welcome newcomers.
The Canadian Government has multiple immigration programs and streams that support the very qualified employees that the U.S. is turning away now.
The controversy surrounding the H-1B visa’s future has prompted some analysts to suggest there might be a move away from the U.S. and towards Canada.
So, how you can find employment in Canada if you are on an H1b visa?
How to settle with an H-1B visa in Canada?
If you already have an H-1B visa in the United States, you might be very well qualified to make the transition to Canada.
You can opt to stay as a temporary foreign worker north of the border, or make the transition to Canadian permanent residence, based on your profile and other conditions.
Working temporarily in Canada with H-1B visa
Nearly 300,000 foreign nationals come to Canada each year through the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP). This, in fact, enables a short amount of time for Canadian businesses to recruit foreign employees.
In many of those cases, to be qualified for a Canadian work permit candidates need a valid job offer from a Canadian employer.
Unlike in the U.S. though, there is no lottery system to evaluate who is approved.
If your employer and you meet the criteria of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), your application will be processed accordingly. Most of the occupations listed are in the information technology (IT) field.
Options to immigrate to Canada permanently
If you already have an H-1B visa in the United States, you are potentially a good applicant for economic immigration to Canada.
Canada has three major federal economic immigration programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
- Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
The federal Express Entry system manages the economic programs mentioned above. When a candidate meets the qualification criteria for one of Express Entry ‘s managed programs, he or she can apply a profile to the Express Entry pool.
Your profile will be awarded a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score based on factors like your age, educational background, and as well as skilled work experience.
Thorugh regular Express Entry invitation rounds, the top-ranking applicants are sent invitations to apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence.
As skilled workers in the US, applicants can eventually meet the Federal Skilled Worker admission requirements. Yet Canadian provinces also offer skilled workers a number of opportunities to become permanent residents in Canada.
Although the eligibility criteria and application processes differ from province to province, you can be offered an opportunity. Do you qualify for a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)? You can then apply for a provincial nomination with the province.
Successful applicants will then apply to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent resident status in Canada.