Weekly Immigration Update: June 23–29, 2023

Canada, June 28, 2023
Tech Talent Strategy Announced

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced the launch of Canada’s first-ever Tech Talent Strategy to attract foreign nationals who can help drive emerging technology innovation in the country. Key actions include:

• Creating a work permit stream for individuals holding H-1B specialty occupation status in the United States to apply for a Canadian work permit, effective July 16, 2023;
• Establishing an Innovation Stream under the International Mobility Program for highly-talented individuals to apply for an employer-specific or open work permit that exempts them from the Labour Market Impact Assessment requirement, by the end of 2023;
• Promoting Canada as a destination for digital nomads; and
• Improving the existing Global Skills Strategy and Start-up Visa Program that cater to foreign nationals in high-skill tech occupations.

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Ireland, June 26, 2023
Submission Period Opens for Public Consultation on Occupation Lists

• Beginning June 26, 2023, Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) is inviting all relevant stakeholders to submit evidence that supports claims for certain occupations to be included on the Critical Skills Occupation List or taken off the Ineligible Occupations List for employment permits.
• The Critical Skills Occupation List identifies professions that are in short supply in Ireland and for which international recruitment is necessary, whereas the Ineligible List of Occupations are occupations under which non-European Economic Area/Swiss/UK workers may not apply for an employment permit.
• The submission deadline is August 18, 2023, at 17:00 (local time), at which time the DETE will begin to review the submissions in order to revise the occupation lists to better reflect the current state of the labor market.

To view entire article, click here.