Alberta is hoping to siphon away some of the best and brightest technical talent from Silicon Valley by taking advantage of strict U.S. quota laws which stipulate temporary non-immigrant workers must leave after six years.
These highly skilled workers, many from countries including India, Korea and China, are granted H-1B visas, which means they must have a sponsoring employer and hold a least a bachelor’s degree in speciality areas such as mathematics, physical sciences, medicine or business.
Currently, U.S. law caps new H-1B aliens at 195,000 per year, and after six years, aliens must leave the U.S. for at least a year before reapplying.
Their choices are limited: return to their nation of origin, often a developing country; go underground; try for permanent resident status; or move to another country.
Alberta is now planning to launch a major recruitment drive to offer these skilled workers a soft landing, and at the same time ensure this province has a steady supply of imported technical expertise.
“The chances of getting immigration status in Canada for these type of people is much easier than in the U.S,” says Charles Reichert, director of Infoport, a division of Calgary Technologies Inc. “These are very highly skilled people that have the training, but not the opportunities in their home countries.”
Reichert, along with Alberta Economic Development, Alberta Innovation and Science, and the Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles are planning on organizing two recruiting sessions this spring in Silicon Valley and L.A. to woo workers whose H-1B status is near expiry. A final decision on the trip is expected this week.
“Basically there are a lot of people in limbo, and they have to leave,” says Immigration Consul George Sutherland in a telephone interview from L.A. “Canada is a natural place for them to go . . . the standards are very similar, and it’s very easy for them to make the transition.
“They’re ideal candidates,” Sutherland says. “A lot of them come from Silicon Valley and they’ve been in high-pressure jobs performing on the cutting edge of the high-tech industry. They’ve got some excellent experience we can certainly tap into.”
Both the Alberta and Ontario provincial governments are keenly interested in recruiting H-1B aliens from high-tech hotbeds south of the border. Sutherland says the Canadian government has streamlined the process of issuing short-term employment visas for high-tech occupations, and many of the H-1B workers decide to apply as immigrants. After three years, the workers are free to apply for Canadian citizenship.
Alberta Economic Development is drumming up interest to make the trek south for the two seminars — but they need a strong roster of Alberta companies willing to make the trip.
“We’re facilitating this opportunity for the private sector, so we want to make sure the private sector is there,” says Doug Cameron, director of investment attraction for Alberta Economic Development.
To date, the department has met with 24 companies or individuals interested in the recruiting drive and has sent out notices to more than 800 other companies around the province.
Cameron says surveys show prospective H-1B candidates considering a move to Canada favour, among other things, the presence of big-name companies and the opportunity to start their own businesses.
“They can bring expertise on how Silicon Valley works, which can only help us,” he adds.
The seminars will showcase the Alberta Advantage and the quality of life — including the cost of living, housing and education — which can be found here, as well as describing the immigration process.
Reichert admits it has been difficult in the past to find Calgary companies willing to spend the time and effort in looking for workers south of the border.
“Every time we’ve tried to recruit companies (to participate), Calgary companies have been afraid to put any real effort into trying to attract people from California,” he says. “They were afraid they couldn’t meet salary expectations and other needs, and they didn’t think it was a wise investment of their dollars.”
But a trip by Alberta Economic Development officials last June convinced them that the time is right to gather a group of companies for the recruitment drive, he says.
“There’s a shortage of appropriately skilled people,” in Alberta, says Reichert. “We could not sustain our growth without getting people coming in from other parts of the world and the country.”
Sutherland says the provinces and the federal government both have an interest in making the recruiting drives a success.
“It seems to work very well,” he says. “The people who attend these seminars are basically interested in two things — getting a job and finding out about immigration requirements. It’s a good partnership with the provinces we can form in attracting these people.”
