Canada has unveiled plans to introduce a new pathway aimed at drawing highly skilled researchers from across the world, including holders of H-1B visas in the United States, as immigration restrictions continue under the Trump administration.
The country’s industry minister, Mélanie Joly, said on Tuesday that the government would invest more than $1 billion over the next few years to fast-track the recruitment and retention of top scientific talent.
“As other countries constrain academic freedoms and undermine cutting-edge research, Canada is investing, and doubling down, on science,” Ms Joly said in written comments to the press, though she did not directly mention the United States.
According to the New York Times, the Canadian government began working on the initiative to take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding the future of H-1B visa holders in the U.S., many of whom may now be exploring alternatives due to stricter immigration policies.
“For decades, Canada has had a brain drain issue, and now we are in a brain gain mode. My message to Canadians around the world is, it’s time to come home,” Ms Joly told the Times in an interview on Tuesday.
She added, “If you want to live in the best country on earth, that is also the safest, and the one that will actually respect your work and offer you the right environment to flourish, well, come to Canada.”
