The Global Skill Strategy (GSS)

Employers want to attract top talent to work for their company, and they want a fast and predictable process to do this. To help employers find these highly skilled workers faster, the Canadian Government introduced the Global Skills Strategy (GSS). The strategy features faster application processing times, work permit exemptions and enhanced customer service.

In terms of international mobility, the Global Skills Strategy includes four important changes:

Who are eligible?

To be eligible for the two-week processing arrangement, workers must come through one of two ways:

(1) They must be exempted from the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) by way of the following:

• workers must apply for the position from outside Canada;
• the position must be employer-specific and must fit one of two skill types, either skill type 0 (managerial) or skill level A (professional) of the National Occupation Classification (NOC); and
• Also, an offer of employment must be submitted using the Employer Portal and the employer compliance fee of CAD $230 must be paid.

Note: International Experience Canada applicants are not eligible for a 2-week processing.

(2) The second route is for the employee to have a positive LMIA for an employer-specific job which previously indicated eligibility through the Global Talent Stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Spouses and dependents of the worker are also covered as they can apply for the two-weeks processing at the same time the worker is applying. This applies to applications for the following:

• visitor visa;
• work permit; and
• study permit

How to get 2-week processing?

The worker must:

• submit a complete application;
• identify themselves as part of the Global Talent Stream through the ‘’Come To Canada’’ tool, if applicable;
• pay the processing fees;
• submit certified translations of documents that aren’t in English or French; and
• submit at the time of application medical exam (if required), police certificates (if required) and biometric fee

Note: The result of the biometrics must be submitted within 14 calendar days from the date of application.

Work Permit Exemptions

Under the Global Talent Stream, two new categories of workers are now exempt from the requirement to obtain a work permit.

Highly-skilled workers in skill type 0 or skill level A occupations of the NOC may enter Canada without obtaining work permit to work for

• 15 consecutive days in a six-month period, or
• 30 consecutive days in a 12-month period

Researchers taking part in short-duration research projects conducted in Canada are now allowed 120-day stay every 12 months without requiring a work permit when working on a research project at a publicly funded degree-granting institution or affiliated research institution.

Employer Dedicated Service Channel (DSC)

A dedicated service channel has been created to help employers navigate the immigration application process to help meet their specific needs. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will select

• employers who bring significant investment to Canada and offer them assistance through this service channel; and
• universities that support publicly-funded research chair holders coming to Canada

To be eligible to access the DSC, a company must be identified and referred by one of the recognized referral partners.

List of Designated Partners for referral to Category A of the Global Talent Stream (as of June 2019)

• Accelerate Okanagan;
• Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency;
• BC Tech Association;
• Burlington Economic Development;
• Business Development Bank of Canada;
• Calgary Economic Development;
• Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions;
• Cape Breton Partnership;
• Communitech;
• Council of Canadian Innovators;
• Economic Development Winnipeg;
• Edmonton Economic Development Corporation;
• Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario;
• Genesis;
• Global Affairs Canada – Trade Commissioner Service;
• Government of Alberta – Labour;
• Government of British Columbia – Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology;
• Government of Manitoba, Manitoba Education and Training – Immigration Division;
• Government of Ontario – Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade – Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program;
• Government of Ontario – Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade – Ontario Investment Office;
• Government of Prince Edward Island – Island Investment Development Inc;
• Government of Saskatchewan – Ministry of the Economy;
• Halifax Partnership;
• Hamilton Economic Development;
• Information and Communications Technology Association of Manitoba (ICTAM);
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada – Accelerated Growth Service;
• Invest in Canada;
• Invest Ottawa;
• Launch Academy;
• London Economic Development Corporation;
• MaRS Discovery District;
• National Research Council – Industrial Research Assistance Program;
• Nova Scotia Business Inc;
• Privy Council Office;
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council – Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat;
• The Regional Municipality of York;
• Toronto Global;
• Vancouver Economic Commission;
• Vancouver International Maritime Centre;
• Venn Innovation;
• Waterloo EDC; and
• Windsor Essex Economic Development Corporation

This list is updated regularly as new partners are added.

Referral partners for the province of Quebec

The Government of Quebec’s Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI) designates referral partners for the province of Quebec. Employers can find a list of partners (available in French only) on the MIDI website. Quebec-based companies can use federal partners or MIDI-designated referral partners.