Hiring Temporary Foreign Workers Faster through the Global Skill Strategy

Introducing the Global Skill Strategy

Hiring a foreign worker may be beneficial for a Canadian company to acquire a wide variety of talents and skills. If you are an employer who wants to attract top talent to work for your company, and wants a fast and predictable process to do this, the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada has introduced Global Skills Strategy to help employers get highly-skilled workers faster. The benefit of Global Skills Strategy is that it features faster application processing times, work permit exemptions and enhanced customer service. The average processing time for the Global Skill Strategy is two weeks. If you want to know more about the Global Skill Strategy, please continue and read this blog.

Who is Eligible for the Two-Week Processing

Generally speaking, Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) exempt workers, LMIA-required workers, and the spouses and dependents are eligible for the two-week processing. However, eligible applicants should take some more specific details into consideration.

LMIA-exempt workers

LMIA-exempt workers qualify for two-week processing of their work permit application if they meet all of these requirements:

• They are applying from outside Canada
• Their job is either skill type 0 (managerial) or skill level A (professional) of the National Occupational Classification
• They have submitted an offer of employment using the Employer Portal and paid the employer compliance fee.
• Not the applicants of International Experience Canada.

LMIA-required workers

LMIA-required workers qualify for two-week processing if they meet all of these requirements:

• They’re applying from outside Canada
• Have a positive LMIA through the Global Talent Stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (this will be on the LMIA decision letter)

Spouses and dependents

Your worker’s spouse, common-law partner and dependent children are also eligible for two-week processing on applications for a visitor visa, work permit, or a study permit. Please note, the spouse and dependent(s) must submit a complete application and apply at the same time as the worker.

How can the Worker Get a Two-Week Processing

Like any other applications, the applicants need to gather all the necessary documents and information. Once the worker has the documents and information from the employer, the worker and their spouse and/or dependents must submit a complete application from outside Canada (online). Please note, the worker and their family members (spouse, partner or dependent children) must apply at the same time to qualify for the two-week processing time.

If the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada requires the applicant, the spouse of the applicant, and the dependents to undergo a medical exam or criminal background check, then you must also provide proof of the medical exam and police certificates. If you are required to submit your biometrics results, you must do so within two weeks of submitting your application Last but not least, you must also pay the processing fees.

Work permit exemptions

The main purpose of the Global Skill Strategy is to allow employers to hire talented workers with a faster and predictable process. Under the Global Skill Strategy, highly-skilled workers and researchers do not need work permits for short term work.

Highly-skilled workers must meet both of these requirements:

• Their job is under skill type 0 (executive, managerial) or skill level A (professional) in the National Occupational Classification
• They will only work for up to 15 consecutive days, once every six months, or up to 30 consecutive days, once every 12 months

Researchers must meet both of these requirements:

• They will perform research at a Canadian publicly funded degree-granting institution or its affiliated research institution.
• They will work for one 120-day period in Canada, once every 12 months.

What if the Worker Needs to Extend the Stay

Like any other temporary foreign workers in Canada, it is mandatory for workers who are hired through the Global Skill Strategy to stop working when their exemption ends. To work in Canada again, they will either have to apply for a work permit from outside the country or to wait until they are eligible to use the short-term work permit exemption again.

As previously mentioned, there is a waiting time between work permit exemptions. The length of the waiting period depends on the length of the next exemption the worker wants to use. After you, as a worker, have used any of the short-term exemptions, you must wait 6 months until you can use a 15-day exemption or 12 months until you can use a 30- or 120-day exemption. That being said, if you, as a worker, entered Canada using the 15-day work permit exemption, you will need to wait at least six months before you will be able to use the 15-day exemption again.

Contact Akrami and Associates

Getting the proper consultation will help your application process run as smoothly as possible. Are you still confused about the details of the Global Skill Strategy? No worries! Akrami & Associates can help you with that as well. With years of experience of dealing with various immigration applications, Akrami & Associates can provide you , your potential employees, your employee’s spouse, common-law partner, and dependent children the proper consultation and advice to allow you to hire highly-skilled workers in Canada without a hassle. For further questions and inquiries, please call us at (416) 447-2545. We can provide legal assistance or consultation with an immigration professional for you or your loved ones.

With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!