Canada opens doors for 10,000 H-1B visa holders and Indian techs to take advantage

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, 28 June

Canada will create an open work permit stream to allow 10,000 H-1B visa holders in the United States to come and work in the country, a move that could benefit thousands of Indian technical professionals.

Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said one of the programs was specifically targeting the United States. “The H-1B open-ended work permit for up to three years will be available by July 16. Spouses and dependents of visa holders will also be eligible for a temporary resident visa to work or study,” the Canadian government said in a statement. .

Co-opting skilled workers from the United States

• The H-1B nonimmigrant visa allows US companies to hire foreign workers for jobs that require technical expertise
• Canada hopes to attract professionals hurt by the mass layoffs of tech giants in the United States

Thousands of highly skilled foreign workers, including Indians, have lost their jobs due to a series of recent layoffs by companies such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon. According to US media reports, nearly two IT workers have been laid off since November last year.

Experts say that between 30 and 40 percent of the skilled workers are Indian, a significant number of whom hold H-1B and L1 visas.