Industry watchers say technology firms in Canada are the likely beneficiaries of U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s clampdown on the H-1B visa widely used by Silicon Valley companies to bring in highly-skilled immigrants.<\/p>\n
The new limits published in the Federal Register<\/a><\/span>, the daily journal of the American government, are intended to stop tech giants from using H-1B workers as cheap labour and protect American jobs, said Homeland Security.<\/p>\n Under the changes developed by U.S. departments of Homeland Security and Labor and due to come into effect December 7, the definitions of specialty occupations, worksites, and third-party worksites are being revised. Staffing companies will now only be able to bring in immigrants under this visa to third-party sites for a maximum of one year.<\/p>\n American immigration activists are lambasting the Trump administration for this latest step in restricting immigration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Read More<\/b><\/p>\n Trump Using Coronavirus to Push Anti-Immigration Agenda<\/a><\/span> Sean Randolph, senior director of the Economic Institute of the Bay Area Council, has said the changes will likely hit San Francisco\u2019s Silicon Valley, home of tech giants Google, Apple and Facebook, hardest. Last year, those three companies were approved to receive more than 5,500 new H-1B, highly-skilled workers.<\/p>\n \u201cH-1Bs are used by both tech and non-tech companies to fill jobs where the needed skills are unique or not available locally,\u201d wrote Randolph. \u201cThe numbers aren\u2019t large but they are strategic.<\/p>\n \u201cShutting that door has several \u2026 implications: educated immigrants who are denied entry to the U.S. are welcomed by countries with which we compete and many choose to go there instead,\u201d he wrote.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf Silicon Valley or other companies can\u2019t find the skills they need when they need them, the odds increase that more highly skilled jobs and functions will the U.S. for other countries such as Canada which welcomes immigrants and where educated workers with advanced skills are readily available.\u201d<\/p>\n As it becomes more difficult for the United States to lure those immigrants to its shores, Canada faces an unprecedented opportunity to boost its own tech sector with highly-skilled workers from abroad.<\/p>\n According to Randolph, Canada\u2019s tech sector is \u201crubbing its hands together with joy because this is a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n Billboards have already sprung up in Silicon Valley as part of a campaign by the Canadian tech firms to lure workers hit hard by the H-1B visa crackdown.<\/p>\n Both workers and U.S. tech companies have already shown significant interest in relocating to Canada due to visa difficulties south of the border.<\/p>\n If you are a candidate looking for a Canadian job, or an employer looking to recruit foreign talent from abroad, immigration.ca can help. Access our expertise through our in-house recruitment enterprises, www.skilledworker.com<\/a> and our newest asset, www.skilledworker.com<\/a>, \u201cthe leader in foreign recruitment\u201d.<\/b><\/p>\n Trump has used the coronavirus crisis to push his anti-immigration agenda, banning a swathe of work visas in a move he says is aimed at ensuring jobs for Americans. In reality, the U.S. president has been looking for ways to cut immigration and limit work visas ever since he came to office.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Since he was elected in 2016, Trump has moved to increase red tape within the U.S. visa system, pushing up processing times and increasing uncertainty for both candidates and employers desperate for new hires. He has moved to place outright bans on most work visas until at least the end of 2020.<\/p>\n Ottawa is looking to go in the completely opposite direction.<\/p>\n Through policies such as the Global Talent Stream promising two-week visa processing, Canada is perfectly positioned to benefit from a potential exodus of skilled workers from the U.S.<\/p>\n Global Talent Stream<\/b><\/p>\n
\n
\nAs Canada Welcomes Immigrants, Trump\u2019s Executive Order Only Fosters U.S. Uncertainty<\/a>
\nCoronavirus: As Trump Shuts US Immigration System, Canada Stays as Open as Possible<\/a>
\nTrump Effect and Booming Job Market Helping Canada Tackle Brain Drain<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
\nCanada\u2019s Unprecedented Opportunity<\/h3>\n
\n
\n