What are the benefits of immigrating to Canada as a Tech worker

India has the largest population of tech workers. Nevertheless, in search of better opportunities, people immigrate to Canada. 

Are you among those tech workers who are in search of better opportunities and give thought to immigrating to Canada? If yes! Here is a complete guide about the opportunities and pathways to immigrate to Canada.

Canada has become the most favourable landing place for Indian tech workers. According to Canada’s Tech Network (CTN), over 15,000 Indian tech workers immigrate to Canada from April 2022 to March 2023. 

The country’s immigration-friendly policies and low labour costs attracted over 32,000 tech workers from India by offering them open work permits. 

There are many Canadian cities that have a strongly growing tech sector: 

• Mississauga is one of the cities and a hub of nearly 1,000 IT companies with over 300,000 tech professionals. 
• However, in Montreal, another city, the tech industry grew around 31% from 2015 to 2020. 

According to migration data, a total of 1,900 tech workers from all over the world immigrated to Mississauga and 959 to Montreal between April 2022 and March 2023. 

Job opportunities for tech workers: 

Due to the pandemic, the rise of remote work has resulted in tech talents more frequently moving away from traditional tech hubs. 

The report titled, ‘Tech Workforce Trends: The Migration of Tech Workers and Tech Jobs Since The Pandemic’ said, “The large migration of tech workers fills the need for skilled workers amid an ongoing global talent shortage and points to a hopeful and prosperous future for Canada’s tech occupation workforce.”  

In addition, it is also said that Canada has more than 400,000 software developers, with the growth of the national tech workforce in the country which has been unlimited to the bigger Canadian markets. 

Some provinces, like Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, have experienced a 16.3% annual growth in tech workers. 

The most in-demand tech skills in Canada are Microsoft Azure, Analytical skills, Amazon web services, Jira, Data science, Github, Customer Relationship Management, and Customer experience. 

How can you immigrate to Canada?

Due to the increase in tech immigrants, Canada offers a special work permit to tech workers, which helps immigrants to immigrate permanently without having work experience in Canada.

Tech talent strategy and category-based Express Entry draws help contribute to the growth of tech workers in Canada and attract skilled workers from all over the world. 

Here are the easiest and fastest immigration pathways:

Express Entry:

It is the most frequently chosen option by tech workers to immigrate to Canada and settle permanently there. More than 110,000 tech workers immigrate to Canada annually. 

There are three provincial programs managed by the Express Entry System, namely the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). 

The Federal Skilled Worker Program is appropriate for tech workers as it does not require any previous work experience in Canada.

To apply under Express Entry, you must make an online profile, which is scored by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) calculator. If your CRS score is higher than the cut-off, you are invited to apply for permanent residency.

Although the Express Entry System does not consider occupation when determining the CRS score, the immigration minister recently announced the occupation-based Express Entry draw. 

This occupation-based draw allows the federal government to select candidates based on labour market needs. Hence, it is a good opportunity for you to immigrate now and seize the opportunity.

Provincial Nominee Program:

Provinces invite tech workers directly from the Express Entry pool through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). It has now become a popular way for tech workers to immigrate to Canada. 

Many provinces offer nominations to those with only experience in the tech industry. However, some provinces invite tech workers directly from the Express Entry pool to apply for permanent resident.

Here are some provinces for tech workers who want to settle in Canada permanently:

• Ontario: The Human Capital Priorities stream of Ontario is appropriate for tech workers who don’t have any valid job offer. They hold targeted tech draws regularly, for which they invite tech workers directly from the Express Entry pool. 

The only limitation of this stream is that tech workers can’t apply if the province does not invite them. Ontario selects a targeted CRS range to decide which candidate will receive a Notification of Interest (NOI). If you receive a notification, you can apply for nomination within 45 days of receiving the notification.

Here is the list of targeted tech occupations:

• Software engineers and designers (NOC 21231)
• Computer programmers and interactive media developers (NOC 21230)
• Computer engineers (NOC 21311)
• Web designers and developers (NOC 21233)
• Database analysts and data administrators (NOC 21223)
• Computer and information systems managers (NOC 20012)

• British Columbia: The PNP Tech Program of British Columbia, this program accelerates the application process for tech workers with a valid job offer from any one of the 27 tech occupation priority lists. 

To qualify under this program, you must be eligible for any one of British Columbia’s immigration streams. 

One advantage of this program is that it does not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Instead, the province issued a “letter of support” to the nominee, which can be used to apply for a Canadian work permit.

Some of British Columbia’s prioritized list of tech occupations is:

• Telecommunication carriers managers (NOC 10030)
• Computer and information systems managers (NOC 20012)
• Physicists and astronomers (NOC 21100)
• Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries (NOC 21210)
• Data scientists (NOC 21211)
• Cybersecurity specialists (NOC 21220)
• Business systems specialists (NOC 21221)
• Information systems specialists (NOC 21222)
• Database analysts and data administrators (NOC 21223)
• Computer systems developers and programmers (NOC 21230) 

• Alberta: The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) offers a pathway for tech workers who have a valid job offer from an eligible employer in Alberta. To become eligible for this program, you must have a job offer in one of the 37 tech occupations. 

This program runs through Alberta’s Express Entry stream. To apply under this pathway, you must be eligible for the AINP Express Entry stream.

Alberta offers a letter of support to the nominee that can be used to apply for a work permit on behalf of the lengthy LMIA process. 

Some of the eligible tech occupations are:

• Senior managers – financial, communications and other business services (NOC 00012)
• Human resources managers (NOC 10011)
• Advertising, marketing and public relations manager (NOC 10022)
• Telecommunication carriers manager (NOC 10030)
• Human resources professionals (NOC 11200)
• Professional occupations in advertising, marketing, and public relations (NOC 11202)
• Human resources and recruitment officers (NOC 12101)
• Engineering managers (NOC 20010)
• Architecture and science managers (NOC 20011)
• Computer and information systems managers (NOC 20012)

• Quebec: The government of Quebec launched an immigration pilot program in April 2021, that benefits certain tech workers. This program allows foreign workers to work and settle permanently in the province.

The program has two streams: 

• Artificial Intelligence: This stream targets two types of tech professionals: Graduates from a Quebec university and foreign-trained workers. 

The Quebec job offer is required for graduates. However, it is not required for trained workers if they have sufficient work experience in Quebec. 

A candidate with a relevant education that minimally corresponds to Quebec’s bachelor's degree is also required. 

• Information technologies (IT) and visual effects: This stream targets certain tech professionals with a minimum experience of 2 years in one of the ten selected occupations within the past ten years. 

If you are applying for this stream, you must have a job offer or be working in their field in Quebec. 

A completed education corresponding to a Quebec diploma of technical training or a Quebec bachelor’s degree is also required.

Some of the eligible occupations are:

• Computer and information systems managers (NOC 20012)
• Electrical and electronics engineers (NOC 21310)
• Information systems analysts and consultants (NOC 21222)
• Software engineers and designers (NOC 21231)
• Computer programmers and interactive media developers (NOC 21230)

The candidate must demonstrate financial stability and of at least 18 years old to apply under both streams. 

• Francization Profile: Candidates who do not speak French can apply under this profile. They must sign an agreement to learn French upon arriving in the province. The province offers a free language course to help immigrants.

The demand for tech workers has been increasing annually. To overcome the shortage of labours, Canadian employers are looking for immigrants to fulfill their labour needs. 

More than one-third of jobs in Canada’s information and communication technology (ICT) were held by immigrants in past years.

Immigrating to Canada can be a complex task, but with the help of professionals, it can be done easily. 

Contact Stark Visas now! The best immigration consultancy. We provide professional guidance throughout the process and stand by you till you reach your destination!