The U.S. tech sector relies heavily on foreign-born talent, and after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that threatened the future of tech employees in that country, some companies are looking to Canada.

Trump's order bars refugees, as well as immigrants from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, and Yemen — all Muslim-majority countries, from entering the U.S.

A Vancouver immigration lawyer told The Globe and Mail that on the weekend Trump signed the order, he met with a dozen clients, including engineers and PhD students, who were interested in moving to Canada.

And it's not just refugees or workers from those seven countries who might want to pack up shop.

Immigration rules up in the air

Currently, the U.S. allows 85,000 workers to cross its borders every year through H-1B visas, a lottery-based temporary foreign workers permit for employees with specialized skills.

Immigrants are a big part of the tech industry — companies including Tesla, Microsoft, Google, eBay, Yahoo and Apple were either founded by or are currently run by newcomers to the U.S.

This week, a draft of a proposed executive order to revamp the visa program was leaked from the White House. If approved, the order could revoke the right of current workers to remain in the U.S. or prevent more workers from entering the country.