Global Skills Strategy 6-month update February 2018
Update on Global Skills Strategy: 6 months postlaunch Global Skills Strategy Overview Key statistics on Global Skills Strategy two-week work permit processing Short-term work permit exemptions: important things to keep in mind Dedicated Service Channel: case studies
Global Skills Strategy Overview What? A new service for companies workers Why? Helping companies be more competitive by attracting investment and skilled foreign talent to Canada. For whom? Companies: already established, start-up and scale-up stage companies From all economic sectors making significant investments which aim at creating jobs for Canadians How? 1. 2 week processing: for highly skilled workers 2. 2 new work permit exemptions: highly skilled temporary workers and researchers 3. Dedicated Service Channel: Personalized concierge service for companies, 4. Global Talent Stream: Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program: faster processing of Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) to eligible employers; and recruitment of highly specialized and skilled global talent 3
3,483 work permit applications were processed under the Global Skills Strategy from June, 12 - November, 30 2017
The Global Skills Strategy attracts a wide variety of talent
25.3% of all GSS applicants work in Western Canada 16,5% 6,7% 1,4% 0,7% 45% 11,2% 2% *16.5% destination unknown
Short-term work permit exemptions: important things to keep in mind 15 or 30 consecutive days, or 120 consecutive days for researchers Apply upon arrival at the Port of Entry Cannot apply from within Canada No extensions or splitting time between multiple trips Best practices: To bring all supporting documents at the Port of Entry To ask for a Visitor Record at the Port of Entry, to facilitate obtaining a Social Insurance Number
Dedicated Service Channel Number of DSC referrals: Over 60 referred companies, as of February 1, 2017 Main sectors served: Technology, Multimedia, Financial Services 33 Referral Partners across Canada 3 Referral Partners in Alberta: 1. Edmonton Economic Development 2. Calgary Economic Development Ltd. 3. Province of Alberta (Ministry of Labour)
DEDICATED SERVICE CHANNEL A REFERRED COMPANY MAY ACCESS THE DSC AT ANY POINT OF THE INVESTMENT 1 2 3 4 ATTRACTING THE INVESTMENT PLANNING STAGE APPLICATION STAGE FOLLOW-UP
Case study #1: Foreign company* (High Value) *fictional case Large Foreign Oil Company wants to open a new branch in Calgary, hiring 250 Canadians Identifies foreign talent needs for set up of the Calgary branch Foreign Oil connects with the Province of Alberta (Ministry of Labour) DSC is accessed while in the planning phase Province of Alberta (Ministry of Labour) refers Foreign Oil to DSC DSC Account Manager contacts Foreign Oil to assess foreign talent needs Communication continues between DSC and Foreign Oil
Case study #2: Domestic Scale-Up* (High Growth) *fictional case Edmonton based software firm (founded in 2015, currently has 5 employees), is preparing to grow their office to 25-30 employees by end of 2018 Looking to globally recruit 1 highly-skilled developer, 1 software engineer, 1 tech support specialist Edmonton Economic Development refers company to DSC DSC is accessed for the expansion + application phase DSC Account Manager reaches out to company to discuss immigration options for foreign talent needs identified Work permit applications submitted and processed according to the GSS 2 week processing
Additional Resources: Two-week processing: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/temp/work/2-week.asp Short-term work permit exemptions: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/temp/work/short-termexemption.asp Dedicated Service Channel Referral Partners: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugeescitizenship/services/work-canada/hire-foreign-worker/temporary/globalskills-strategy.html#toc2
Thank you Merci Cinthia Roberge Senior Program Advisor Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada