Global Talent Stream Work Permits

Canada's fastest work permit pathway for highly skilled tech talent. The Global Talent Stream is designed for innovative companies that need to move quickly, and the MyVisa Team knows how to make it work for you.

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For employers and workers: find out if the GTS is the right pathway for your hire.

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What Is the Global Talent Stream

The Global Talent Stream (GTS) is a specialized stream under Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program that allows eligible employers to hire highly skilled foreign workers in technology and innovation sectors with significantly faster processing times than standard work permit pathways.

Work permits issued through the GTS are typically processed within two weeks, making it one of the most powerful tools available to Canadian tech companies that need to bring talent on board quickly. The GTS is designed specifically for employers in high-growth, innovation-driven industries, from early-stage startups to large established tech companies.

Unlike standard LMIA pathways, the GTS involves a Labour Market Benefits Plan (LMBP), a commitment by the employer to create lasting positive impacts on the Canadian labour market in exchange for access to global talent. This is not a bureaucratic formality. It is a substantive requirement that needs to be taken seriously from the outset.

Advantage: Two-week processing when set up correctly

The GTS's two-week processing target applies to the LMIA assessment by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). The subsequent work permit application to IRCC is a separate step. The MyVisa Team manages both stages end-to-end to ensure nothing slows your hire down.

Built for Canada's tech ecosystem, at every stage of growth.

The MyVisa Team works with technology companies across the full spectrum, from pre-revenue startups building their founding team to established companies scaling engineering and product functions. We understand the speed at which tech companies operate and the cost of a delayed or refused hire. The GTS is a tool we use regularly, and we know how to navigate it efficiently for companies at every stage.

Startups and scale-ups

Early-stage and growth-stage companies hiring specialized technical talent to build products, lead engineering, or drive innovation. We help startups access the GTS, including navigating the referral requirement for Category A, and develop LMBP commitments that are realistic and achievable for a company at your stage.

Established tech companies

Larger technology companies with recurring hiring needs who want a reliable, efficient pathway for bringing in senior technical talent. We support repeat GTS users, including managing existing LMBPs, handling progress reviews, and streamlining subsequent applications.

International companies hiring in Canada

Foreign tech companies establishing or expanding Canadian operations who need to bring key technical staff into Canada quickly. We advise on the full immigration picture, including how the GTS fits alongside intra-company transfers and other available pathways.

The Global Talent Stream has two categories. Understanding which applies to your hire matters.

Category A - Unique and Specialized Talent

Category A is for employers who have been referred to the GTS by one of the program's designated referral partners and are hiring an individual with unique and specialized talent to help the business scale and grow. A referral from a designated partner is mandatory, employers cannot self-refer or apply to Category A without it.

Referral partners include pan-Canadian organizations such as the Business Development Bank of Canada, the Council of Canadian Innovators, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's Accelerated Growth Service, and the Global Affairs Canada Trade Commissioner Service, as well as regional and provincial partners across the country. The MyVisa Team can advise on which referral partner is the right fit for your company and how to approach that process.

Mandatory LMBP benefit: Job creation for Canadians and permanent residents.

Wage requirement: minimum $80,000 annually ($38.46/hour) for the first two Category A positions per calendar year. Any additional Category A positions in the same year require a minimum of $150,000 annually ($72.11/hour).

Category B - In-Demand Tech Occupations

Category B is for employers hiring highly skilled workers in occupations on the Global Talent Occupations List, a list of specific technical and in-demand roles maintained by ESDC. No referral is required for Category B. If the role you are hiring for appears on the occupations list, your application will be processed as Category B automatically.

Category B is the most commonly used GTS pathway for technology companies with recurring technical hiring needs. The occupations list includes a wide range of software engineering, data, and technology roles, but the role must be a genuine match to a listed occupation based on actual job duties, not just job title.

Mandatory LMBP benefit: Investment in skills and training for Canadians and permanent residents.

Wage requirement: the prevailing wage for the occupation and region, or the wage floor specified for the occupation on the list, whichever is higher.

Not sure which category applies to your hire?

The distinction between Category A and Category B is not always obvious, and choosing the wrong category, or applying to Category A without a valid referral, will result in a negative LMIA. The MyVisa Team assesses every GTS hire to confirm the right category and pathway before any application is filed.

The Labour Market Benefits Plan is not a checkbox. It is a real commitment.

Every GTS employer must develop a Labour Market Benefits Plan (LMBP) with ESDC. The LMBP sets out concrete commitments the employer makes to create lasting positive impacts on the Canadian labour market in exchange for access to global talent through the GTS.

The LMBP includes one mandatory benefit, either job creation (Category A) or investment in skills and training (Category B), plus a minimum of two complementary benefits. Complementary benefits can include activities such as providing co-op or internship opportunities for Canadians and permanent residents, developing educational partnerships with post-secondary institutions, implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives, or supporting knowledge transfer from foreign workers to Canadian staff.

ESDC conducts annual progress reviews of your LMBP. If you fail to make reasonable efforts to meet your commitments, or do not cooperate with the review process, you will likely receive negative decisions on GTS applications for a period of two years. This is not a theoretical risk, it is actively enforced.

For companies making multiple GTS hires over a 12-month period, a single LMBP can be developed to cover forecasted positions, avoiding the need to update it with each new application. The MyVisa Team helps employers develop LMBP commitments that are substantive, achievable, and structured to support long-term GTS access.

LMBP commitments are actively enforced and follow you long term

Employers remain accountable for the commitments made in their LMBP even if a worker hired through the GTS becomes a Canadian permanent resident while employed at the company. Plan your commitments with the full picture in mind.

What you are committing to as a GTS employer.

Accessing the GTS comes with ongoing obligations that extend beyond the LMBP. Employers who fail to meet these requirements are subject to ESDC compliance inspections, administrative monetary penalties, and bans from using the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

Pay the prevailing wage

Wages must meet the prevailing wage at the time of hiring and be reviewed and updated annually. Only guaranteed base wages count toward the wage calculation.

Provide an employment agreement

A signed employment agreement must be provided to the worker on or before their first day of work, covering the occupation, wages, and working conditions set out in the LMIA.

Provide health insurance

Employers must obtain and pay for private health insurance covering emergency medical care for any period the worker is not covered by provincial or territorial health insurance. Costs cannot be recovered from the worker.

Ensure workplace safety coverage

Workers must be covered by provincial or territorial workplace safety insurance from their first day of work, or by a private plan that provides equivalent or better coverage.

Maintain employment records

Complete records documenting compliance with the employment agreement must be maintained throughout the duration of the employment, and made available during compliance inspections.

No recruitment fees from workers

Recruitment fees, including the cost of third-party representatives, cannot be charged to or recovered from the worker. Violation of this requirement results in a negative LMIA.

How the MyVisa Team manages a GTS hire from start to work permit.

The GTS involves two distinct government processes — an LMIA application to ESDC and a work permit application to IRCC. Managing both efficiently requires experience with both streams. The MyVisa Team handles the full process on your behalf.

We assess the hire. We confirm the right GTS category for your hire, verify the role against the occupations list or Category A criteria, confirm wage compliance, and identify any issues before the application is filed.
We assist you to secure a referral if needed. For Category A applications, we advise on the most appropriate designated referral partner for your company and help you prepare for that process.
We help you develop your Labour Market Benefits Plan. We work with you to develop LMBP commitments that are substantive, realistic for your company's stage and capacity, and structured to support long-term GTS access, not just the current hire.
We prepare and file the LMIA application. We prepare the complete LMIA application to ESDC, manage any requests for additional information, and work toward the two-week processing target.
We manage the work permit application. Once the positive LMIA is issued, we prepare and file the work permit application to IRCC on behalf of the worker, managing the process through to permit issuance.
We support ongoing compliance. We advise on annual wage reviews, LMBP progress review preparation, and any subsequent GTS applications, so your access to the program remains protected.

First time hiring through the GTS?

Employers who have not hired a temporary foreign worker in the previous six years are subject to additional review as part of the GTS application process. You will need to demonstrate that your business is legitimate, that your job offer is genuine, and that you have made reasonable efforts to provide a workplace free of abuse. The MyVisa Team prepares first-time GTS employers thoroughly for this review so that nothing in your company's background creates an unnecessary obstacle to your first approved hire.

Ready to hire the technical talent your company needs, without the delays?

Whether you are a startup making your first international hire or an established tech company with ongoing global talent needs, the MyVisa Team knows how to make the GTS work for you. Start with a free assessment and we will tell you exactly what your pathway looks like.

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