Authorization to work in Canada in two weeks

Authorization to work in Canada can be obtained within two weeks by those individuals who meet the requirements of a new two-year pilot under the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program. It was introduced on June 12, 2017, the pilot is designed specifically for Canadian employers who are referred to Employment and Social Development Canada by a designated referral partner and who are seeking unique and specialized foreign nationals. It is also intended for Canadian businesses that need to fill an in-demand highly-skilled position from the Global Talent Occupations List.

The pilot program has two streams:

1. Category A is for those Canadian employers who have been referred to the Global Talent Stream by one of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)’s designated partners and the employer is hiring unique and specialized talent;

OR

2. Category B is for those Canadian employers who are seeking to hire highly-skilled foreign workers to fill positions in occupations found on the Global Talent occupations list.

Designated referral partners

List of designated referral partners for the Global Talent Stream includes the following organizations:

1. Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
2. BC Tech Association
3. Business Development Bank of Canada
4. Communitech Corporation
5. Council of Canadian Innovators
6. Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
7. Global Affairs Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service
8. ICT Manitoba (ICTAM)
9. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada – Accelerated Growth Service
10. MaRS Discovery District
11. National Research Council – Industrial Research Assistance Program
12. Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
13. Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Growth
14. VENN Innovation

Unique and Specialized Talent

For Category A of the Global Talent Stream, innovative firms must be referred by one of ESDC’s designated referral partners and be looking to hire unique and specialized talent. Unique and specialized talent is chracterized by:

• Advanced knowledge of the industry;
• Advanced degree in an area of specialization of interest to the employer; AND/OR
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in the field of specialized experience; AND
• A highly paid position with a salary of usually $80,000 or more.

Please note that Category A is aimed at Innovative Canadian companies that need highly specialized and global talent in order to scale-up and grow, and have already identified candidates for a limited number of very unique roles (one or two) that are not already listed under Category B. Examples are specialized leadership and business development expertise.

Global Talent Occupations List

For Category B of the Global Talent Stream, employers must hire highly-skilled foreign workers to fill positions in occupations found on the following list:

For further information or questions regarding work permits and LMIA requirements, please feel free to contact our office. If you would like to know whether you could be eligible to immigrate to Canada, we invite you to complete our online assessment questionnaire: On-line Assessment Questionnaire.