The Global Talent Stream in Canada offers an accelerated pathway for Canadian employers to recruit skilled foreign talent. The Global Talent stream is part of the Global Skills Strategy (GSS), which focuses on assisting employers in Canada in finding skilled foreign workers who can fill critical gaps. Innovative companies can access highly skilled foreign tech talent through the Global Talent stream. Work permits under the GTS are usually processed within 7-14 days. The Global Talent stream has two categories: Category A and Category B.
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Global Talent is segregated into Category A and Category B, wherein Category A is for employers with reference from a designated organization to recruit and hire specialized and skilled talent, while Category B is for Canadian employers who are looking to recruit skilled workers for positions on the Global Talent Occupations List.
Category A under the Global Talent stream is for companies referred by at least one of the designated referral partners to hire unique and specialized skilled foreign talent.
To be eligible for Category A under GTS, the referral partner must confirm that the hiring company fulfills the below conditions:
The indicating factors of a unique and specialized position are as follows:
The table below-designated referral partners for recruiters or employers that are based outside Quebec includes the below list of organizations:
| Accelerate Okanagan | Government of Prince Edward Island, Island Investment Development Inc. |
| Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency | Government of Saskatchewan, Ministry of the Economy |
| BC Tech Association | Halifax Partnership |
| Burlington Economic Development Corporation | Tech Manitoba |
| Business Development Bank of Canada | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada - Accelerated Growth Service |
| Canadian Economic Development for Quebec Regions | Invest Ottawa |
| Cape Breton Partnership | Invest in Canada |
| City of Brampton | Kingston Economic Development Corporation |
| City of Hamilton's Economic Development Office | Launch Academy |
| City of Mississauga | London Economic Development Corporation |
| Communitech Corporation | MaRS Discovery District |
| Council of Canadian Innovators | National Research Council - Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) |
| Economic Development Winnipeg | Privy Council Office, Special Projects Team |
| Edmonton Economic Development | Regional Municipality of Niagara |
| Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario | Regional Municipality of York |
| Genesis (Newfoundland) | Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership |
| Global Affairs Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service | Toronto Global |
| Government of Alberta, Alberta Labour | Town of Oakville |
| Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology | Vancouver Economic Commission |
| Government of Manitoba, Manitoba Education and Training | Venn Innovation |
| Government of Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Business Inc. | Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation |
| Government of Ontario, Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade – Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program | WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation |
| Government of Ontario, Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade – Ontario Investment Office |
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Category B of the GTS allows Canadian employers to recruit temporary skilled foreign workers for occupations listed on the ESDC's occupations list. These are in-demand roles facing labour shortages.
The table below has the Global Talent occupations list for Category B under GTS:
| NOC code (2011) | NOC code (2021) | Occupation | Minimum hourly rate | Minimum annual salary |
| 213 | 20012 | Computer and information systems managers | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
| 2131 | 21300 | Civil Engineers | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
| 2133 | 21310 | Electrical and electronics engineers | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
| 2143 | 21330 | Mining engineers | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
| 2146 | 21390 | Aerospace engineers | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
| 2147 | 21311 | Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
| Sub-set of 2161* | Sub-set of 21210* | Mathematicians and statisticians | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
| * Positions for actuaries or related occupations are excluded from this subset. | ||||
| 2171 | 21211 - Data Scientists | Information systems analysts and consultants | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
| 21220 - Cyber security specialists | ||||
| 21221 - Business system specialists | ||||
| 21222 - Information system specialists | ||||
| 21233 - Web designers | ||||
| 2172 | 21211 - Data scientists | Database analysts and data administrators | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
| 21223 - Database analysts and data administrators | ||||
| 2173 | 21231 - Software engineers and designers | Software engineers and designers | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
| 21211 - Data scientists | ||||
| 2174 | 21230 – Computer systems developers and programmers | Computer programmers and interactive media developers | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
| 21232 – Software developers and programmers | ||||
| 21234 – Web developers and programmers | ||||
| 2175 | 21233 – Web designers | Web designers and developers | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
| 21234 – Web developers and programmers | ||||
| 2241 | 22310 | Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians | $41.35 or higher prevailing wage | $86,000 or higher prevailing wage |
| 2281 | 22220 | Computer Network technicians (NOC 2021 occupation: Computer network and web technicians) | $40.87 or higher prevailing wage | $85,000 or higher prevailing wage |
| 2283 | 22222 | Information systems testing technicians | $41.03 or higher prevailing wage | $85,000 or higher prevailing wage |
| Sub-set of 5131** | Sub-set of 51120** | Producer, technical, creative and artistic director and project manager – Visual effects and video game | $40.87 or higher prevailing wage | $85,000 or higher prevailing wage |
| ** The position requires a minimum of three years' industry experience in the visual effects, video game or animation industries in one or a combination of the following roles: producer, technical director, creative director, artistic director or project manager, senior coordinator, department manager, with three years of job experience in at least one or more of the following skills relevant to the visual effects, video game or animation industries: surfacing and look development; character or simulation rigging; matte painting; managing budgets or teams; or technical pipeline development and application for visual effects, video games, or animation production. | ||||
| Sub-set of 5241*** | Sub-set of 52120** | Digital Media and Design | $38.46 or higher prevailing wage | $80,000 or higher prevailing wage |
| ***The position requires a minimum of three years' industry experience in at least one of the following digital media design skills: 3D modelling, compositing, paint and roto, layout and match move, digital environment and Matte painting, texture, lighting shading, character effects, effects and simulations, design and scenario, rigging, user interface or user experience, responsive design (for gaming), virtual reality, augmented reality, digital media animation, levels editing for digital media design, software editing for digital media design, pipeline software development or applications relevant for digital media design |
To be eligible for Category A and B under the Global Talent Stream (GTS), you must fulfill certain criteria.
You may qualify for Category A of the GTS if you meet the following eligibility criteria:
Note: If the occupation you listed is on the list of global talent occupations, the application will be processed under Category B, provided the requirements are fulfilled.
You may qualify for Category B of the GTS if you meet the following eligibility criteria:
The requirements to qualify for Canada Global Talent Stream (GTS) are as follows:
Make sure the wage offered aligns with the prevailing wages for that occupation.
Canadian employers looking to recruit or hire foreign workers under the Global Talent Stream must coordinate with the ESDC and develop a Labour Market Benefits Plan (LMBP). The LMBP should highlight the positive impact that foreign workers will have on the Canadian labour market, including activities that the employer will conduct to contribute to job creation, investments, and skills training.
Along with the above-listed benefits, Canadian employers must stay committed to benefits, including job creation, skills investments or training, and transferring knowledge to Canada PR holders and citizens while boosting the company’s performance.
Some of the major activities that must be mentioned in an employer’s LMBP are as follows:
Two new categories of workers under the Global Talent Stream are exempt from requiring a work permit.
The work permit exemptions under GTS are as follows:
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You can follow the below steps for the Global Talent stream application process:
Step 1: Submission of the LMBP
Employers must submit the Labour Market Benefits Plan (LMBP) to the ESDC (Employment and Social Development Canada) for review.
Step 2: Collect your Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
Upon the approval of your LMBP, you will receive a positive LMIA.
Step 3: Arrange the required documents
You must now gather the requirements, including a positive LMIA, employment offer letter, proof of experience, etc.
Step 4: Submit your application online
You can complete the work permit application online and submit it via the official IRCC portal.
Step 5: Submit your biometrics and await the status
The last step would be to submit your biometrics. Once that is done, you can await the status.
The GTS processing fee is around CAD1,000, while the processing fee for a work permit is CAD155. The biometric fee that the foreign workers must pay costs around CAD85.
The processing fee payment can be made through the following payment modes:
Note: The processing fee, once paid, cannot be refunded if the application is rejected, withdrawn, or canceled.\
The processing time for GTS applications takes around 10 days, starting from the application submission date. The processing time for Global Talent stream applications may vary depending on the total number of applications received. In such cases, while the standard time remains 10 days, it may take aroudn7-14 days for applications to process.
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The Global Talent Stream is a Canadian immigration pathway that allows employers to hire foreign workers. Canadian employers can recruit foreign workers through the GTS to fill critical labour shortages, primarily in the IT and tech sectors. The Global Talent Stream aims to streamline and fast-track the hiring process in specialized fields.
To be eligible for the Global Talent stream, companies and employers must fall under Category A or Category B.
Category A: Employers in Category A are referred by a designated referral partner.
Category B: Employers in Category B are keen on filling the positions on the Global Talent Occupations List.
A Labour Market Benefits Plan (LMBP) is a document that Canadian employers must submit when applying for a GTS work permit. The plan must highlight how recruiting foreign talent can positively affect the labour market in Canada by creating more employment, offering training opportunities, and developing skills.
Employers in Canada can follow the below steps for the Global Talent stream application process:
Step 1: Submit a Labour Market Benefits Plan (LMBP)
Step 2: Get a LMIA
Step 3: Gathered the required documents
Step 4: Submit your work permit application and complete the biometric submission
Step 5: Wait for a decision from the officials
It takes around 2 weeks or 10 days for skilled foreign workers to get their work permits under the Global Talent Stream.
