Employers who are tired of the H-1B lottery or who want to avoid it altogether have another option: Canada.
By working with an Employer of Record (EOR), US employers can take advantage of Canada’s world-class immigration program Global Talent Stream (GTS) to hire and retain tech talent without the headache and uncertainty of the US H-1B system. The best part a US employer doesn’t require a Canadian entity.
This article details what GTS is, how it works, and several ways US companies can take advantage of it, including those without an office in Canada.
What is Canada’s Global Talent Stream?
The GTS — launched in 2017 as part of Canada’s Global Skills Strategy — empowers Canadian employers to speed up the process of hiring foreign workers to fill specialized jobs.
In less than two weeks an employee can get authorization to work in Canada through GTS, one of the world’s fastest immigration pathways for tech workers. The employee, and can then move to and start working in Canada in as little as 90 days. There is also a The program also offers a rapid pathway available to permanent residency (PR) and citizenship in Canada, a relief compared to the uncertainty F-1 OPT workers face in the US when applying for an H-1B visa.
The GTS program has enabled Canadian companies to grow with skilled talent from all over the world and has drawn thousands of highly trained professionals to Canada. As a result, Canada’s tech industry is booming.
But US companies can take advantage of it too. Here’s how US companies can take advantage of the Global Talent Stream, including both US companies with offices in Canada as well as those without.
US companies with a Canadian office can use GTS to hire tech workers
Many US companies are opening offices in Canada and significantly expanding their tech teams. If a company is struggling to find tech workers for its Canadian office, it can leverage GTS to bring in talent from abroad quickly and relatively easily into its Canadian office.
Unlike the H-1B, however, Canada’s GTS does not have an annual cap, no lottery system, and no quotas based on country of origin for eventual permanent residency applications.
This is particularly beneficial for US companies trying to hire otherwise skilled tech workers in H-1B visa status that are having difficulty navigating the lengthy and complex process and face incredibly poor odds — 28% — in the H-1B lottery.
Unlike the H-1B, however, Canada’s GTS does not have an annual cap, no lottery system, and no quotas based on country of origin for eventual permanent residency applications.
Canadian work visas are also quick whereas, by contrast, getting an H-1B visa can take months, if selected in the lottery at all, causing anxiety and frustration. Thus, companies can utilize the GTS to bring workers into their Canadian offices with relative ease.
US companies that need tech workers in their Canadian office but need help finding qualified candidates can leverage tailored tech recruiting services provided through Syndesus’ Path to Canada solution that connects talented tech workers outside the US that are vetted and considered strong candidates for a GTS with job opportunities. This saves time for everyone involved and actively works toward reducing Canada’s tech shortage.
And for US companies with a small office in Canada who don’t have full-time HR, legal, immigration, and other administrative staff but who want to hire and expand their Canadian presence can also consider working with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) to take care of the administrative aspects of Canadian employment, including GTS-related immigration.
A PEO can handle all the HR, legal, tax, immigration, and other administrative tasks needed for a Canadian office already in existence, which can save time and resources.
But what about US companies that don’t have a presence in Canada at all? – is it still possible to leverage Canada’s Global Talent Stream to hire experienced tech talent that may otherwise not get into selected in the H-1B lottery and thus have to go back to their home country? The answer is a resounding yes – but using an Employer of Record (EOR).
US companies without a Canadian office can still use GTS through an Employer of Record
If you don’t have an office in Canada, it is still possible to hire remotely in Canada, and it’s easier than most people think. Even a large company, which may technically have the resources to establish a legal entity in Canada, may decide not to go through the internal bureaucracy and policy changes and instead work with a Canadian Employer of Record (EOR).
An EOR — like Syndesus — acts as an employee’s legal employer and provides all the HR, legal, tax, payroll, and immigration services needed for remote hiring to enable companies to hire workers remotely in a country where they don’t have an office.
The GTS, and Canada by extension, are a great way to keep skilled and much-needed employees.
For US employers who want to hire a remote tech worker in Canada, they don’t need expertise in Canadian immigration or employment law nor do they need to hire attorneys, accountants, and other professionals.
Instead, by leveraging an EOR, the compliance, tax, and immigration, hiring (or firing) are handled in a smooth, compliant, and stress-free way.
By working with a Canadian EOR and hiring tech talent that would otherwise be left with no option because of H-1B visa challenges, US companies can get value both in the short term, given the quick timeline of the GTS compared to the H-1B process, and in the long term given Canada’s quick route to permanent residency, and eventual citizenship. The GTS, and Canada by extension, are a great way to keep skilled and much-needed employees.
Syndesus can help companies hire skilled tech workers in Canada
Whether you have an office in Canada or not, Syndesus can help you hire and retain skilled tech workers in Canada.
Syndesus provides an EOR solution that helps US companies that don’t have an office in Canada hire remotely through Syndesus and thus leverages Canada’s tech talent and favorable immigration laws to hire and retain valued employees to grow their businesses.
And for US companies that do have a small Canadian entity but don’t have the budget or bandwidth to hire full-time administrative staff, Syndesus’ PEO provides payroll, tax, HR, immigration, and other services without being the Employer of Record.
Lastly, if you’re a Canadian employer or a US employer with a Canadian office looking for US-educated tech talent, Syndesus’ Path to Canada services helps match employers with top-tier, vetted tech workers that have a high probability of getting accepted into Canada’s GTS program and thus can start working in Canada quickly.
Interested in learning more about how Canada’s Global Talent Stream can help your US company move crucial tech talent to Canada, hire directly into Canada when the US isn’t an option, or otherwise tap into a database or highly-trained tech workers?
Reach out to us to learn more about how we can help you hire and retain talent remotely in Canada!
