Canada has launched a $1.2 billion initiative aimed at drawing leading researchers to the country, as the U.S. intensifies restrictions on highly skilled workers by charging $100,000 for H-1B visas.
The Canadian government announced on Tuesday that its investment over 12 years will be used to recruit and support over 1,000 individuals advancing world-leading research in critical fields, including doctors and scientists.
“As other countries constrain academic freedoms and undermine cutting-edge research, Canada is investing in – and doubling down on – science,” Melanie Joly, Canada’s industry minister, said in a statement. “Today’s investment is about securing Canada’s place at the forefront of discovery and innovation and leveraging our strength in science to support our future well-being and prosperity for generations to come.”
While the initiative does not explicitly mention the United States, it appears aimed – at least in part – at attracting highly skilled workers like those who could hold H-1B visas.
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In September, President Trump signed an executive order requiring a $100,000 fee for H-1B skilled foreign worker applicants, saying it will spur companies to hire Americans instead of people from overseas.
The fee applies only to new H-1B applicants who live abroad, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which oversees the visa program. More specifically, the $100,000 fee applies to H-1B applications filed on or after Sept. 21 by workers outside the U.S. and who do not currently hold such a visa, USCIS said in October.
While the fee could foster boosted domestic hiring in some industries, other industries could take a hit. The U.S. health care system, for example, which depends on international professionals such as doctors, lab technicians and nurses to fill positions, could become collateral damage.
Canada, meanwhile, faces its own challenges. The country is experiencing a significant shortage of doctors in primary care, leaving millions without a family physician and contributing to longer emergency room waits and poorer health outcomes.
In response, Canadian officials have announced a path to expedited permanent residency for overseas doctors with at least one year of Canadian work experience, aiming to address the critical workforce gap.
“This dedicated Express Entry category, along with the reserved federal admission spaces for provinces and territories, will help bring in and keep practice-ready doctors, so people across Canada can get the care they need,” Lena Metlege Diab, Canada’s minister of refugees and citizenship, said in a statement Monday.
Some scholars are already making their way from the U.S. to Canadian universities. The University of Toronto announced in November that it recruited three top researchers from U.S. institutions — whose work ranges from the search for new planets to economics — and called it a “big win for Canada.”
“By attracting the top minds from around the world to work alongside exceptional Canadian researchers, the Government of Canada is building the kind of scientific and academic powerhouse that drives the strongest economy in the G7,” Joly said.