‘Addressing it now while the iron is hot’: Immigration lawyer wants Canada to attract high skilled workers

Bill MacGregor, citizen and immigration lawyer & partner at Gowling WLG, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss the latest changes to H-1B visas in the U.S. and the potential oportunities for Canada.

Massive visa fees imposed on U.S. companies looking to hire skilled immigrant workers could help Canada attract top level talent, according to an immigration lawyer.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration said companies would be required to pay US$100,000 per year for H-1B worker visas in an effort to persuade them to hire American workers.

“That opens up opportunities for that talent to come to Canada,” Bill MacGregor, Gowling WLG’s citizen and immigration lawyer and partner told BNN Bloomberg in a Monday interview.

He said U.S. companies will not be able to afford the fee and that there is a high need for talent in software areas, particularly in technology in Canada.

Statistics Canada states over the period 2024 to 2033, the number of job openings for software engineers and designers is expected to total 46,900 from job creation and replacement demand. That equates to an average of 4,690 per year, representing approximately 4.1 per cent of its 2023 employment level.

Canada however has since adopted a more restrictive immigration approach reducing the number of temporary residents. MacGregor said there must be a balance of what the economy needs compared to the impact of foreign nations entering the country.

“If we’re looking at the H-1B type of applicant, that’s a high skilled position,” said MacGregor. “The type of applicant that we’d look to move to Canada, it’s going to have benefits for the Canadian economy, and Canadian companies being able to access that, and that’s a good benefit overall, I think.”

He wants Ottawa to reform immigration policies to bring in high skilled talent to benefit the needs of the economy.

“I think we’re going to be competing for this talent, I think we got to get the word out and I think if we’re going to access that talent, we should be addressing it now while the iron is hot,” said MacGregor.

The White House said the change to the visa policy only applies to new applicants, not renewals or current visa holders. H-1B employees travelling overseas will still be able to re-enter the United States.

MacGregor said Canada also offers better pathways for workers to become permanent residents to compete against the Americans.

“Canadian permanent resident programs are generally much better in terms of being predictable and so transitioning to the longer term to stay in Canada as a permanent resident, that’s very attractive to many of these applicants,” said MacGregor.