November 1, 2016 – Today, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced the 2016 Fall Economic Statement and made a commitment to investments that will revitalize the Canadian economy, spur long-term growth and strengthen the middle class. Minster Mourneau addressed the need for Canada to quickly access the skills and expertise of global talent to enable Canadian firms to succeed in the global marketplace. Canada's new "Global Skills Strategy" will make it easier for Canadian business to attract the best and the brightest to Canada in order to succeed. The major change is the stated two-week standard for processing visas and work permits for low-risk, high-skilled talent for companies doing business in Canada. The Global Skills Strategy is aimed at:
- High-growth Canadian companies that need to access global talent to facilitate and accelerate investments that create jobs and growth in Canada; and
- Global companies making large investment, relocating to Canada and establishing new business that will create new Canadian jobs.
In addition to the two-week processing times, the government will be introducing a new work permit exemption for durations of stay less than 30 days per year or brief academic stays.
While many details remain unknown, we are thrilled to see that
the government has listened to Canadian businesses and is
supporting their need to hire the best talent in order to succeed
both at home and around the world.
In terms of implementation, we expect that these changes will be
effective in the spring of 2017. Please continue to stay in
touch with us (follow us on Twitter and connect on Linkedin) and we
will let you know exactly when the Global Skills Strategy will go
live! As always, please contact us for any information
regarding your immigration needs.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
