Skills Strategy: Companies and Cent

skills strategy: MaRS says the majority of companies surveyed cited immigration reform, including the federal government's new global skills strategy that can expedite visas, as a key factor influencing their competitiveness, according to CTV. The survey says 35 per cent of respondents hired used the expedited visas, which were introduced in mid-2016. The survey by the MaRS Discovery District found that of the 55 companies that responded, 53 per cent saw more international applicants in 2017 over 2016 and 45 per cent of companies made international hires last year. Companies said they made hires predominantly from the United States as well as from India, China, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. The boost in international applications come as the Trump administration has looked to curb immigration, including ordering a review of a specialty visa program that the tech sector relies on, and looking to dismantle a program that protects children of undocumented migrants from deportation. MaRS questioned technology firms based primarily in the Toronto region that have over 1 million in annual revenue with U.S. and international market exposure. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.