In 2017, Donald Trump asked the US federal agencies to revise foreign workers’ visa regulations wherever necessary. That was done for the long-overdue revision of H-1B visas. The program lets companies in America hire workers from different nations with different skill sets, mostly in the field of Engineering, Science, and IT.
Most of the workers who go to America as workers under the H-1B program work in the fields mentioned above because the US lacks the experts needed in those areas.
The former president made this information public while approving the “Buy American, Hire American” command in Wisconsin. Trump’s campaign was curated to target legal and illegal immigration based on manufacturing jobs. He said that the visa would be given to the highest-skilled and highest-paid worker only. As one of the “Rust Belt” states, Wisconsin welcomed the Trump government with both hands and returned a Republican presidential candidate for the first time after 1984.
Canadian Contrast to this revision
When Trump signed the order, there was a stark contrast between the US and Canadian immigration policies for a while. The Canadian Government reaffirmed its goal to invite Global skilled workers when they presented the annual budget in 2017. The Global Talent stream that resulted after the reaffirmation is operational from 12th June 2017.
Whereas the H-1B visas were taking 3 to 6 months for the procedure, and the premium processing option was terminated after the revision, which used to provide an answer in a short period. Furthermore, the allocation of visas is not the same for the US and Canada. For Canada, they assess the applications based on the program requirement and merit; however, they provide VISAs through the lottery in the US. In 2016, this led to demand outstripping the supply by three-to-one.
Moreover, the Canadian Government also announced in its budget in 2017 that it would give $279.8 million over five years and $49.8 million/per year afterward. The fund is supposed to support two programs, the first one is, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). Another system that will benefit from the funding will be the International Mobility Program (IMP). These programs allow companies to hire employees from different nations.
Before Trump could announce the tightened guideline, the Australian Government canceled its ‘457’ program, which allowed foreign workers in their country, and announced that a plan would replace the same with more strict guidelines. Malcolm Turnbull, an Australian Leader, said that the 457 visas would not be provided to the passports that would take the jobs that should go to local residents.
Benefits for the IT companies
Canada’s IT sector has witnessed growth in recent years with big cities such as Toronto and Vancouver. The tech services, scientific and professional sector was the fifth-largest employer in the country in 2017. The industry had over 1.3 million jobs and workers throughout Canada.
That being said, it has opened an opportunity for skilled international workers to look for jobs in Canada’s tech field rather than trying for the US. Also, many US companies are thinking of spreading their office in Canada due to the admin policies in their country.
Ivan Cardona from a consulting and technology services company explained that to become eligible for the H-1B visa, the worker should be an expert in rising technologies or should be a pro in a specific and mature solution, having low penetration of the US market, or should be a senior resource in their field. To be a very senior resource in any domain will require a long-term investment. Ivan further added that the change had made it easier for Canadian companies to invite global talent. The companies can also use a combination of on-site and off-site resources.
The companies are not the only ones to benefit from the revision. Canadian Government had mentioned in its budget that its policies would help bring global talent to Canada and create more opportunities.
For international workers looking for foreign opportunities, a significant upside of working in Canada would be to transition to permanent residents after a certain period. Workers who were aspiring to work in the US or have worked there but could not secure a future are ideally done with their education and have usually developed/conquered English communication skills. These attributes are significantly considered for many of Canada’s immigration programs, which include the federal economic programs too. These programs fall under the Express Entry System of Canadian immigration.
