Labor scarcity is a shared issue for Canada and the United States. One nation is addressing this issue by enhancing immigration levels.
In the realm of global immigration, two North American nations, the United States and Canada, have adopted strikingly different approaches in recent years.
In fiscal year 2022, the U.S. welcomed approximately 275,000 employment-based immigrants, a figure that Canada aims to surpass annually over the next three years. This significant gap can be attributed to Canada's new immigration objective, which focuses on opening more pathways for refugees and low-skilled workers, as well as attracting highly educated professionals in sectors like healthcare and technology.
The contrasting immigration policies in the U.S. have been marred by delays, primarily due to heightened enforcement, increased scrutiny, and stricter policy updates focused on security, fraud detection, and application vetting. Key reasons for these delays include stricter USCIS policies implemented in 2025, enhanced vetting standards, static visa bulletins, and legal and administrative holds on refugee admissions and resettlement processes.
In contrast, Canada has adopted a more proactive and streamlined approach by setting explicit high intake goals and focusing on critical labor shortages. For instance, 60% of the immigrants to be approved by Canada in 2025 will be trained in health care and other urgently needed job skills, addressing the 400 to 500 registered nurse shortage at Canada's University Health Network in Toronto.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat, and Rebecca Shi, head of the pro-immigration advocacy group American Migration Business Union, have warned that U.S. industries at both the high and low ends of the labor market are likely to suffer without an increase in the number of international employees employers can hire. Lofgren compared U.S. immigration policies to those in Canada, stating that other nations have made great strides in building flexibility and employment rewards into their systems to attract highly skilled immigrants.
Without more agriculture workers, the cost of food will continue to rise and affect American families, according to Shi. This potential for food prices to rise and cause food insecurity has been a significant concern, as the U.S. currently has almost 10 times as many people as Canada.
In the last session of the U.S. Congress, bills to increase the number of foreign business owners, high-skilled workers, integrated circuit suppliers, and farm employees failed to pass. The Ranch Labor Force Modernization Act, the only bill that made it out of the House of Representatives, was opposed by 30 Republicans and one Democrat.
Meanwhile, Canada's two largest national political parties, the Liberal Party and the Conservatives, both support immigration. Sean Fraser, Canada's Immigration Minister, stated that Canada needs more people for economic and social reasons.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is committed to fairly and effectively executing the authorized migration system, improving access to eligible immigration benefits, and breaking down barriers in the immigration system. However, the current regulatory environment and complex bureaucratic processes responding to security priorities have contributed to delays in case adjudications, contrasting with Canada’s clear national strategy facilitating faster approvals and large-scale admissions targeting economic needs.
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