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President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” policy could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Canadian technology firms. Canadian companies have long been living in the shadow of American giants in Silicon Valley, Seattle and other tech hubs in the United States. These firms have been able to attract the best talent, skills, entrepreneurs and also huge investments.

The Trump administration had made illegal immigration an election plank but some of the policies that were pushed through post-election seem to be less clear on the issue of high-skilled immigrants. The flagship H1B visa program that brought thousands of skilled tech professionals into the United States and boosted the economic growth of the country now seems to be under threat. Though this has traditionally been the most convenient route for tech workers, President Trump has consistently called it a bad idea and promised that abuses to the program will not be tolerated and that any illegal procedures will be thoroughly investigated.

The tech community in Canada is keeping a close watch on how things unfold across the border. Immigration anxiety in the Age of Trump is being felt from international tech firms and professionals across the world. With the new American travel bans and immigration policies becoming reality, many of the visitors and potential immigrants are uncertain about making America their destination. This is something that countries like Canada can certainly capitalize on.

Tech workers and immigration experts are currently taking a cautious approach to wait and see how things really pan out. However, they cannot afford to wait indefinitely. With the new Canadian immigration policies coming into force, like the Express Entry program etc, the tech community has a very attractive alternative to choose.

The Trump policies are “certainly an opportunity for Canada” according to Andrew Guy, director of Digital Technologies and Life Sciences at the Ontario Investment Office. In January 2017, a group of Canadian tech company founders met in Ottawa to recommend temporary residence to those displaced by the US ban on seven Muslim countries. “Canadian companies understand the power of inclusion and diversity of thought and that talent and skill know no borders,” opined the more than 200 industry leaders in a letter to the Canadian Prime Minister.

In another heartening move, tech giants like Facebook, Google, Uber and Microsoft have recently opened offices in Toronto and Vancouver. Smaller companies and start-ups in Canada are being viewed with much more interest by the international tech community. In fact, many American citizens seem to be opting to move to Canada. Roy Pereira, founder of a start-up in Toronto observes that Canadians are not accustomed to seeing Americans wanting to move to Canada but this indeed seems to be happening post-Trump.

Some of these American immigrants have moved to Canada for political reasons and a strong opposition to the American policies being launched currently.

Whatever the reasons and factors involved, Canada will certainly benefit from being a prized destination for the international tech community. The government is in sync with this sentiment and has mooted several changes to the immigration policy to make it speedier and more efficient. Our immigration lawyers can help you take advantage of this opportunity.