U.S visa holders can access a variety of Canadian immigration options, but their own country doesn’t provide them with flexible visa options. For instance, an H-1B visa is a U.S work permit that offers a chance to foreign nationals with specialized knowledge or merit to work in the U.S. However, this H-1B visa can cause challenges for workers related to their time limit. A few of the H-1B visas have a validity of three years, giving holders a chance to extend it up to three years. After the completion of this extension, they will need to leave the U.S for a whole year without re-entering the country. Therefore, U.S visa holders find it challenging to begin a family life or settle in the country.
Visas issued by the United States have a low cap of an annual 65,000 and 20,000 more visas for those obtaining higher education, a Master’s degree. These figures are relatively smaller compared to the total size of the U.S workforce.
In the wake of these challenges in the U.S, numerous skilled workers seeking permanent residency shifted toward Canada. Several U.S candidates can access the available options for temporary work permits, including specific people with specialized knowledge. Hence, you can use these work permit options to your advantage to obtain permanent residency.
Moreover, Canada is a better place for those seeking work experience. Consider the following options:
Temporary Residence options for U.S visa holders
The substantial temporary residence options mainly include the following:
GTS
Foreign Nationals working in the tech and IT sector can access the Global Talent Stream. GTS is an intrinsic part of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in which Canadian employers must demonstrate the Labour Market Impact Assessment from ESDC, ensuring it is either positive or neutral.
Employment and Social Development Canada assesses the kind of impact the LMIA will have on the Canadian labor market.
The Global Talent Stream was an initiative to increase the growth rate of the Canadian tech industry. This stream works to accomplish a two-week processing timeframe after receiving the final application of an employee.
Intra-Company Transfers
Usually, foreign nationals holding H-1B visas belong to multinational companies, having branches both in Canada and the U.S. Usually, ICTs take place when MNC employees shift to their Canadian branch company. The transferee must hold a higher management position with specialized knowledge. Moreover, U.S employees seeking a long-term presence in Canada can apply for an intra-company start-up work permit.
CUSMA
Mexican H1-B visa holders become eligible to work in Canada under the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement. Additionally, employees must qualify to work in their specific occupation and should only adhere to the job position for which they had been recruited.
U.S visa holders obtain permanent residence through work experience
Obtaining permanent residence in Canada is easier through the following immigration pathways:
Express Entry
Any of the above work permits can help you gain Canadian work experience and you might further use this experience to apply for permanent residence via Express Entry. IRCC uses the Express Entry system for application management through its chief economic class streams: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, FSTP, and the Canadian Experience Class.
Candidate can self-analyze their eligibility for Express Entry programs and further create a profile on IRCCs official website. The department allows scores under the Comprehensive Ranking System to candidates. These CRS scores are given through a variety of factors, including educational qualification, language skills, work experience, and other human capital factors. The higher the CRS score the higher their prospects of receiving an invitation to apply for Canadian PR. Overall, the candidate will have around 60 days to submit their complete application, with a processing timeframe of six months for fresh applications.
Provincial Nominee Programs- another option for the U.S visa holders
Provincial Nominee Programs offer a wide variety of immigration programs that can help one attain permanent residence in Canada. However, Canadian provinces, excluding Nunavut and Quebec, comprise PNPs aligning with IRCC. Through the PNPs, the government selects only those candidates who perfectly match their preferences. Most Canadian provinces have specific immigration streams to invite candidates for in-demand occupations, such as tech and healthcare.
