Canada trying to lure Silicon Valley tech workers

Canada trying to lure Silicon Valley tech workers

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The Canadian government is trying to lure Silicon Valley tech workers who are frustrated by U.S. visa policies, just as Congress wrestles with a long-sought overhaul of America’s immigration system.

Canada’s minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism arrived in the San Francisco Bay area today for a four-day visit aimed at snapping up talent for his country’s high-tech economy by offering startup entrepreneurs a new visa.

The San Jose Mercury News reported earlier that a billboard sporting a giant red maple leaf went up off Highway 101 on the road to Silicon Valley, part of a Canadian ad campaign encouraging tech workers to head north.

The new “startup visa” will grant permanent residency to entrepreneurs who can start a business in Canada and raise enough venture capital.