Canada launches $1.2 billion initiative to attract talent, while US charges $100,000 fee for H-1B visas

Canada has launched a $1.2 billion initiative aimed at attracting top researchers to the country, as the United States tightens restrictions on high-skilled workers by charging $100,000 for H-1B visas.

The Canadian government announced Tuesday that its investment over 12 years will be used to recruit and support more than 1,000 people driving world-leading research in critical fields, including doctors and scientists.

“While other countries limit academic freedoms and undermine cutting-edge research, Canada is investing – and redoubling its efforts – in science,” said Melanie Joly, Canada’s industry minister, in a statement. “Today’s investment aims to secure Canada’s place at the forefront of discovery and innovation and leverage our strength in science to support our future well-being and prosperity for generations to come.”

While the initiative does not explicitly mention the United States, it appears to aim – at least in part – at attracting highly skilled workers such as those who might have H-1B visas.

In September, President Trump signed an executive order requiring a $100,000 fee for H-1B applicants for qualified foreign workers, saying it will encourage companies to hire Americans instead of people from abroad.

The fee applies only to new H-1B applicants living abroad, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which oversees the visa program. More specifically, the $100,000 fee applies to H-1B applications filed on or after Sept. 21 by workers outside the U.S. who do not currently hold such a visa, USCIS said in October.

Although the rate could encourage national hiring In some industries, other industries could be affected. The US healthcare system, for example, which relies on international professionals such as doctors, laboratory technicians and nurses to fill positions, could become collateral damage.

Meanwhile, Canada faces its own challenges. The country is experiencing a significant shortage of doctors in primary care, leaving millions of people without a family doctor and contributing to longer waits in emergency rooms and worse health outcomes.

In response, Canadian officials have announced a path to accelerated permanent residency for foreign doctors with at least one year of Canadian work experience, aiming to address a critical workforce gap.

“This dedicated Express Entry category, along with the federal admission slots reserved for provinces and territories, will help attract and retain doctors ready to practice, so people across Canada can get the care they need,” Lena Metlege Diab, Canada’s minister of refugees and citizenship, said in a statement Monday.

Some academics are already traveling from the United States to Canadian universities. The University of Toronto announced in November that it recruited three prominent researchers from U.S. institutions whose work ranges from the search for new planets to economics, calling it a “major victory for Canada.”

“By attracting the best minds from around the world to work alongside exceptional Canadian researchers, the Government of Canada is building the kind of scientific and academic powerhouse that powers the G7’s strongest economy,” said Joly.