Both Canada and the U.S. are encountering a workforce deficiency. One nation is escalating immigration levels to address the issue.
In recent years, both Canada and the United States have been grappling with the issue of skilled worker immigration. Here's a comparison of their approaches during the period of 2023-2025.
Canada:
Canada's immigration system for skilled workers primarily relies on the Express Entry system, a points-based, meritocratic approach. This system encompasses federal economic programs such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class. The provinces also play a significant role through Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), which help meet regional labor demands.
Recent changes in Canada include a reduction in the number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residency, down from 69,148 in 2023 to about 49,403 by July 2025. This reduction aims to address housing and affordability concerns. Additionally, a March 2025 policy removed the bonus Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points for arranged employment, intensifying competition in CRS score bands and emphasizing targeted draws, such as French-language candidates and those with Canadian experience.
United States:
The United States' skilled worker immigration system is more complex, primarily involving employer-sponsored visa categories like H-1B (temporary work visas), with eventual paths to permanent residence (green cards). There is no comprehensive points-based system equivalent to Canada’s Express Entry.
U.S. immigration policies heavily rely on employer sponsorship and approved labor certifications, and do not systematically allocate green cards through a merit-based points system.
Comparing the two countries, Canada's approach emphasizes a merit-based, points-driven system with targeted provincial inputs, with recent policy changes increasing competition. In contrast, the U.S. maintains an employer-centric visa sponsorship model with separate categories for temporary and permanent skilled workers, operating under strict annual limits but without a points system.
Implications:
In Canada, the University Health Network in Toronto has started a program to bring in more globally informed registered nurses and help them obtain the additional training they need in Canada. On the other hand, the U.S. brought in approximately 275,000 lawful, employment-based immigrants in fiscal year 2022.
Canada aims to approve 1.45 million immigrants by 2025, which is more than the number of immigrants the U.S. brought in in 2022. However, it's worth noting that the U.S. does not have a comprehensive points-based system like Canada's Express Entry, making comparisons more complex.
In the U.S., bills to increase the number of foreign business owners, high-skilled workers, integrated circuit suppliers, and farm employees have failed to pass in the last session of Congress. In Canada, two bills to increase employment-based visas were introduced but did not pass the House of Representatives.
Both countries' two largest national political parties support immigration, but in the U.S., some Republican critics have expressed the need to address illegal migration at the southern border before considering changes to legal immigration pathways. As of now, it's not clear if any new bills to increase the number of foreign workers or employment-based visas have been introduced in the U.S. Congress since the last session.
In conclusion, while both countries have unique approaches to skilled worker immigration, Canada's Express Entry system stands out for its merit-based, points-driven system with targeted provincial inputs. The U.S., on the other hand, maintains an employer-centric visa sponsorship model with separate categories for temporary and permanent skilled workers, operating under strict annual limits but without a points system.
- Amidst the ongoing debates about skilled worker immigration, concerns about health, specifically the shortage of nurses, have emerged in Canada, leading to the implementation of a program to bring in more globally informed registered nurses.
- Despite the US's 2022 intake of approximately 275,000 lawful, employment-based immigrants, there have been Congressional efforts to increase the number of foreign business owners, high-skilled workers, integrated circuit suppliers, and farm employees, which have not been successful to date.
- The general news landscape reflects the differences in approaches to skilled worker immigration in both Canada and the United States, with Canada emphasizing a merit-based, points-driven system and the US relying more on employer sponsorship, particularly in the food and business sectors, due to their respective immigration policies.
