We've Listed The Top Cities Where Your Tech Career Is Likely To Flourish
Have you ever wondered where in Canada is the best place for you to settle as a tech worker? In its 2020 Canadian Tech Talent Report, global brokerage firm CBRE ranked Canada's top tech cities. This blog will delve into the top five tech cities based on CBRE’s research, as well as how we can facilitate the process.
Toronto, Ontario.
Toronto is the largest city in Canada and a global leader in business, finance, technology, entertainment, and culture. The city is home to the country's largest concentration of IT talent and has a diverse pool of 250,000 tech workers. Toronto is recognized for its high labor quality and concentration of IT in the following areas: artificial intelligence, financial technology, and software as a service (SaaS).
In addition, Toronto is one of the top five millennial-friendly cities in the world and home to Pearson International Airport in Toronto which is one of the top five most connected airports in the world.
Ottawa, ON
Ottawa is Canada’s capital city and home to over 1,750 knowledge-based businesses, which employ approximately 72,000 highly skilled workers. This accounts for almost 10% of Ottawa's workforce. The primary tech industries in Ottawa are Cybersecurity, Autonomous Vehicles and Software as a Service (SaaS).
Quick Fact: Ottawa is at the forefront of 5G innovation, next-generation networks, and communications that will shape the future, largely owing to Nokia and Ericsson's engineering, research and development laboratories, which operate in the city.
Vancouver, BC
Vancouver is known for its beautiful weather patterns in comparison to other Canadian cities which experience much harsher winters. Nonetheless, Vancouver also has a vastly growing tech sector which includes a pool of over 84,900 highly skilled tech talent.
The primary tech industries in Vancouver are software application development and digital media/gaming. Vancouver experienced one of the fastest growths of Tech talent seen in North America and is known for having one of the best start-up ecosystems in the world, thanks to strong government incentives for innovative start-ups.
Kitchener-Waterloo, ON
The Kitchener-Waterloo region is responsible for one of the most dynamic tech business ecosystems in Canada. The city features hundreds of start-ups, including some of the world's largest tech companies, such as Google, SAP, and BlackBerry.
The Kitchener-Waterloo region is responsible for a labor pool consisting of 22,000 tech workers with a primary concentration focusing on Software app development, digital media/gaming and artificial intelligence.
The region was ranked as having the highest labour quality when compared to the other 20 cities studied. This can be attributed to the quality of the post-secondary education programs in the region and their strong focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math(STEM).
Montreal, QC
The fifth but not least is Montreal. It has the second-highest number of overall tech professionals in Canada, with the tech pool being 141,600. The primary tech industries in Montreal are software application development, robotics and cybersecurity.
Montreal is also recognized as one of the most affordable cities in North America for tech start-ups, with labour and overhead costing about half as much as Silicon Valley.
Available Immigration Programs
There are several immigration program streams available for Tech workers interested in coming to Canada, including the Global Talent Stream and the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) supported work permits. These programs provide an easy transition for tech workers to transition from Canadian temporary to permanent residents.
Canada’s Start Up Visa program is known for largely attracting tech talent and has grown in popularity in recent years. The program is aimed at targeting innovative entrepreneurs desirous of launching a business in Canada. Successful candidates must have the endorsement from an IRCC-designated angel investor, venture capital firm, or a business incubator. After obtaining an endorsement letter, the successful candidate may proceed with their permanent residence application.
How We Can Help
There are many options available for someone in tech to work in Canada or even start their own tech business in one of Canada's top tech cities. Calver Immigration Consulting Inc. has over ten (10) years’ experience specializing in business immigration and can make the process much easier when starting your journey to working in tech in Canada.
Our Services
Calver Immigration Consulting Inc. is rated Canada's number one boutique immigration consultancy. We serve clients across Canada and internationally. Our Registered Canadian Immigration Consultant has over 10 years of experience in Canadian Immigration law and over four years of experience serving those in Canada and abroad.
We can assist with applications for both temporary and permanent residency in Canada. We handle applications for study permits, permanent residency, family class sponsorship, visitor visas, work permits, and Canadian citizenship. We also handle criminal inadmissibility cases by developing remedies for refusal.
Moving To Canada - 2021's Guide to Life in Canada.
I’ve written this guide to help you with the big picture planning, detailing everything you need to know and do before, during and after this amazing process. This is more information than any other consultant is willing to share upfront at such a low rate!
