How to Immigrate to Canada as a Tech Worker

The four (4) preliminary ways to immigrate to Canada as a tech worker include the following:

1. Express Entry
2. Provincial Nominee Program
3. Global Talent Stream
4. Startup visa

People often immigrate to new places for several reasons. Some of these include the following:

• An improved standard of living
• Marriage purposes
• To escape armed conflict
• For a better climate experience
• A general change in one’s environment

But still, one of the most distinctive reasons why people choose to move from one country to another in the form of immigration is to for better work opportunities.

The Most Effective Ways to Immigrate to Canada as a Tech Worker

With the massive increase in the percentage of people moving from country to country, Canada ranks at the top of the easiest countries to migrate to in the world today.

As such, it enjoys a constant influx of immigrants from different countries yearly.

There are different ways you can use to immigrate to Canada as a tech worker, some of these include:

• Express Entry
• Nova Scotia Immigration
• Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)
• Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
• Provincial Nominee Programs
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
• Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSW)
• Atlantic Immigrant Pilot Program (AIPP)
• Federal Skilled Trades Class Program (FSTP)
• BC Provincial Nominee Program
• Self-employed Person Program
• Family-Sponsored Program
• Investor/Entrepreneur Program
• International Mobility Program
• Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)
• Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP)
• Start-up Visa Program
• Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program
• Provincial Business Programs

The different programs for Canadian immigration are often categorized in a way to fit the different classes of persons who want to immigrate to the country.

Thus, the category in question here is workers, specifically tech workers.

There are immigration programs in Canada designed specifically for tech workers. As such, the fact that you can meet all the essential prerequisites for your specific Canadian immigration program, you can be sure of a successful immigration process to the country without issues.

Thus, the most effective ways to immigrate to Canada as a tech worker include the following:

1. Express Entry

This is an online immigration program by the Canadian government for the review and processing of application requests of immigrants – it is one that is highly competitive!

Canada’s Express Entry immigration program is one of the best options for anyone looking for smooth entry into the country on permanent residency status.

The entire immigration program process takes between six (6) months and one (1) year to complete from the time of receiving your application request.

Still, regardless of this time frame, the Express Entry program is far more one of the fastest ways to get permanent residency status in Canada as a tech worker.

The program consists of three (3) other main economic programs:

1. Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
2. Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
3. Federal Skilled Trades (FST)

• Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Program

The FSW immigration program is used to manage most of the country’s immigration applications. IBasically, it allows for candidates with adequate education levels and practical work experience outside Canada to apply for permanent residency status in the country.

This is one of the programs through which tech workers can apply for immigration to Canada.

• Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Program

The CEC immigration program allows tech workers who have been working in Canada for about one (1) to two years (2) to immigrate into the country permanently.

• Federal Skilled Trade (FST) Program

A skilled trade can generally be referred to as any trade that requires special knowledge or skill attained from various institutions. As such, the FST program is for individuals with experience in particular skill trades who wish to gain permanent residency into the country under that trade.

This is the second most recommendable program for tech workers actively looking to migrate to Canada with permanent residency status.

How to Immigrate to Canada as a Tech Worker via the Express Entry Program

Tech workers looking to migrate into Canada under the Express Entry program must first create and complete an Express Entry profile. (PS: The Express Entry system approves your creation of a profile upon 11 months of experience).

Your online profile created is then scored by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) of Canada – the Canadian government uses the Comprehensive ranking System to assess and rank tech workers under the Express Entry System.

Thus, you will be awarded points based on the following:

• Age
• Educational background (level)
• Language capacity
• Work experience.

On meeting the basic cut-off for your designated CRS score, you will be given the opportunity to be invited to apply for a Canadian permanent residency status.

Eligible Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores for the Express entry programs are show below:

Express Entry Program	Eligible CRS Score
FSWP	67 points out of 100
CECP	403
FSTP	415

2. Provincial Nominee Program

This is yet another very easy way to get permanent residency status in Canada.

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is a set of immigration programs by the Canadian government in partnership with individual provinces and territories in the country, each of which has its requirements and streams.

To be able to immigrate Canada as a tech worker under one of these programs, you must fulfill the basic requisite conditions and terms as required by your designated province or territory.

Your province then assesses your application request, and once approved, you will be nominated for immigration to Canada under the Express Entry system.

The Provincial Nominee Program has its specific categories for tech related jobs. Jointly, there are at least 80 Provincial Nominee Programs in Canada.

The most three (3) most reputatble Provincial Nominee Programs for Canadian immigration include the following:

• Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)
• British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program
• Ontario Provincial Nominee Program

• Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)

The program offers immigrants an accelerated pathway for permanent residency in the country – specifically for tech workers with job offers in Alberta.

To qualify for immigration under this program, you must show the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) a job offer in one of the 37-tech related occupations.

The job offer must also be coming from an employer based in one of the province’s identified tech sectors.

Eligible tech workers and their respective National Occupational Classification (NOC) include the following:

Eligible Tech Workers	National Occupational Classification
Senior managers (including communications, financial, and other business services)	NOC 0013
Human resources managers	NOC 0112
Telecommunication carriers managers	NOC 0131
Engineering managers	NOC 0211
Architecture and science managers	NOC 0212
Computer and information systems managers	NOC 0213
Managers (including broadcasting, publishing, motion pictures, and performing arts)	NOC 0512
Corporate sales managers	NOC 0601
Professional occupations in advertisement, marketing and public relations	NOC 1123
Human resources professionals	NOC 1121
Human resources and recruitment officers	NOC 1223
Civil engineers	NOC 2131
Mechanical engineers	NOC 2132
Electrical and electronics engineers	NOC 2133
Computer engineers (excluding software engineers and designers)	NOC 2147
Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries	NOC 2161
Information systems analysts and consultants	NOC 2171
Database analysts and data administrators	NOC 2172
Software engineers and designers	NOC 2173
Computer programmers and interactive media developers	NOC 2174
Web designers and developers	NOC 2175
Biological technologists and technicians	NOC 2232
Industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists and technicians	NOC 2233
Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians	NOC 2241
Drafting technologists and technicians	NOC 2253
Computer network technicians	NOC 2281
User support technicians	NOC 2282
Information systems testing technicians	NOC 2283
Medical laboratory technologists	NOC 3211
Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants	NOC 3212
Other medical technologists and technicians (excluding dental health technicians)	NOC 3219
Business development officers, marketing researchers and consultants	NOC 4163
Producers, choreographers, directors and related occupations	NOC 5131
Graphic designers and illustrators	NOC 5241
Electricians (excluding industrial and power system)	NOC 7241
Industrial electricians	NOC 7242
Telecommunications installation and repair workers	NOC 7246

• British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program

With the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program, you can get an easy nomination for permanent residency in Canada.

The program accommodates students, workers, entrepreneurs, etc. – so long as you can contribute effectively to the growth of the economy.

For your application request to count under this program, you must have a firmly grounded offer of employment from an employer in the British Columbia territory, and the person must be skilled in their field of work or study as well.

The program further allows applicants with two years of work experience; a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is not a prerequisite.

The application and review process takes between one (1) to two (2) months to complete.

Targeted tech workers eligible for this program include the following:

Eligible Tech Workers	National Occupational Classification
Telecommunication carriers managers	NOC 0131
Computer and information systems managers	NOC 0213
Managers (including publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts)	NOC 0512
Civil engineers	NOC 2131
Mechanical engineers	NOC 2132
Electrical and electronics engineers	NOC 2133
Chemical engineers	NOC 2134
Computer engineers (excluding software engineers and designers)	NOC 2147
Information systems analysts and consultants	NOC 2171
Database analysts and data administrators	NOC 2172
Software engineers and designers	NOC 2173
Computer programmers and interactive media developers	NOC 2174
Web designers and developers	NOC 2175
Biological technologists and technicians	NOC 2221
Electrical and electronics engineers technologists and technicians	NOC 2241
Electronic service tech workers (including households and business equipment)	NOC 2242
Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics	NOC 2243
Computer network tech workers	NOC 2281
User support tech workers	NOC 2282
Information systems testing tech workers	NOC 2283
Authors, bloggers and writers	NOC 5121
Editors	NOC 5122
Translators, terminologists and interpreters	NOC 5125
Broadcast tech workers	NOC 5224
Audio and video recording tech workers	NOC 5225
Other technical-related and co-ordinating occupations in broacasting, motion pictures, and performing arts	NOC 5226
Support occupations in broadcasting, motion pictures, photography, and performing arts	NOC 5227
Graphic designers and illustrators	NOC 5241
Technical sales specialists (including wholesale trade)	NOC 6221

• Ontario Provincial Nominee Program

This specific province houses Canada’s capital, Ottawa.

It is is one of the highly beneficial provinces for tech Workers in that the province is well-known for its university built specifically for techies – the Ontario Tech University.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) accepts a wide variety of applicants ranging from students to workers and even jobless candidates, so long as you have an acceptable level of education, experience, or skill set.

The program has over ten (10) streams to fit a myriad of intending immigrants, but still, the best stream for you to use and immigrate to Canada as a tech worker include the following:

1. Foreign worker stream
2. In-deman skills stream
3. Human capital priorities stream

A tech worker with admirable skill sets and job offer may apply through the Foreign Worker Stream, while if your area of specialization is in demand, you can apply through the In-Demand Skills Stream.

The system requires you to create a profile using with the Express Entry system to qualify.

In a case where you do not have a job offer yet from an Ontario employer, you may be required to apply and qualify for the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) before you can get a nomination.

The Human Capital Priorities Stream admits candidates with the requisite language abilities, level of education, and work experience. However, you cannot apply without an invitation, so you must receive a Notification of Interest before applying for nomination.

Tech draws are conducted on a routine basis whereby for an applicant to be eligible, they would have to be embodied with work experience in one of the specified six (6) occupations:

Eligible Tech Workers	National Occupational Classification
Computer and information systems managers	NOC 0213
Computer engineers	NOC 2147
Database analysts and data administrators	NOC 2172
Software engineers and designers	NOC 2173
Computer programmers and interactive media developers	NOC 2174
Web designers and developers	NOC 2175

Quebec Provincial Nominee Program

The province of Quebec is predominantly French-speaking – it’s immigration process is quite simple and efficient.

Canada recently launched the Quebec Provincial Nominee Program last year to benefit specific tech workers looking to come into the country.

The program currently comprises of two (2) streams.

1. Artificial Intelligence Stream
2. Information Technolofy and Visual Effects Stream

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) stream has two sub-streams in it – foreign-trained tech workers, and graduate tech workers from a Quebec college or university.

Although the applicant need not have a subsisting job offer, a level of education on the same level as a Quebec Bachelor’s Degree is required. The Information Technology and Visual Effects category requires an applicant to have a full-time job experience of at least two years in one of the ten occupations. The person must also meet general requirements such as; age, intention to settle permanently, the ability for financial sufficiency, etc. In addition, they have a category for non-French speakers to assist with language adjustment.

Yukon Provincial Nominee Program: the Yukon Provincial Nominee Program enables candidates to immigrate under the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP) or the Yukon Business Nominee Program (YBNP). The applicant must have satisfied the requisite conditions to get a nomination or immigrate under either of the two programs. The immigration stream accommodates three pathways; the Express Entry Program, Skilled Worker Program, Critical Impact Worker Program, and Yukon Community Program. The Express Entry Program is by far the fastest, although it comes with some strict conditions. For an application under this stream, the applicant must fall under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) A, 0, or B sections. In addition, the candidate must have satisfied the conditions for immigration under the Express Entry System, complete the Yukon Express Entry application, be financially sufficient, and any other conditions as well as documents that may be required.

• Global Talent Stream

This is another way through which tech workers can successfully immigrate to Canada. This involves an immigration program whereby employers of specific jobs in Canada, including tech jobs, hire foreign workers. This program, however, allows for highly skilled workers. Therefore, an intending immigrant –a tech worker- applying for immigration under this program would have to be highly skilled in his area of expertise. According to cicnews.com, the Global Talent Stream has aided in the arrival of more than 40,000 tech workers to Canada since the year 2017.

• Start-up Visa

This program allows for creative entrepreneurs the opportunity to immigrate to Canada in order to start up a new business. The program widely accommodates tech talent and has a variety of categories from which skilled workers can pick. However, it should be noted that the Canadian government does not give financial support to freshly starting-up immigrants. Therefore, before applying for a start-up visa to begin business operations, you must ensure that you have satisfied all the prerequisite conditions specified on your application platform.

In reference to Canadian Immigration Law Firm, in 2020, over one-third of jobs in Canada’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector were held by immigrants. In addition, research shows that the average salary rate of tech workers in Canada ranges from $35.00 per hour to at least $100,000 per year, depending on the worker’s skill set and experience level. Here are some of the hottest jobs in demand in Canada:

• Software Developer/Engineer
• Software Programmer
• Security Analyst
• IT Project Manager
• IT Business analysts
• Network Architect
• Media Specialist
• Full-Stack Developer
• QA (Quality Assurance) Analysts
• Development Operations Manager

According to Worldmigrationreport 2020, the current global estimate is that there were around 281 million international migrants in the world in 2020, equating to 3.6 percent of the worldwide population.

Statista.com communicates that annual immigration in Canada currently amounts to around 300,000 new immigrants, one of the highest rates per population of any country in the world.

In 2021, there was a record of more than eight million immigrants with permanent residence living in Canada, roughly 21.5 percent of the total Canadians.

As a tech worker looking to migrate to Canada, you have a good chance because there are a positive number of ways in which you can migrate as a job seeker.

Ordinarily, to migrate to another country under the guise of a job, you would need to have a job offer; constantly, having a recommendation goes a long way in getting the said job offer. This doesn’t strictly apply to Canada. Canada is one of the easiest countries in the world to immigrate to. To migrate to Canada as a worker, you do not need a job offer depending on your field of work or experience gained from your study. Generally, as a worker, there are specific requirements you need to fulfill in order for you to migrate to Canada, some of which will be mentioned thus;

• Job Offer: ordinarily, you do not need a job offer to migrate to Canada as a worker. However, your chances of immigration are considerably higher if you have a job offer from a Canadian employer in your field of study or work.
• Education Level: You can immigrate to Canada with only a High School Diploma. As a tech worker looking to immigrate to Canada, education is indisputably relevant to meet the standards. Most Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees from other countries meet Canadian standards and are thus welcomed with approval.
• A particular age grade is usually specified in some countries.

Immigration Programs to immigrate to Canada