Federal government courting foreign graduates
Posted Aug 7, 2014 04:44:54 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER – The federal employment minister says that stalled immigration reform in the U-S is a chance for Canada to scoop up a wealth of young and brilliant foreign nationals.
Jason Kenney says he makes no bones about his government’s drive to woo graduates from prestigious schools south of the border into domestic tech-sector jobs.
He trumpeted a special visa program for entrepreneurs and advertising in California’s Silicon Valley as lures to snagging global talent in West Vancouver on Wednesday.
Ottawa`s budding start-up visa program has only reeled in two successful applicants to date, but Kenney says the aggressive campaign is expected to pick up momentum.
Just over a year ago, the government erected a giant billboard with a red maple leaf that advertised directly to graduates hoping to settle in California but found themselves blocked from obtaining Green Cards.
The sign asks observers if they’re having U.S. visa problems and suggests they instead “pivot” to Canada.
