Canada's Governor General's meeting with IT giant Infosys is raising expectations for the sector and its North American aspirations but it is also raising questions about the ambiguity regarding visas.
Infosys, TCS and Wipro have significant IT operations in Canada and are considered as big employers in Canada, despite the fact that Canada’s IT market has a small size.
The Indian work force there comprises of the country’s largest employees, but with strict legal rules regarding temporary overseas worker programs, many businesses were asked to return to their offshore programs.
Regarding the tightening of visas, the High Commissioner of Canada to India, Stewart Beck said, “people move back and forth and we see Canada, since we have North America Free trade Agreement (NAFTA), as a tremendous location for Indian and to other companies as well to capitalize and to locate on the market of North America.”
David Johnston, the Commander-in-Chief and Governor General of Canada and his delegation had a meeting with Infosys’s top management and there was a panel dialogue on Innovation. The panel is said to have discussed issues such as whether or how the government can simplify the rules on cross-border trade and regarding encouraging the right kind of policies to encourage startups to become global as also about enabling incentives.
Canada’s location is in close proximity to the US and it is ideal for Indian IT companies. As the US continues to tighten visa norms and the immigration reform bill, its places will serve as the nearest locations for serving clients and will be excellent options for IT companies.
Speaking on the cap on visas, Beck said that companies were expected to meet some policies. There are sensitivities in the country that needed to identified, and said that Indian companies have to pass through labour market opinions and some mandatory procedures to bring workers from overseas.
