Local tech companies will benefit from new fast-track visa program

Companies in Waterloo region will have an easier time hiring foreign talent as the federal government rolled out a global skills fast-track visa program on Monday.

The two-year pilot program,is part of the Global Skills Strategy,will allow companiestobring international talent into the country in as little as ten days,as opposed to the months it previously took to arrange visas.

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"This is really a key part of our growth agenda, a key part of the government agenda to help companies grow and create more Canadian jobs," Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains told CBC's The Morning EditionCraig Norris onTuesday.

Need to bring international talent

Inga Wehrmann, the human resources manager for Clearpath Robotics in Kitchener, said many companiesin the area facethe challenge of bringing in high-skilled international workersto fill positions they can't find locally.

"As rapidly growing organizations in the tech space, we need to be able to hire quickly to maintain our competitiveness," she said.

"A lot of our projects dependon bringing in those skill sets. The longer it takes for us to bring in those skill sets the more it impacts our own projects."

She is hopeful this program will help meet their hiring needs.

Bains saidthere is no cap in how often a company can apply for the global skills visa program. Start-upscan also take advantage of the program.

As companies grow, there will be more potential to create more jobs for Canadians, according to Bains.

"These individuals come and help the company grow and transfer knowledge to Canadians," said Bains. "The objective is that these are specialized, high-in-demand skills that Canadians can learn and benefit from."

After the two-year pilot project, Bains said that they will evaluate the program and proceed with itif government feels like it was a success.