No H-1B? Canada could be the answer to keeping your global technology talent working with you, near you
Sponsored by MobSquad
Despite recent headwinds, the global skilled labour shortage continues to accelerate, and competition for technology talent remains at an all-time high. In the US, companies face additional challenges, and, as the world’s most popular immigration destination, it substantially limits the number of work visas issued annually to highly coveted technology talent, leaving hundreds of thousands of openings unfilled.
The H-1B visa is the most popular way for US companies to hire foreign workers in speciality occupations, including most technology roles. The challenge is that the number of H-1B visas granted each year is capped at 85,000, chosen at random in a lottery.
In fact, 74 per cent of people who applied for an H-1B visa in 2022 were rejected due to record-breaking demand.
To avoid losing their best talent to chance, more and more companies have explored alternative options. According to Envoy Global’s most recent Immigration Trends Report, 93 per cent of companies expect to turn to nearshoring or offshoring to fill positions this year because of immigration obstacles in the US and the ongoing labour shortage.
Though working remotely has never been easier, having talent offshore is not always the most productive or integrated way for a team to function. With varying time zones and limited in-person interaction, important factors such as culture and communication can start to break down. Intellectual property (IP) is also harder to protect in locations without strong IP enforcement laws, which is critically important for technology companies.
Instead, many US-based companies are turning to their neighbour to the north for a nearshore solution – one that not only enables them to have greater access to the best global talent, but also retain that talent long-term, in North America.
Take Raja Jeyachandran. He is a Senior Information Technology Consultant who has been working from India for a US technology company for many years.
As a senior member of his team, his company wanted him stateside, but he was never approved for an H-1B visa. Instead, they started looking for another solution that would see Jeyachandran working nearby and from the same time zone as the rest of the team.
In the end, his company turned to Canadian nearshore talent solution provider MobSquad to resettle him (and his family) in Canada, where he now works remotely supporting his team in the same time-zone, and less than a three-hour flight away.
“When I was not chosen in the H-1B lottery, I was worried about what that meant for my career and my family’s future,” he said.
“But, thanks to MobSquad, they gave me a second chance to continue supporting my company in North America, and provide my family with a bright and stable future in one of the best countries in the world. We are excited to experience everything Canada has to offer.”
For Technical Support Engineer Mathura Raghavan, moving to Canada was in the best interests of her family. After Raghavan’s husband’s F-1 visa expired the couple exhausted all other options, including applying for the H-1B lottery. Their attempts were unsuccessful and her husband was forced to return to India, leaving Raghavan alone in the US.
This isn’t an uncommon situation. In 2022 the US government received a record 483,927 H-1B lottery registration submissions, from which 127,600 (only 26 per cent) were ultimately selected – leaving hundreds of thousands of unsuccessful candidates to try again this year or leave the country, depending on their current visa status.
When Raghavan approached her US company and explained the difficulties of her family’s situation, she learned that they were already partnering with MobSquad, and were therefore pleased to let her relocate to Canada and support the company remotely.
“Once the immigration process started with MobSquad, the fairytale began. Within a few short months, my husband and I were reunited in Vancouver, Canada after almost a year apart,” she said.
From a US companies’ perspective, MobSquad offers a turnkey solution, making it possible to have talent in Canada without official operations. MobSquad can act as a “virtual subsidiary”, taking care of all administrative and immigration processes in Canada, including relocation and resettlement support, payroll, taxes, benefits, office space and a chance to build community through team events, webinars, and educational opportunities.
This nearshore solution also eliminates all visa-related headaches for companies and vital team members, leaving companies at peace knowing their team members are nearby and cared for.
“Working with the MobSquad team is one of the best talent retention decisions we have made,” said Benton McTaggart, Chief People Officer with Meritize.
“At a time when we were looking to retain a critical team member, the MobSquad team rolled out their white-glove service, working with their own attorneys to handle all immigration paperwork, and providing competitive salary benchmarking data.”
In addition to sharing a border and time zones with the US, Canada’s welcoming immigration policies make the country an attractive destination to relocate foreign talent.
Through its partnership with the Canadian Government, MobSquad can help technology professionals (and their families) obtain Canadian work permits in just six weeks, Canadian permanent residency (equivalent to a US Green Card) in six to 12 months, and Canadian citizenship in less than four years. Unlike in the US, there is no limit to the number of high-skilled visas Canada administers each year under the Global Talent Stream program, and the program is open year-round.
“In the United States people wait decades for a Green Card – leaving their entire family in immigration limbo – but that’s not the case here,” said MobSquad President & COO, Arif Khimani.
“With our solution, people can really invest in creating a life here and other long-term opportunities without so much uncertainty. We provide these individuals with stability and a place to call home, forever.”
by Lucie Morrison
About MobSquad
MobSquad solves the significant and growing technology talent shortage faced by US-based companies by ensuring international technology professionals with US work visa challenges remain working with their current company, nearshore from Canada. Additionally, MobSquad has unfettered access to top-tier global talent which it relocates to Canada and pairs with US and Canadian clients on an exclusive, long-term basis, helping technology firms not only retain their existing world-class talent base, but grow it substantially. For more information, visit www.mobsquad.io
About the author
Lucie Morrison is the Community and Communications Lead for MobSquad. She is based at its flagship office in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Lucie is directly involved in the resettlement process for technology professionals from around the world who join the MobSquad team.
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