Trudeau’s Fast Track for Tech Workers Hits Virus Roadblock
- Tech employers worry as visa approval goes from week to months
- Government has touted open immigration as advantage over U.S.
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Justin Trudeau’s fast-track visa program gave Canada an edge over the U.S. in the global race for talent. The pandemic is eroding it, leaving some tech startups and their recruits in limbo.
The visa has been used to accelerate the arrival of thousands of software engineers, computer programmers and other professionals since 2017. But the number of people entering Canada this year under the global skills strategy program was down 49% through August, data obtained by Bloomberg show. The government says it’s committed to immigration, but acknowledges Covid-19 has caused delays.