Canadian Temporary Work Permits for Software Specialists
Following the newest global market trends, Canadian employers in cooperation with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), Industry Canada and the Software Human Resource Council (SHRC) have developed a new project.
The Canadian government is currently issuing temporary employment authorization visas under an expedited process, to qualified professionals and skilled persons under the "Information Technology Workers Program". Qualified individuals must meet certain requirements in terms of education and employment experience in order to qualify for the work visa.
Normally a foreign professional who wishes to work in Canada needs to obtain a validated job offer from the local HRDC and an employment authorisation (EA) from CIC. Under the pilot project, the job-specific validation was replaced by a national validation letter for certain software positions:
- Management Information Systems Software Designer
- Telecommunications Software Designer
- Embedded Systems Software Designer
- Senior Animation Effects Editor
- Multimedia Software Designer
- Software Developer - Services
- Software Products Developer
Now Employment Authoriziations can be issued to workers presenting a job offer fitting one of the seven descriptions without the employer having to approach its local HRCC. A temporary employment authorization is a document issued by an immigration officer that enables the holder to work in Canada for a specified employer and for a specified period of time. Even though the Quebec government participates in the Facilitated Processing of Employment Authorizations for Information Technology Workers, temporary foreign workers wishing to take a position in Quebec still have to obtain a certificat d'acceptation du Quebec (CAQ).
If you already have a job offer in one of the categories mentioned above, please contact Workpermit.com for more advice. We will be glad to assist you and your employer through the work visa application process.
Please be advised that going on a temporarily work visa does not entitle you for applying for Permanent Residence in Canada. If you want to move to Canada permanently, you must still apply under the Independent Immigration (Skilled Workers) category.
If you are an employer, interested in temporary work permits for software specialists, please contact us.