Canada’s open work permit could become a permanent pathway to the US for many Indians

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

The open work permit stream that was announced by the Canadian ministry of immigration last month, targeted specifically at US H-1B work permit visa holders, under Canada’s new tech talent strategy; was oversubscribed in less than 48 hours. Considering that the largest number of H-1B visa holders in the US, who are eligible applicants for this scheme, are Indians, it is apparent that the typical profile of applicants is Indian nationals who are stuck in the US on long green card queues.

The open work permit, which had been announced by Canadian minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship Sean Fraser, had unveiled a new stream, starting July 16, to allow 10,000 H-1B visa holders from the US to move to Canada with an open work permit for three years; which also extends to their family members, providing them with study or work permits. In about a day after the scheme opened on July 16, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada portal announced that it had been closed and the cap of 10,000 applications had been reached for the initiative on July 17, 2023 and applications were no longer being accepted.

A large number of applicants for the H-1B open work permit scheme are likely to be Indian employees of US companies which are looking to set up or expand their operations in Canada, feels Ajay Sharma, president of consultancy firm Abhinav Immigration Services. “US companies setting up operations in Canada have been facing difficulties in finding the right talent.