Global Talent Stream 

The Global Talent Stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is a program that provides innovative firms in Canada with a faster way to hire highly skilled foreign talent when Canadians or permanent residents are not available.

The Global Talent Stream is designed to help innovative companies recruit the highly specialized and skilled global talent they need to expand by providing faster and more predictable application processing.

As part of their application, employers using the Global Talent Stream are required to develop a Labour Market Benefits Plan. This plan outlines the employer’s measurable commitments to create lasting benefits for the Canadian labour market through activities such as job creation, investment in training and skills development, or the transfer of knowledge to Canadians.

The Global Talent Stream contributes to economic growth in Canada by ensuring that Canadians and permanent residents continue to have the first opportunity at available jobs, while ensuring Canadian businesses have the skilled workforce they need.

The Global Talent Stream is one of the pillars of the Global Skills Strategy, promoting global investment in Canada and supporting the Government of Canada’s Innovation Agenda. 

The Global Talent Stream is available to two categories of employers:

• Category A: Firms in Canada that are referred to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s Global Talent Stream by an Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) Designated Partner because they are innovative and can demonstrate a need to hire unique and specialized temporary foreign workers in order to scale-up and grow.
•  Category B: Firms in Canada that need to hire foreign workers for highly skilled in-demand occupations found on ESDC’s Global Talent Occupations List where there is insufficient domestic labour supply.

The new Global Talent Stream highlights the Government of Canada’s commitment to the Global Skills Strategy that the Minister of Finance announced in the 2016 Fall Economic Update and as part of the Government’s Innovation Agenda.

The Government is committed to building a better Canada so that everyone has the jobs, skills and learning to solve global challenges and strengthen communities.