Labor scarcity is a shared issue for Canada and the United States. One nation is enhancing immigration levels in response.
In the bustling city of Toronto, the University Health Network (UHN) is grappling with a significant nursing shortage, with around 400 to 500 registered nurses missing from its ranks. This shortage is a common problem across many industries, not just healthcare, as warned by Rebecca Shi, head of the pro-immigration advocacy group American Migration Business Union. She predicts that industries at both ends of the labor market in the U.S. will struggle in the coming years without an increase in the number of international employees employers can hire.
Across the border, Canada is taking a different approach. The Canadian government aims to approve 1.45 million immigrants by 2025, with 60% of them trained in healthcare and other urgently needed job skills. This aggressive immigration strategy is a response to labor shortages, particularly in sectors like healthcare and technology.
Canada's immigration policy is primarily merit-based, using a points-driven system. This system awards points for education, work experience, language skills, and job offers in in-demand sectors, making it easier for skilled workers, including healthcare professionals and tech specialists, to enter the country. In contrast, the U.S. immigration system is more complex, constrained by visa caps, and less streamlined for high-skilled labor entry.
The complexity of the U.S. immigration system is evident in the high demand for skilled workers causing long backlogs and capped quotas that slow down the intake of skilled workers. Attempts to reform U.S. policy by adopting merit-based plans resembling Canada’s system have stalled in Congress.
Canada's streamlined immigration procedures also contrast with the U.S., where the complexity and demand exceed supply. Canada's system supports rapid labor market integration of qualified immigrants, helping to mitigate labor shortages in critical industries.
The U.S. faces challenges in addressing healthcare and immigration system complexity. Costly healthcare makes it less attractive for workers and more difficult to fill shortages via immigration quickly. In contrast, Canada's publicly funded universal healthcare system creates demand for skilled healthcare workers that immigration policy seeks to fulfill.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., has introduced bills to enhance employment-based visas, but none have passed the House. Lofgren compared U.S. immigration policies to those of Canada, stating that other nations, like Canada, have made great strides in building flexibility and employment rewards into their systems to attract highly skilled immigrants.
The Ranch Labor Force Modernization Act, the only bill to make it out of the House of Representatives, was opposed by 31 Republicans and one Democrat. Many Republican opponents have said that until the Biden administration addresses illegal migration at the southern border, changes to legal immigration pathways should not be considered.
Canada's two largest national political parties, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party, both claim to be pro-immigration. Sean Fraser, Canada's Immigration Minister, believes that Canada needs more people for economic and social reasons. Without more agriculture workers, the cost of food will continue to rise and affect American families, according to Rebecca Shi.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services aims to maintain America's promise as a nation of welcome and opportunity with fairness, honesty, and respect for all it serves. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is committed to fairly and effectively implementing the authorized migration system, increasing access to eligible immigration benefits, restoring trust with immigrant communities, and breaking down barriers in the immigration system.
University Health Network started a program this year to bring in more globally informed registered nurses and help them obtain the additional training they require in 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.
In conclusion, Canada's proactive, merit-based, and relatively streamlined immigration approach better aligns with labor market demands in healthcare and technology, whereas the U.S. system faces legal caps, policy complexity, and slower processing that limit responsiveness to labor shortages in these sectors.
- The Canadian government's focus on approving a high number of immigrants trained in healthcare and other urgently needed job skills, such as technology, highlights the importance of education-and-self-development in their immigration strategy.
- Canada's efforts to bring in more agricultural workers are significant, as the lack of agricultural workers could lead to increased food prices in both Canada and the U.S., impacting American families, according to Sean Friaser, Canada's Immigration Minister. This connection between immigration policy and food prices showcases the involvement of politics in various sectors, including business and food production.
