the CanadaVisa Team - 22 July, 2015
A recent bill introduced in the United States Senate, if passed, would prohibit American firms that receive federal bailout money from hiring H1B workers. H1B holders are temporary foreign workers in the United States. The bill seeks to protect the jobs of Americans by minimizing the number of foreign workers in the country during the current economic troubles.
Should the bill pass, Canada is an attractive option for these H1B visa holders; particularly the province of Alberta, which has a specific category of immigration for American H1B holders.
Last year, the government of Alberta introduced the Strategic Recruitment Stream of the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). This program recognizes the valuable contributions that workers from overseas have made in North America by fast-tracking the Canadian Permanent Residency of certain U.S. H1B visa* holders.
The Strategic Recruitment Stream of the AINP was originally created to help Alberta employers deal with chronic labour shortages in certain industries inthe province. The Alberta government reasoned that, with their North American experience, U.S. H1B holders in these occupations would easily find jobs in Alberta. No job offer is required in order to qualify. Applicants must have been working in the United States for at least one year on an H1B in an occupation that is in high demand in Alberta.
* also includes H1B1, H1C, and E3.
