As President Donald Trump hikes the fee for a popular skilled worker visa programme in the US, lawyers and business experts are urging Canada to seize the moment and open its doors.
But some caution that those looking north as an alternative may find that Canada’s immigration system has its own challenges.
The call to attract and retain talented workers left behind by the Trump administration’s changes to H-1B visa is one that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney appears to be paying attention to.
In a Monday speech before the Council of Foreign Relations in New York City, he highlighted Canada’s homegrown research and AI talent, before noting that “unfortunately, most of them go the US”.
“I understand you’re changing your visa policy,” he added. “Maybe we can hang on to one or two of them.”
Trump’s announcement late last week to charge $100,000 (£74,000) for new H-1B applications has stunned tech companies, which have long relied on the programme to employ foreign workers lawfully in the US.
This includes Canadians, who made up 1% of total H-1B applicants in 2019, according to US data.
The White House said current H-1B holders in the US won’t be affected, and the move is likely to face legal challenges. But the changes, which took effect on Sunday, are expected to limit opportunities for highly educated foreigners seeking work in the country. Experts say the hardest hit will be recent international graduates of US universities who had hoped to stay and work long term.
With those workers now looking elsewhere, Canada-based immigration lawyer Evan Green said this is “a wonderful opportunity for the Canadian government to take advantage of”.
He is not the only one calling on Canada to pay attention.
Build Canada, a non-profit focused on growing the country’s productivity, released a memo on Monday urging Canada “to move fast”, arguing that it is a likely landing spot for workers left behind by H-1B changes.
“Hundreds of thousands of highly skilled and highly paid H-1B professionals are now seeking a new home,” the memo said.
“Canada, with its world-class research institutions, similar timezones, proximity to the US, and high quality of life, is the natural destination.”
