In June 2017, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) implemented the ‘Global Talent Stream’ (GTS), which is a streamlined system for corporations to secure foreign workers in certain innovative sectors, or high-growth fields. (See http://www.kranclaw.com/2017/06/canadas-global-skills-strategy-implemented-today/ for details.)
The GTS has two branches. The first branch (Category A) is for ‘innovative firms’, who secure a recommendation from an approved agency.
The second branch (Category B) is based on the occupation for which a foreign worker is sought, in accordance with a list of approved occupations.
IRCC has now added three new occupations to the Category B list, which are:
NOC Occupation
- 0211 Engineering Managers
- 0212 Architecture and science managers, and
- 2161* Mathematicians and statisticians
- (*subset only – *Positions for actuaries or related occupations are excluded)
The full list of eligible GTS occupations is therefore now:
- 0211 Engineering Managers
- 0212 Architecture and science managers
- 0213 Computer and information systems managers
- 2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
- 2161* Mathematicians and statisticians
- (*subset only – *Positions for actuaries or related occupations are excluded.)
- 2171 Information systems analysts and consultants
- 2172 Database analysts and data administrators
- 2173 Software engineers and designers
- 2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers
- 2175 Web designers and developers
- 2283 Information systems testing technicians
- 5131* Producer, technical, creative and artistic director and project manager – Visual effects and video game
- (*subset only – The position must require a minimum of three years of experience in the visual effects, video game or animation industries in one or a combination of the following roles: producer, technical director, creative director, artistic director or project manager, senior coordinator, department manager, with three years of job experience in at least one or more of the following skills relevant to the visual effects, video game or animation industries: surfacing and look development; character or simulation rigging; matte painting; managing budgets or teams; or technical pipeline development and application for visual effects, video games, or animation production.)
- 5241* Digital media designers
- (*subset only – The position must require a minimum of three years of job experience in at least one of the following digital media design skills: 3D modeling, compositing, paint and roto, layout and match move, digital environment and Matte painting, texture, lighting shading, character effects, effects and simulations, design and scenario, rigging, user interface or user experience, responsive design (for gaming), virtual reality, augmented reality, digital media animation, levels editing for digital media design, software editing for digital media design, pipeline software development or applications relevant for digital media design.)
In each case, the position to be filled must conform to the requirements of the NOC (National Occupational Classification) definition, and the employee must have the credentials required for the position, and be paid an appropriate salary.
Employers seeking to hire foreign workers in any of the above fields may be eligible to utilize the GTS and bypass various requirements otherwise required for hiring foreign workers, and secure faster processing times.
The information in this article is for general purposes only, and not intended as legal advice for any particular situation.