Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is seeking to draw in foreign tech workers, particularly those affected by recent changes in the United States’ H-1B visa programme under President Donald Trump.
The move could have significant implications for Indian professionals, who make up the largest share of H-1B visa holders.
Speaking to reporters in London on Saturday, Carney said Canada was reviewing its immigration policies to position itself as a global alternative to the US for technology sector employees.
“What is clear is that the opportunity to attract people who previously would’ve got so-called H-1B visas,” Carney said, noting that many of those workers are in the tech sector and open to relocating.
The statement came days after Trump signed an executive order imposing a $100,000 fee on fresh H-1B visa petitions, sparking panic among workers in the American tech sector, especially Indians, who account for more than 72 per cent of H-1B visa holders.
The White House later clarified that the fee would apply only to new petitions filed after 21 September, 2025. The administration defended the move, citing “abuse” of the programme and a “threat to national security.”
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Carney suggested Canada would soon have a “clear offering” to attract such talent. Other countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany, are also positioning themselves as potential destinations for skilled tech professionals facing tighter restrictions in the US.
“Canada could integrate policies on this lucrative opportunity,” Vivek Savkur, founder of the Surrey-based B.C.-India Business Network, told.
Garry Tan, chief executive of Silicon Valley start-up incubator Y Combinator, which has helped launch Airbnb Inc. and Stripe Inc., said on X that “cities like Vancouver or Toronto will thrive instead of American cities.”
He later deleted the post, in which he described the US visa fee as a “massive gift to every overseas tech hub” and a “toll booth” for smaller US firms trying to hire talent.
Technology giants such as Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc. already operate major offices in Canadian cities and could step up recruitment there to avoid the new US charges, Bloomberg reported. Amazon employed more than 8,500 corporate and technology staff in Vancouver and Toronto as of last year, while Microsoft had around 2,700 employees at its Vancouver development hub as of April.
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