H-1B visa holders and family members to have an open work permit in Canada soon

The Ministry for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released an official statement on June 27, stating that it will allow study or work permits for US H-1B visa holders and their family members from July 16.

Canada Immigration Minister Sean Fraser reportedly said that Canada will implement a work-permit stream between the USA and Canada to allow 10,000 H-1B visa holders from the USA, where they can come to Canada and work.

The IRCC release said that since many of the professionals in the high-tech companies are present in both Canada and the US, Canada will allow visa holders and their family members to work in Canada.

Moreover, according to reports, Fraser informed that the federal government was working on an immigration stream where the world's most talented people would be able to come and work in Canadian tech companies, even if they do not have the job at the time of application. However, the eligibility criteria for such applicants have not been cleared by IRCC or Fraser yet.

The announcement is likely to benefit the Indians most, as Indian-origin H-1B visa holders make up 72.6% of total H-1B visa holders. The spouses and dependents of these visa holders will be able to seek work and study permit, and even temporary resident permit in Canada.