Starting today, some Canadian companies can bring in foreign workers in as little as 2 weeks

A federal program to allow Canadian companies to bring in foreign workers within two weeks officially started June 12.

The plan, which was fleshed out in the federal budget, is part of Ottawa’s so-called Global Skills Strategy, an effort to help Canadian employers attract the world’s best and brightest. Today marks the start of a $7.8-million, two-year pilot run that will be a test case for whether the program should be made a mainstay of Canada’s immigration policy.

The fast-track lane into Canada is reserved for “high-growth companies” hiring high-skilled workers with hard-to-find qualifications or unique expertise, the government said.

The program, known as Global Talent Stream, also allows employers, universities and some research institutions to bring in international talent for short periods of time with no work permit at all.

The thinking is that making it easier for Canadian companies to bring in international talent quickly “will result in more good-quality, middle-class jobs for Canadians,” Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said in a statement. Read more….

Starting today, some Canadian companies can bring in foreign workers in as little as 2 weeks