Jason Kenney, Canada’s Minister of Employment, Social Development and Multiculturalism, was in Vancouver earlier this week to announce funds will be provided to British Columbia to help attract highly skilled foreign workers.
Kenney announced the province will receive $3.3 million from the federal government to help speed up the recognition of foreign credentials of highly skilled immigrant workers. The federal government intends immigrants with skills to have decisions made on their foreign credentials within one year of application. Ten categories of occupations have been created that will be subject to the promised speedier process.
The 10 occupations are geoscientists, carpenters, electricians, heavy duty equipment technicians, heavy equipment operators, welders, audiologists and speech language pathologists, midwives, pathologists, and lawyers.
The Canadian government estimates about one million jobs will open up in British Columbia in the next 10 years and about 1/3 of them will be filled by foreigners.
While the Minister’s official announcement was droll and routine, Kenney took the time to speak to reporters after his official remarks and discuss how Canada is taking advantage of the immigration situation in the United States.
The Minister said, “We’re seeking very deliberately to benefit from the dysfunctional American immigration system. I make no bones about it.” Kenney added tens of thousands of foreigners go to the United States to study at prestigious universities but have difficulty obtaining permanent status in the U.S. He said the Canadian government intends to capitalize on these “super smart” graduates.
“If the United States doesn’t want to open the door to permanent residency for them, that door will be opened in principle for them to come to Canada,” said Kenney.
Canada has already begun attempts to attract highly skilled foreign workers in the American high tech sector. Last year a large billboard was erected in California’s Silicon Valley, telling foreign graduates that if they are having difficulty getting permission to remain in the U.S. permanently to “pivot to Canada.”
These graduates are currently working for American companies on short-term visas. Kenney noted that after a couple of years many of them wish to become entrepreneurs and launch their own start-up companies but are unable to obtain green cards. While very few have so far actually come to Canada, the billboard generated a lot of interest among highly-skilled foreigners now employed with Silicon Valley firms.
Canada intends to be very aggressive in going after these workers who will eligible for a start-up visa program and will be able to be fast-tracked for permanent residency. Last year a five-year pilot project was begun to fast track entrepreneurs who wish to come to Canada. Up to 2,750 special visas will be issued in each of the five years to persons who are backed by a Canadian venture capital firm.
Kenney was asked whether he expected criticism from the U.S. government. The Minister replied he has discussed this matter “very openly in Washington.” He also said American immigration advocates have used Canada’s activities in Canada as an example of why the United States needs to reform its immigration laws. As to the state of American immigration law, Kenney said, “We’ll leave that to the Congress and [President Barack Obama] to resolve, that’s their policy domain, not ours.”
The Minister also said Canada has a well-functioning immigration system that is expected to become faster next January.
