Canada’s digital nomad strategy targets tech talent
OTTAWA, CANADA — In an innovative approach to attracting international talent, Canada unveiled a digital nomad strategy that offers foreigners the opportunity to work in the country for up to six months, with an extension option if they secure a job offer.
The new strategy was announced by Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser at the Collision tech conference in Toronto.
It includes six initiatives aimed at attracting global tech talent:
- an open work permit pathway for US H-1B Visa holders,
- a dedicated PR pathway for STEM occupations,
- restoration of faster processing under the Global Talent Stream,
- an innovation stream without a job offer requirement,
- the digital nomad strategy,
- and improvements to the Startup Visa Program.
The digital nomad strategy allows foreign nationals employed by non-Canadian companies to work in Canada for half a year, facilitating easier visitor visas and providing exposure to Canadian communities. This strategy hopes to stimulate economic activity and enhance community integration.
“Having more talented tech entrepreneurs and professionals in this country is going to be a very good thing half a generation from now,” said Fraser.
The minister added that this strategy could be “a generational opportunity to pursue economic growth in a sector of strategic importance to Canada.”
The emergence of the “digital nomad visa” is a response to the transformation of work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, attracting a growing class of international remote workers.
Canada joins the ranks of over 48 countries — including Portugal, Spain, Columbia, and Mexico — offering this type of visa.
