Communications of the ACM
Tech Workers Are Living the American Dream – in Canada
Canada lets some skilled foreigners acquire a work authorization in as little as 10 days.
Credit: Sam Whitney / Wired
Nitin Alabur is an iOS developer from India who lived in the U.S. and dreamed of creating a tech startup. He'd been hired by a U.S. firm under an H-1B visa, which ties a worker to his or her employer, but eventually fled to a place where it's easier for ambitious immigrants to pursue the American dream: Canada.
Canada issues work permits to highly skilled immigrants in a matter of weeks, and permanent residency — the equivalent of a U.S. green card — in less than six months.
For years, Silicon Valley won the global race for talent. But the new global winner is Canada, and particularly Toronto. In 2017, Toronto added more tech jobs than Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Washington, D.C., combined. In 2018, the city was second only to the Bay Area in new tech jobs.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is actively chasing away immigrants. The system can be laborious to navigate, and it's gotten harder under Donald Trump.Canada has been counterprogramming.
From Wired
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