The United States has long been a draw for foreign talent, but the Trump administration has slowed this steady stream of the world’s brightest talents to a trickle, putting pressure on most avenues for legal immigration to the US
Fortunately, however, America isn’t the only option for highly skilled international talent. Canada is now competing against the US for the world’s best and brightest workers.
The tech industry across Canada is booming – over the past five years, Toronto outpaced San Francisco and New York to see the biggest growth in technology jobs of any North American city. Two of the biggest reasons for this tech boom are 1) the increasing difficulty in getting a US work visa and 2) Canada’s Global Talent Stream.
Canada’s Global Talent Stream is a program designed to fast-track the entry of foreign workers with specialized skills.
And so while the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration orders have kept nearly half a million seasonal laborers, students, and skilled professionals out of the country, Canada’s federal government has begun increasing immigration through the Global Talent Stream.
Canada’s Global Talent Stream is a program designed to fast-track the entry of foreign workers with specialized skills. The pandemic has slowed economies around the globe, and yet, the Global Talent Stream continues to bring new talent to the Canadian workforce and promises an acceleration of that once quarantine is lifted.
We can talk about immigration policy and statistics all day, but the best way to understand the Canadian immigration process is through a personal story. Let me tell you how Gaurav Saraswat immigrated from India to Canada with the help of Syndesus.
Gaurav’s origin story
Gaurav Saraswat grew up in India where he completed his bachelor’s in Computer Science at Maharaja Agrasen Institute Of Technology, a well-ranked engineering college in Delhi. After graduating in 2016, he landed a job working as a Salesforce Developer for a subsidiary of Wipro before moving to a company called Vlocity. Years later, it would be a connection he made at Vlocity that would take him to Canada, but we’ll get there.
In 2018, Gaurav got the opportunity to live and work Down Under – in sunny Sydney, Australia, to be precise. There, he worked for a large Australian broadband company as a Salesforce Developer. Gaurav seemed to be moving up in the ranks and continued to get jobs at great companies building out Salesforce solutions, but Gaurav was starting to feel uninspired.
“You know, it’s not easy to get into the US So we preferred to try to get me into Canada so I’d be in the same time zone and be able to support [ForceIQ headquarters] fully but with a smoother immigration process.”
Part of this lack of inspiration was due to how he viewed the local tech scene. “Their mindset is like, you know, they’re not very adaptive to new technology,” Gaurav explained. “[Australia] has communication and banking industries and some of the pharmacy industry, but other than that, you will not find much innovative work there.”
Then — as if right on time — a former colleague from Vlocity reached out to Gaurav with an interesting offer: come to North America to work at ForceIQ, a Chicago-based tech company. But both Gaurav and ForceIQ management were left wondering how easy it would be for Guarav to immigrate to the US
“You know, it’s not easy to get into the US So we preferred to try to get me into Canada so I’d be in the same time zone and be able to support [ForceIQ headquarters] fully but with a smoother immigration process.”
This is where Syndesus stepped in to ease Gaurav’s immigration process.
Gaurav’s immigration journey to Canada
After accepting the job with US-based ForceIQ, Gaurav moved back to India to start his immigration journey. Rather than apply for an H1B visa to work at ForceIQ’s Chicago office, Gaurav and his new employer instead worked with Syndesus to get him a work visa in Canada through the Global Talent Stream.
The coronavirus pandemic has closed borders and slowed immigration around the world. But despite COVID-19, The Global Talent Stream (GTS) program in Canada continues to operate. The goal of the GTS program is to expedite and ease the processing time for visa and work permit applications for foreign nationals who possess unique talents or are highly skilled.
The goal of the GTS program is to expedite and ease the processing time for visa and work permit applications for highly skilled foreign nationals.
Gaurav collected all the documentation needed for his application, then his Immigration Consultant managed the visa application and submission.
“My immigration consultant was reaching out to make sure I understood how the process will look like and what required documents will be needed,” explained Gaurav. “I think the whole process from the first call took about three months, with all the document verifications and then stamping.”
The goal of the GTS program is to expedite and ease the processing time for visa and work permit applications for highly skilled foreign nationals. Once your application has been compiled and completed, the typical timelines are 10 business days to assess applications and 14 business days to process work permits, though because of COVID-19, things are taking a bit longer.
Gaurav’s life in Canada
Syndesus’s assistance didn’t end once Gaurav’s work permit was secured. Syndesus is a Canadian professional employer organization — commonly referred to as a PEO — which enables US-based companies to remotely hire an international professional. Syndesus helps companies manage the nitty-gritty of international hires, from helping them apply for work visas to understanding insurance and finding a place to live.
“Syndesus is helping me along the way,” Gaurav explained. “For example, they helped me in choosing one of the banks.”
In January 2020, Gaurav landed in snowy Toronto to start his new job. But 2020 took a wild turn soon after when COVID-19 hit North America, closed borders, and led to restricted movement. So what has life been like for Gaurav since arriving in Canada?
“When I came here it was winter, but I still went out and explored a few other places,” explained Gaurav. “Then COVID started, so we can’t travel but at least I can go out for a walk with all the precautions. Whatever we can do, though not very much.”
As Canada begins to ease quarantine regulations, Gaurav is excited to explore Toronto — his new home.
Canada is the way to go to expand your tech team
As Canada struggles to overcome its shrinking workforce and an aging population, the number of people immigrating into the country is expected to rise. New data show immigration to Canada increased by 26% between 2015 and 2019.
And with US immigration continuously getting hammered by presidential proclamations and executive orders, Canada is more and more becoming the go-to destination for companies to access top talent and for foreign talent to find great jobs.
Interested in tapping into Canada’s growing pool of international talent?
Syndesus can walk you through the logistics of hiring a remote worker in Canada. Relying on Syndesus to hire Canadian talent is easier, cheaper, and faster than bringing a foreign national into the US on an H-1B or even a TN visa, and has a clear pathway to residence that helps foreign nationals feel safe and secure and able to plan for the future.
Want to hear more? Book some time to chat about your hiring situation. Syndesus can help you expand your team into Canada and access some of the world’s most talented technology professionals and open immigration systems!
