A Canadian Company Put Up Billboards In Silicon Valley To Bring Workers To The North

Finding talented staff can be tough. However, one Canadian company might have figured out a great solution. Their Silicon Valley billboards have been designed to lure tech workers north of the border.

Communitech, a Waterloo-based company that helps workers find jobs in the tech field, placed billboards designed to draw people to Canadian companies along highway 101 in the heart of Silicon Valley.

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The company posted on Instagram about their initiative on August 4.

"What’s this? Why, it’s a Communitech billboard in San Francisco that aims to help U.S.-based tech workers who are worried about their visa status find roles with Canadian companies," the caption reads.

It goes on to say that the ads are part of the company's Outposts program, which allows people to gain employment in Canada without leaving their home countries.

The image on the billboard, designed to emulate the autofill feature on a Google search, says "what if" followed by results reading "What if my visa gets cancelled?" and "What if I lose my job and health insurance?"

The billboard is referencing the recent suspension of H-1B visas by the Trump administration, according to CBC News.

The American Immigration Council says that these visas allow American companies to hire foreign workers in specialized fields. They are popular in the tech industry.

In an Agust 11 tweet, Communitech wrote, "If you're a US tech worker affected by today's announcement: 1. We're so sorry. 2. We're here to help."

The tweet also provided a link to the company's website where people can look into opportunities for employment in Canada.

"All these people [who] potentially won't be able to work in America are absolutely top talent from around the world," Communitech CEO Iain Klugman told CBC News.

"The message we're trying to deliver to them is to say, 'Hey, you know what, if you can't work or you lose your job, we would like you to think about Canada.'"

Recently, three Canadian cities were ranked as new tech hubs that could potentially compete with Silicon Valley. That included Waterloo and the surrounding region, as well as Quebec City and Edmonton.