After President Donald Trump raised the cost of H-1B visas to $100,000, the movement of international researchers has become more difficult — and Canada appears poised to capitalize on the shift.The Canadian government unveiled in its first budget under Prime Minister Mark Carney special initiatives to attract more than 1,000 top international researchers and H-1B visa holders while cutting the number of foreign students admitted annually, Bloomberg reported.
The plan earmarked 1.7 billion Canadian dollars (Rs 10,000 crore approx) to recruit skilled researchers. “The expertise of these researchers will help advance our global competitiveness and contribute to the economy of the future,” the budget document said. It also proposed an “accelerated pathway” for H-1B visa holders in the coming months following President Donald Trump’s decision to increase fees for H-1B visas to $100,000. However, it maintained tight controls over overall immigration after recent surges in population growth. Under the new immigration plan the govt set a target of 380,000 permanent residents annually for 2026 through 2028. It cut the number of temporary residents to 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in both 2027 and 2028, representing a reduction of more than 40 percent from current levels. The reductions are driven by a steep fall in planned new study permits, which are now capped at 155,000 in 2026 and 150,000 in each of the following two years. Those targets compare with 305,900 permits annually for 2025 to 2027 set by the former govt. Universities Canada said “recognizes the government’s efforts to build a sustainable immigration system that welcomes those seeking to study at Canada’s world-class universities, but the plan must match this government’s talent and economic agenda.” A report by Desjardins said bringing fewer people into the country “should support wage growth in the near-term, as employers bid to attract fewer available workers.” It will likely slow population growth further compared with previous targets but has only minimal impact on gross domestic product forecasts. “The slower population growth should ease shelter inflation, particularly in the rental sector, as temporary foreign workers and international students are likelier to rent. Lastly, the slower pace of population growth should help reverse Canada’s falling GDP per capita,” the report said. The govt now aims to reduce the share of nonpermanent residents to less than 5 percent of the population by the end of 2027, a year later than initially planned. The figure was 7.3 percent on July 1.
