Many tech companies in the United States have come out against the increasingly tough immigration policies that have been implemented by the Trump administration. The crackdowns on sanctuary cities, stepping up of deportation efforts, and reviews of specialty US visa programs are prompting complaints by firms like Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft about valuable talent being lost.
However, the Toronto Star says that Canadian tech companies are happy about the situation, with tech firms in the Toronto area registering a spike in the number of job applications from overseas in 2017 that were at least partly the result of the stricter immigration rules being laid down in the United States and several other nations.
In a study of more than 55 tech firms that generate revenue of more than $1 million, 53 percent reported a rise in the number of applications received from overseas applicants last year in comparison with 2016. The study was conducted by innovation hub MaRS Discovery District, which provides facilities, funding and venture services to start-up ventures in the Toronto area. They claim that 45 percent of those firms made international hires in 2017.
However, the trend is also being driven by other factors besides the US immigration policy, including a new global skills strategy that was recently launched by the Canadian government to bring in more overseas talent from countries such as India, Brazil, the United Kingdom, China and even the United States itself.
