July 13, 2023 Dear John, In an era where countries increasingly are seeking to recruit highly skilled immigrants in STEM and high-growth sectors such as health care, Canada’s recently unveiled Tech Talent Strategy is highly unusual for its explicit targeting of visa holders in another country. As of July 16, Canada is opening a dedicated work permit stream specifically for high-skilled immigrants in the United States who hold an H-1B nonimmigrant visa. This pathway, part of a broader strategy that also seeks to recruit prospective entrepreneurs and digital nomads, will grant a three-year work permit (and work or study permits for accompanying family members) to up to 10,000 H-1B visa holders over the next year. “Canada’s new policy toward H-1Bs smartly exploits weaknesses in the U.S. system: offering work and study permits for spouses and other family members and the potential for a permanent future,” write Kate Hooper, Jeanne Batalova, and Julia Gelatt in a commentary out today. While the offer is for temporary status, the Canadian system generally has more avenues than does the U.S. system for skilled workers to transition to permanent status, especially for those who have gained Canadian work experience. In contrast to the policy dynamism seen in Canada, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, and other countries directed at attracting, admitting, and retaining the international talent they see as necessary for economic and workforce vitality, the authors note the stagnation of the U.S. immigration system, whose employment-based provisions were last updated in 1990. H-1B visa holders face an array of challenges, including restrictions on spousal employment and green card wait times that can stretch to decades for Indian and Chinese visa holders. The commentary offers a wake-up call for U.S. policymakers, emphasizing that the long-standing advantage the United States has had in attracting highly skilled immigrants may be waning. “While the vast, dynamic U.S. economy and U.S. cultural dominance remain a strong pull factor for the world’s best and brightest, the benefits and opportunities available to skilled migrants are much more difficult to access in the United States than in countries that offer faster and more flexible pathways to permanent residence,” the analysts write. Read the commentary here: www.migrationpolicy.org/news/canada-recruitment-us-immigrant-workers. And for more of MPI’s work exploring the role immigration can play in addressing current and future workforce needs in rapidly evolving labor markets, check out our new Global Skills and Talent Initiative. Sincerely,  Michelle Mittelstadt
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Migration Policy Institute | 
