Canada is positioning itself to attract the kinds of highly-skilled workers now facing $100,000 fees to enter the US. On Tuesday, Ottawa unveiled a 10-year, $1.2 billion plan to recruit more than 1,000 doctors, scientists, and researchers by funding salaries, infrastructure, and grants in what it bills as one of the largest talent drives of its kind, per the Washington Post. The announcement doesn't name the United States, but the target audience is clear: foreign specialists facing a tougher climate under President Trump, including past and present H-1B visa holders and academics unsettled by policies affecting universities.
US efforts to curb both illegal and legal immigration, including the H-1B program, have fueled uncertainty at tech companies and rural health providers that rely on foreign talent. "As other countries constrain academic freedoms and undermine cutting-edge research, Canada is investing in—and doubling down on—science," said Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, adding that the investment is meant to secure Canada's place "at the forefront of discovery and innovation" for generations.
The new plan includes an expedited route to permanent residency for overseas doctors with at least a year of Canadian work experience. It also expedites visa processing for PhD applicants and their families, per Newsweek. Yet as Canada works to reverse the long-running "brain drain" to its southern neighbor, it faces competition, per the Post. Some European universities are offering funding and a promise of academic freedom to US-based scientists, while China is courting American researchers in STEM fields. More on that here.
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