Financial Times: Vancouver Seizes Chance to Lure Silicon Valley Tech Talent

Vancouver, a beautiful city with mild weather on the Pacific coast, is fast-growing technology hub in need of skilled workers. A US crackdown on immigration has made the job of recruiting skilled immigrant workers from Seattle, San Francisco and Silicon Valley much easier. Companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google and Facebook oppose an executive order banning travelers from seven nations overwhelmingly Muslim, which was quickly overturned by courts. The high-tech sector also expects the Trump administration to limit H1B visas for hiring skilled labor. Many companies are started by immigrants and the US could lose tech companies as well as tech staff. “Canada’s relatively open immigration policies makes it easier for skilled overseas workers to gain a work visa than in the US,” reports Leslie Hook for Financial Times, adding that Canadian lawyers have seen a rise in calls and applications from US-based workers. Canada also offers rebates and incentives for research and development. One entrepreneur reports the cost of operating in Canada is about a 10th of that of San Francisco. – YaleGlobal