Canada Creates New Class of Visa to Attract Tech Entrepreneurs

Is this going to be a relative downgrade like the TN visa was compared to the old TC visa was for Canadians in the USA? I wasn't of working age when that happened, but from my brief reading, it sounds like it was.

Re: Canada Creates New Class of Visa to Attract Tech Entrepreneurs

#5

Post by jacques_chester » Wed, Sep 12, 2012, 12:17 AM UTC

From an Australian perspective the E3 visa is probably still more attractive for getting a track record first.

They're not directly comparable, but still.

Re: Canada Creates New Class of Visa to Attract Tech Entrepreneurs

#6

Post by varunsrin » Wed, Sep 12, 2012, 12:21 AM UTC

Interesting that there is a link back to the HN thread from the post - I've seen it happen a lot on personal blogs, but this is the first time I've seen it done by a company.

Re: Canada Creates New Class of Visa to Attract Tech Entrepreneurs

#7

Post by richardjordan » Wed, Sep 12, 2012, 1:02 AM UTC

Giving VC firms the power to dictate visa eligibility creates perverse incentives in the fundraising cycle. If you want to say if you raise $x from accredited investors you can get visa for one or more founders that's one thing...

As a side question what's VC success rate with entrepreneurs-in-residence?

Re: Canada Creates New Class of Visa to Attract Tech Entrepreneurs

#8

Post by eduardordm » Wed, Sep 12, 2012, 1:30 AM UTC

Or maybe you could just... open a company in the US (or Canada), release your product. If you need funds, don't have enough and can't get it from people you already know, maybe it's time to reevaluate your model. Sorry, you will never get funded by any investment funds. And I don't understand what those investors expect they will find overseas. It's just a lot more of the same.

But my point is:

I don't understand why people are so obsessed about being in the US/CAN all time. Really, if you want to go there you can get a US B1 (business) visa, that does not requires much. I have a LLC in the US and I'm there every few months. But maybe that is not what we want, am I right? Maybe we want to live the life techcrunch is selling us. We tend to be pathetic sometimes.

Believe me, being there personally and trying to talk to those guys will just make you realize how insignificant we all are to them - no matter how cool you are on twitter, no matter how cool you product is. It will drain the very energy you need to succeed.

Re: Canada Creates New Class of Visa to Attract Tech Entrepreneurs

#9

Post by bwb » Wed, Sep 12, 2012, 1:34 AM UTC

A war is coming :)

"There are never enough brains in a country," Version One Ventures founder Boris Wertz is quoted as saying. "Every country's going to compete for the best brains in the world."

Re: Canada Creates New Class of Visa to Attract Tech Entrepreneurs

#10

Post by coryl » Wed, Sep 12, 2012, 2:38 AM UTC

eduardordm wrote: post #8

Or maybe you could just... open a company in the US (or Canada), release your product. If you need funds, don't have enough and can't get it from people you already know, maybe it's time to reevaluate your model. Sorry, you will never get funded by any investment funds. And I don't understand what those investors expect they will find overseas. It's just a lot more of the same. But my point is: I don't understand why…

http://paulgraham.com/hubs.html

Location matters, that's why people want to be in the US/Canada.