The new, steep price for this U.S. visa could be a blessing for Canadian tech

[Allan]

I saw a statistic recently that 50% of PhD holders in the US are foreign born.

We want those people.

As the Trump administration moves to limit some skilled workers from entering the U.S. on a specialized visa, the Canadian tech sector is champing at the bit — hoping the new restriction will send talent up north.

"Canada has built an entire industry by capturing this talent. And with this $100,000 fee, that trend is about to grow much stronger," she said. "This is almost a gift because every time the U.S. closes the door on global talent, Canada gains."

Canada will almost certainly benefit from the U.S.'s move to limit new H-1B visas, according to immigration lawyers, talent recruiters and company executives who spoke with CBC News.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/us-h1b-visa-canada-benefits-1.7640068

 

[ttwtt78640]

Making legal immigration more expensive is a bad idea.

 

[Loulit01]

MAGA policies are designed to undermine the foundations of the United States and increase wealth inequality. I see no other explanation.

 

[Bok Tuklo]

MAGA policies are designed to undermine the foundations of the United States and increase wealth inequality. I see no other explanation.

I usually start from the assumption that when Trump does something damaging to this nation, it is probably creating conditions for a grift of some sort. Shake down, shorting, bribery, that sort of thing. After that, look to general bullying of people Trump is mad at for whatever reason.

 

[Loulit01]

I usually start from the assumption that when Trump does something damaging to this nation, it is probably creating conditions for a grift of some sort. Shake down, shorting, bribery, that sort of thing. After that, look to general bullying of people Trump is mad at for whatever reason.

Yes, but Trump is supported by the Republican Party.

 

[Allan]

Making legal immigration more expensive is a bad idea.

America's real adversaries are economic power houses. That is the battle that will impact Americans directly as countries like China take the mantle of most advanced innovators.

China graduates 56,000 PhD students a year.

Stop ****ing around with tariffs on benign allies like Canada and focus on long term strategies to compete with a better educated and innovation focused country like China.

 

[Mycroft]

I saw a statistic recently that 50% of PhD holders in the US are foreign born.

We want those people.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/us-h1b-visa-canada-benefits-1.7640068

shrug...

You can have the low income foreign workers...while we keep the ones who are worth the $100K fee.

 

[Allan]

shrug...

You can have the low income foreign workers...while we keep the ones who are worth the $100K fee.

You're in la la land.

Bye.

 

[Mycroft]

You're in la la land.

Bye.

I seems you are saying that Canada doesn't any smart people so you need to import them from other countries. That's kind of pathetic, isn't it?

 

[Allan]

I seems you are saying that Canada doesn't any smart people so you need to import them from other countries. That's kind of pathetic, isn't it?

You and your strawman are dismissed.

 

[ttwtt78640]

shrug...

You can have the low income foreign workers...while we keep the ones who are worth the $100K fee.

If your goal is to reduce the number of foreign national low wage workers then why not reduce the (annual) visa fee by the (annual) salary of the worker? That way, the more a foreign national worker is paid, the lower the (annual) visa fee is and the more FIT they pay.

 

[Mycroft]

You and your strawman are dismissed.

Looks to me like Canada is going the same route the US already stopped going: Hiring lower wage foreign workers who supplant local qualified workers.

Good luck with that.

 

[Allan]

Looks to me like Canada is going the same route the US already stopped going: Hiring lower wage foreign workers who supplant local qualified workers.

Good luck with that.

If you knew anything about a) Canada and b) economics your post would look very different.

But here we are.

 

[ataraxia]

I seems you are saying that Canada doesn't any smart people so you need to import them from other countries. That's kind of pathetic, isn't it?

You think the US has enough native talent?

 

[Ishm]

shrug...

You can have the low income foreign workers...while we keep the ones who are worth the $100K fee.

You have totally missed the point that the developed world is a competitive market, with many countries seeking to attract the best minds globally. What Trump has done is just made America a lot less competitive. Not just with fees, but with his whole awful attitude to immigrants and science in general. Like Canada, which has already been mentioned, many other countries will be enjoying watching Trump beginning to self destruct Americas ability to remain a leading world innovator.

 

[lynnwinslow]

shrug...

You can have the low income foreign workers...while we keep the ones who are worth the $100K fee.

I thought Trump's campaign promise about immigration was to rid the US of migrants who were criminals. Is that all taken care of?

 

[dmpi]

We owe it to ourselves to take care of our own technology graduates to ensure they can land a job. After all we told them to get a STEM degree and you're guaranteed a job. We need to keep our promise.

 

[Mycroft]

I thought Trump's campaign promise about immigration was to rid the US of migrants who were criminals. Is that all taken care of?

That's still ongoing.

 

[ataraxia]

We owe it to ourselves to take care of our own technology graduates to ensure they can land a job. After all we told them to get a STEM degree and you're guaranteed a job. We need to keep our promise.

?
Who said they had any trouble finding a job?

 

[Airyaman]

Making legal immigration more expensive is a bad idea.

It's all about favor and bribes. Companies can try to get exemptions, so contribute to Trump's shitcoin or ballroom and you'll be all set.

 

[dmpi]

?
Who said they had any trouble finding a job?

From AI:
Since late 2022, there have been hundreds of thousands of tech layoffs, with over 150,000 in 2024 alone and another 80,000+ already reported for 2025. The total number of tech workers laid off between 2022 and 2024 is estimated to be over 500,000. Layoffs surged in 2022 and 2023 after the pandemic-driven hiring boom, and while they decreased significantly in late 2023 and early 2024, they continue to be a feature of the industry into 2025.

 

[gbg3]

Looks to me like Canada is going the same route the US already stopped going: Hiring lower wage foreign workers who supplant local qualified workers.

Good luck with that.

Canadians were protesting across the country over the weekend, unhappy with Carney. One of their reasons was thinking he is anti-immigrant.

Climate, drilling, support for Israel, and other topics were on their list too. Apparently, that liberal leader is simply not liberal enough to satisfy the citizens.

 

[ataraxia]

From AI:
Since late 2022, there have been hundreds of thousands of tech layoffs, with over 150,000 in 2024 alone and another 80,000+ already reported for 2025. The total number of tech workers laid off between 2022 and 2024 is estimated to be over 500,000. Layoffs surged in 2022 and 2023 after the pandemic-driven hiring boom, and while they decreased significantly in late 2023 and early 2024, they continue to be a feature of the industry into 2025.

Interesting. Also from AI:

“ When people argue that the U.S. shouldn’t recruit STEM talent from abroad because the market isn’t saturated, the claim doesn’t really line up with the evidence.

Unemployment among STEM graduates is already quite low—around 3–4% overall, which is close to what economists consider normal job-switching levels. Yes, some majors like physics or computer engineering see higher unemployment, especially during downturns or tech layoffs, but that’s more a reflection of short-term market swings than a permanent oversupply. At the same time, there’s a persistent mismatch between the types of degrees people earn and the jobs that actually need filling. For example, we may have more physics PhDs than academic positions, but not nearly enough AI specialists, chip designers, or cybersecurity engineers to meet demand.

That mismatch is one reason companies recruit abroad: they need specific skills that the domestic education pipeline doesn’t supply fast enough. And in a global market, if the U.S. stops attracting talent, people with those skills can easily go to Canada, Europe, or elsewhere. That has real consequences, because immigrant scientists and engineers are disproportionately represented among American patent holders, startup founders, and Nobel laureates. They don’t just take jobs—they often help create new ones.

Now, critics of immigration do raise one legitimate concern: companies sometimes use visa programs to suppress wages or avoid investing in training U.S. workers. There’s some evidence of modest downward pressure in certain IT roles, though the bigger picture suggests that the productivity and innovation gains outweigh those effects. So rather than saying “don’t recruit abroad,” the more constructive debate is about how to design immigration and labor policies that protect fair wages while still keeping the U.S. a magnet for global talent.”

 

[Allan]

Canadians were protesting across the country over the weekend, unhappy with Carney. One of their reasons was thinking he is anti-immigrant.

Climate, drilling, support for Israel, and other topics were on their list too. Apparently, that liberal leader is simply not liberal enough to satisfy the citizens.

Carney's poll numbers have improved since he was elected.

 

[ttwtt78640]

We owe it to ourselves to take care of our own technology graduates to ensure they can land a job. After all we told them to get a STEM degree and you're guaranteed a job. We need to keep our promise.

Do you have link to support that (bolded above) assertion?