According to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the scheme is no longer open for applications.
The Canadian government’s plan to enable 10,000 H-1B visa holders in the United States to come and work in Canada, which is supposed to assist Indian professionals, has gotten a massive reaction, with the scheme exceeding its target on the first day.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that permits American businesses to hire foreign employees in specialist jobs that require theoretical or technical knowledge.
Every year, technology businesses rely on it to hire tens of thousands of workers from nations such as India and China. On July 16, the new work permit for H-1B visa holders became available for application.
According to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the scheme is no longer open for applications.
“We reached our cap of 10,000 applications for this initiative on July 17, 2023,” the IRCC stated on its website. The notice on the IRCC application portal is likewise similar.
“The temporary public policy for H-1B visa holders is no longer in effect.” “The intake cap of 10,000 primary applicants has been reached, and no further applications will be accepted,” the portal stated. Canada introduced the initiative last month in the hopes of becoming a world leader in a range of developing technologies and attracting experts affected by big layoffs by U.S. tech firms. In addition, the program will provide study or work visas for their family members.
“With Canada’s first-ever immigration Tech Talent Strategy, we’re targeting newcomers who can help enshrine Canada as a world leader in a variety of emerging technologies.”
Approved applicants for the new program will obtain an open work visa for up to three years, allowing them to work for nearly any firm in Canada. Their spouses and dependents will also be able to apply for a temporary residence visa as well as a work or study permit, according to the announcement.
During the epidemic, tech businesses were on a recruiting spree but have now begun laying off enormous numbers of employees. As a result, many H-1B visa holders are hurrying to find new employment before being compelled to leave the United States, according to the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation. Thousands of highly competent foreign-born individuals, particularly Indians, have lost their employment in the United States as a result of recent layoffs at corporations such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.
According to media sources in the United States, approximately 200,000 IT professionals have been let go since November of last year.
According to industry sources, between 30 and 40% of them are Indian IT experts, including a considerable percentage on H-1B and L1 visas. The US government provides 65,000 H-1B visas each year. The visas are valid for three years and can be renewed for an additional three years.
According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 72.6% of H-1B petitions accepted in FY 2022 were for recipients born in India.
Approximately 74.1% of Indians obtained H-1B visas in the preceding fiscal year, out of the total issued in FY 2021.
Meanwhile, the Migration Regime Institute said in a statement that Canada’s new H-1B visa regime cleverly utilizes flaws in the US system by providing work and study licenses for wives and other family members, as well as the possibility of a permanent future.
In its clear targeting of visa holders in another nation, Canada’s new policy is exceedingly rare. However, the main aims of the Tech Talent Strategy fall into a wider trend of governments positioning themselves to recruit and retain talent while keeping an eye on what their “competitors” are doing, according to the authors of the Washington-based think-tank.