This article originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Below is an excerpt from the article.
By Jamie Tronnes and Michael Barutciski, September 20, 2024
Changes to Canada’s immigration policies are making the world’s longest border a pressure point for illegal migration and a record-setting number of asylum claims. Backtracking on years of overly lenient policy, Canada’s Liberal government recently announced caps on temporary foreign workers and international students. The government also decided in August to end the policy of allowing visitors to apply for work permits from inside the country.
This means that a bubble of temporary work permits in Canada is about to burst. The U.S. should brace for impact.
Canada currently has roughly 2.8 million nonpermanent residents who hold work permits. Their pathway to permanent residency is being reduced to roughly 250,000 open spots. Additionally, over the next three years, 396,235 international students will see their work permits expire. The Canadian government has signaled that these permits will no longer be extended.
Jamie Tronnes is executive director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s Center for North American Prosperity and Security.
Michael Barutciski is a lawyer and a professor of international affairs at Toronto’s York University.
