Will Canada have a digital nomad visa?

From June 17 to 20, a tech conference was held in Toronto, where Canadian Minister of Immigration Sean Fraser spoke. Among other things, he said the government wants to promote Canada as a country for remote workers. Canada is indeed a good place for digital nomads, not only in terms of living standards but also in terms of the visa issue.

How does a digital nomad go to Canada?

In Canada, a digital nomad is someone who works remotely and can be anywhere in the world.

But there is no special digital nomad visa, as in other countries, in Canada. So there are peculiarities in the relocation of remote specialists. As Fraser said at the conference, digital nomads can come to the country on a visitor (tourist) visa. What it gives you:

• the right to stay in Canada for up to 6 months with the possibility of extending your stay;
• the right to work remotely for a non-Canadian employer;
• the right to look for a job in Canada and, if successful, to change your visitor visa to a work visa.

Traveling on a visitor visa has its advantages:

• there are no specific monthly income requirements for nomads, as in other countries;
• there is no limit to the number of approved digital nomads per year;
• minimum package of documents;
• low cost of visa processing: CAD 100 per person for visa application and CAD 85 per person (or CAD 170 per family) for biometrics;
• the opportunity to search for jobs and have live interviews.

There are also several disadvantages:

• you cannot use free healthcare, so you will have to pay for insurance;
• your spouse is not eligible for a work permit in Canada unless they find an employer and obtain a work visa;
• your children cannot attend free public school;
• you cannot work for Canadian employers, you can only look for a job, have interviews, and after receiving an invitation change your visa;
• being in Canada as a digital nomad offers no advantages when applying for permanent residency.

Privileges for digital nomads

The Minister of Immigration said that Canada will develop new measures for remote workers. It might be faster processing of applications than for regular tourist visas, but there is no information yet. Visitor visas can take a very long time to process now. The time depends on the country from which the application is filed, and it may vary dramatically. Right now the approximate time frame is as follows:

• United States — 35 days;
• China — 51 days;
• Hong Kong — 47 days;
• Brazil — 51 days;
• Philippines — 40 days;
• India — 32 days;
• Turkiye — 46 days;
• Australia — 97 days;
• Japan — 45 days;
• Vietnam — 96 days;
• Argentina — 245 days;
• South Africa — 223 days;
• European Union countries — mostly 200-300 days;
• United Kingdom — 355 days.

Fraser also promised that nomads who find an employer in Canada will be able to exchange their visitor's visa for a work visa.

"We expect that some digital nomads who initially enter Canada to work remotely will decide to seek opportunities with Canadian employers." the official Canadian government website says. "When they receive a job offer from a Canadian company, they would be able to bring their skills to a Canadian employer by applying for a temporary work permit or even permanent residence."

During a conference in Toronto, the Minister of Immigration also announced other measures. They are mainly aimed at tech workers and entrepreneurs.

We will follow up with updates about moving to Canada for digital nomads and post detailed information as soon as it becomes available. If you want to move to Canada, book a consultation with our company. We help with both visas and Canadian permanent residency.