While uncertainty over work visas persist with regard to the United States, Indian tech talent has been the biggest beneficiary of the Canadian government’s global skills Strategy (GSS) a program, launched in June 2017, to meet its skills demand, especially in the information technology sector.

The objective of the program was to make the country a magnet for tech talent from across the globe . Indian citizens appear to have taken advantage of the opportunity.

According to a data made available by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) at the end of December 2018, of the total 17,132 work permits approved, Indians accounted for over half of them at 9,462. Their numbers are over six times to that of next national group, China (1,420).

KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY

The Canadian government, pleased at the apparent success of the scheme, has made it permanent.

The top five areas that have attracted talent under this stream are all related to the knowledge economy: Computer analysts and consultants, interactive media programmers and developers, university professors and lecturers, software engineers, and those in the info systems and data processing space.

Given the expertise of Indians in these fields, they have poured into Canada under the GSS.

IRCC spokesperson Rémi Larivière said the objective of the GSS is to allow companies to access the top talent by getting high-skilled workers into our country at faster rate.

First Published: Jun 24, 2019 11:09 IST