Global Skills Strategy. Overview (April 2017)

Transcription

1 Global Skills Strategy Overview (April 2017)

2 PURPOSE Rationale Attracting talent is critical to economic growth, but employers face barriers to accessing talent, necessitating the development of new measures Our Strengths Canada possesses a managed system of temporary work migration that includes a balance between facilitation and protection of the domestic labour force Our Challenges The pace and competitiveness of the global market necessitate improvements to our Temporary Foreign Worker and International Mobility programming The Global Skills Strategy Increase processing speed to get workers to Canada faster Increase employer access to top talent by reducing barriers and administrative burden Help attract foreign investment through dedicated immigration service channel 2

3 BACKGROUND On November 1, 2016, the Minister of Finance announced the Global Skills Strategy as part of the Fall Economic Statement: Canada needs to be able to access the skills and expertise of talented workers from around the world to enable Canadian firms to succeed in the global marketplace. Budget 2017 reconfirmed the Government s commitment to the Strategy. 3

4 GLOBAL SKILLS STRATEGY THE PLAN Two-week Service Standard to support economic growth & improve predictability Work Permit Exemptions For short duration, high value work Dedicated Service Channel For employers bringing significant investment to Canada Global Talent Stream (ESDC) For skilled occupations in shortage and for employers with specialized talent needs Work permits for high-skilled talent will be processed in two weeks or less. Skilled workers and top research talent able to come work in Canada for short periods with less red tape. Departmental staff ready to guide employers through the immigration process to help meet their specific needs. Processing global talent applications from Canadian employers in 10 business days while tracking benefits for Canadians on job creation, knowledge and skills training investments. IRCC ESDC 4

5 TWO WEEK SERVICE STANDARD CURRENT PROPOSAL Provide two week work permit processing to high-skilled* workers under the International Mobility program. EXPECTED RESULTS The immigration processing network will be calibrated to process highvalue work permits in weeks, not months. Employers will have faster access and greater predictability in meeting their high-skill labour force needs. NEXT STEPS External consultation to make sure we ve identified the right workers. Determine how this will be operationally implemented and assess impact of changes on network. *National Occupational Classification major Group 0 and A 5

6 SIMPLIFIED PROCESS FOR SHORT TERM WORK CURRENT PROPOSAL Simplify process for short-term entry (less than 30 days, TBD) for highskilled* workers through a work permit exemption. Provide similar facilitative measures for brief academic stays (e.g. 120 days or less). EXPECTED RESULTS Less administrative burden for employers that need workers on a short-term basis to meet deadlines, expand operations and grow their business. NEXT STEPS Engage with stakeholders to determine eligibility; broad or more focused, balanced against labour market considerations. Determine maximum duration. What constitutes short term? Define frequency of use. How often should workers be eligible to receive this benefit? *National Occupational Classification major Group 0 and A 6

7 DEDICATED SERVICE CHANNEL CURRENT PROPOSAL Provide selected employers who are creating jobs or making significant investments in Canada with a dedicated client service representative at IRCC. EXPECTED RESULTS More international firms are incentivized to invest in and relocate to Canada. Guidance through the immigration system and flexibility afforded to employers to meet their scale-up needs. NEXT STEPS Engage with outside experts and stakeholders and refine as needed. Finalize eligibility and referral criteria (e.g. what companies qualify and who conducts company assessments on IRCC s behalf). 7

8 GLOBAL TALENT STREAM Employment and Social Development Canada is responsible for delivering on the Global Talent Stream a streamlined Labour Market Impact Assessment process for select employers. Employers who will be eligible for this Stream include: Firms of any size or sector that are seeking to fill high-skilled ICT occupations determined by ESDC to be in shortage and in demand in Canada, or High-growth firms seeking specialized global talent to scale-up and grow. All eligible employers in the Global Talent Stream will receive 10-day processing for their labour market impact assessments. All employers that access the Global Talent Stream will work with Employment and Social Development Canada to complete a new Labour Market Benefits Plan (LMBP) during the application process. 8

9 DISCUSSION QUESITONS Two Week Service Standard: Have we identified the right workers to benefit? Simplified process for short-term work: Have we identified the right workers to benefit? What constitutes short-term work? How frequently should workers be eligible to receive this benefit? IRCC Dedicated Service Channel What kind of immigration services do new or expanding companies need that could be served by the dedicated service channel? 9

10 NEXT STEPS AND TIMELINES National and cross-canada consultations with employers, labour, and provinces and territories (ongoing) will provide feedback on and allow refinement of initial proposals. Implementation of the Strategy scheduled for June 12,