As a result of the changing global markets, Canadian employers have joined with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), Industry Canada and the Software Human Resource Council (SHRC) and developed a new venture.
Currently, the Canadian government is issuing temporary employment authorisation visas to qualified professionals and skilled persons under a new scheme called the Information Technology Workers Program. Individuals who qualify must satisfy the requirements with regard to education and employment experience in order to be eligible for this specific visa.
Usually, a foreign professional who wanted to work in Canada would need to obtain a legitimate job offer from the local HRDC and an Employment Authorisation from the CIC. Under this new scheme, the job-specific validation was changed to a national validation letter for specific software positions. They are as follows:
- Management information Systems Software Designer
- Embedded Systems Software Designer
- Telecommunications Software Designer
- Senior Animation Effects Editor
- Multimedia Software Designer
- Software Developer - Services
- Software Products Developer
Employment Authorisations can now be granted to professionals who fit into one of the listed occupations without the employer needing to approach its local HRCC. Temporary employment authorisations can be issued by an immigration officer and allows the holder to take up employment in Canada for a specific period of time.
While the Quebec government is a participant in the Facilitated Processing of Employment Authorizations for Information Technology Workers, applicants wishing to work in Quebec are still required to obtain a certificat d'acceptation du Quebec (CAQ).
Obtaining a temporary work visa does not entitle applicants to apply for permanent residence. If applicants wish to move to Canada permanently, an application under the Independent Immigration (Skilled Workers) category must be made.
