To learn more about their experiences adjusting to life in the Waterloo region after arriving in Canada, the Waterloo Region surveys immigrants, international students, temporary workers, refugees, and their families every two years.
The poll offers an overview of the contributions immigrants bring to the area, as well as the challenges and difficulties they encounter and their recommendations for how things may be made better.
Around 1,500 individuals offered input this year. New immigrants and people who have lived in Canada for up to five years are both included in this.
Top tech talent can be found in Waterloo
With around 1,600 tech-related firms, Waterloo is a magnet for entrepreneurs and tech talent. In terms of population, the information technology and analytical instruments industry is likewise most concentrated in the Waterloo Region.
More than 90% of those polled said that having family and friends in the Waterloo Region was a factor in their decision to move there. A significant portion also arrived as a result of the post-secondary schools’ and employers’ good reputations in the area.
Problems and their solutions
According to the report, more immigrants than the general Waterloo population have higher levels of education than those who stay in the area. However, just 51% of respondents said they were employed in a profession that required the same level of expertise or experience as their prior position. Making social relationships was mentioned as the largest barrier to settling by some as they had trouble finding jobs and cheap homes.
Overall, half of those polled stated they were happy with their life and that moving to the Waterloo Region was a good experience. Nevertheless, they urge employers to be better informed about the benefits of employing, keeping, and promoting immigrants to Canada as well as providing more assistance in seeking employment.
Ways for tech professionals to move permanently
Express Entry
The majority of invitations to apply for permanent residence under Express Entry programs go to applicants with technical credentials. Application processing for skilled workers can be sped up with Express Entry.
It takes two steps to complete Express Entry:
Candidates must determine for themselves whether they qualify for the program they desire to apply for.
Those candidates who fulfill the requirements can set up a profile on the website of IRCC. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, which is based on variables including work experience, education, language skills, and other human capital, will then be assigned by IRCC. With each passing score, a candidate’s chances of getting an ITA for permanent residence rise.
Every two weeks a month the IRCC has conducted draws for the Express Entry program. Candidate final applications must be submitted to IRCC within 60 days of ITA receipt. An application for permanent residency should be handled by IRCC within six months after submission.
In 2023, Express Entry might undergo changes
The NOCs that get ITAs the most frequently under the present Express entry system are those that involve technology. The IRCC recently announced that in order to ensure that invites are issued to people who can fill crucial gaps in Canada’s labor market, it may start holding invitation draws based on work experience criteria rather than the CRS in early 2023.
Ontario Immigration Nominee Program
Canada’s every territory and province except Nunavut and Quebec has its own PNP (Provincial Nominee Program). With the help of this program, local governments are able to choose permanent residents who they believe will fit in the best in the local labor market in the province. Up to 9,700 new immigrants may enter the province in 2022 under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.
Through the Ontario Tech Draw, an immigration route designed exclusively for applicants with experience in the tech industry, some provincial nominations are made.
If a position in Ontario meets a minimum standard for language and education, it is qualified for the tech drawing. This list of jobs has unique NOCs.
Tech workers should have temporary work permits
Global Talent Stream
The creation of the Global Talent Stream (GTS) was done to help the Canadian IT sector expand. Once the potential employee submits their final application for the work permit program, the government strives to meet a processing threshold of two weeks.
Candidates who qualify for this route are given a temporary work visa and have the option of using it as a stepping stone to getting permanent residency. In order to be eligible to hire workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), which GTS is a part of, a firm must first complete certain processes.
Get an LMIA early on ESDC, whether it’s favorable or neutral. Employing people from outside of Canada is evaluated by ESDC to see if it will affect the country’s labor market favorably, unfavorably, or not at all.
Additionally, employers must fulfill the requirements in one of the two following groups:
CATEGORY A: EDSC clients who approach the company through referral partners fall under this group. Referral partners are often municipal, local, or government-affiliated organizations or businesses that have the authority to support local economies. The workers hired in this group have a lot of specialized knowledge in a certain area of the tech industry. If the candidate’s profession is already listed in the Global Talent Occupation List, the employer must submit an application under Category B.
CATEGORY B: Employers who need workers in professions like software engineers, designers, or information systems analysts—all of which are already on the Global Talent Occupations list—should use this.
Since there is a lack of these talents in the Canadian labor force, the government has identified these professions as in-demand.
CUSMA
The Canada, United States, and Mexico Agreement – (CUSMA) may be open to IT talent from elsewhere in North America. Similar to the GTS, it is a temporary work permit.
Thanks to this agreement, the exchange of talent between nations has become easier. For those who are specialists in information technology, the agreement is divided into two additional categories.
Professionals: The professional category includes 63 different vocations, all of which qualify for CUSMA. Popular IT professionals who may be eligible include system analysts and software engineers.
Intra-Company Transfer (ICT): When employees of international corporations relocate to the company’s Canadian branch, ICTs take place. The transferee frequently holds a management position or possesses other specific skills.
Non-CUSMA ICTs
It’s possible for multinational corporations to receive ICTs without having a physical presence in Mexico or the US. Employees from other nations may be able to transfer to Canada if any company with a global presence has a branch there already without the employer needing to obtain an LMIA.
