Canada Rolls Out CAD 1.7B Talent Drive as U.S. H-1B Costs Rise

(CANADA) The Government of Canada said on December 9, 2025 it will spend CAD 1.7 billion over the next 12 years to bring more than 1,000 leading international and expatriate researchers to Canada 🇨🇦, rolling out what it called the Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative as competition for top scientists and scholars heats up and the United States 🇺🇸 adds a new $100,000 supplemental payment for many new H‑1B hires coming from abroad.

Overview of the Canadian package and goals

The Canadian package, presented in a government news release by Minister Mélanie Joly and Minister Marjorie Michel, is designed to speed up recruitment and give universities and research hospitals more tools to hire people working at the top of their fields.

In global coverage, the overall commitment has often been described as about US$1.2 billion, reflecting the currency conversion used by outlets such as the Japan Times and Science when describing the scale of the program.

Ottawa framed the plan as a fast, flexible way to relocate or attract world‑leading researchers at a moment when many labs are competing for the same small pool of talent.

What the initiative includes

The initiative is described as a suite of programs and funding lines, including:

• Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders — aimed at early‑career researchers.
• A CAD 400 million Canada Impact+ Research Infrastructure Fund — meant to pay for tools and spaces research teams need once they arrive.
• Priority recruitment areas listed by the government:
  • AI
  • Health and biotech
  • Clean technology
  • Climate resilience
  • Food and water security
  • Manufacturing
  • Defence‑relevant research

U.S. policy change and timing

The timing matters because the United States has tightened the cost of bringing new H‑1B workers from abroad.

• A presidential proclamation dated September 19, 2025, titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,” was followed by USCIS guidance.
• USCIS said a supplemental $100,000 payment applies to certain H‑1B petitions filed on or after September 21, 2025.
• Clarifying guidance was issued in October 2025, which universities and immigration law firms have been pointing employers to as they plan hiring.

USCIS guidance: who pays and when

Under the USCIS guidance described in the source material, the payment applies as follows:

1. The $100,000 payment applies to new H‑1B petitions filed on or after September 21, 2025 for beneficiaries who are:
   • Outside the United States and do not already hold a valid H‑1B.
2. It also applies to petitions requesting:
   • Consular processing
   • Port‑of‑entry notification
   • Pre‑flight inspection for beneficiaries located inside the U.S.

• Employers must pay the amount through Pay.gov before filing.
• Petitions that do not show proof of payment, or do not fit an exception, will be denied, according to operational summaries cited by university international offices and immigration practice groups.

Exemptions and avoidance strategies

The USCIS guidance and commentary from immigration law firms note some exemptions and potential lawful ways to avoid the fee in specific situations:

• Exemptions include petitions filed before 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 21, 2025, and many cases involving workers who already hold H‑1B status and are filing for:
  • Extensions
  • Amendments
  • Changes of status within the U.S., assuming USCIS approves the filing.
• Lawful strategies discussed by counsel and international offices:
  • Choosing a change‑of‑status filing route when available.
  • Using internal transfers in certain circumstances.
• The details depend on case facts and agency rules; employers should consult counsel.

How the two policies contrast in practice

For universities, hospitals, and research‑driven companies, the contrast between the two moves is stark:

• Canada is paying to bring researchers in.
• The U.S. is charging many employers significantly more to bring new H‑1B hires across a border.

Some observers have described the U.S. payment as a de‑facto tariff on cross‑border hiring because it hits the moment an employer tries to recruit someone who is not already in H‑1B status.

Canada’s initiative is designed to make hiring from abroad easier and more attractive, especially for candidates who can choose between labs in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Boston, or the Bay Area.

Practical recruitment and career impacts

Even before a visa application enters the picture, the money shapes choices:

• A lab director building a team might hesitate if adding a specialist from overseas requires a $100,000 payment on top of legal costs, filing fees, relocation support, and salary.
• A postdoctoral researcher weighing offers may see that fee as an indicator employers will prefer candidates already in the U.S. system.

The Canadian plan targets that decision point by offering:
– Funding lines for senior hires,
– Support for early‑career talent through Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders,
– CAD 400 million for infrastructure so a recruit is not forced to choose between a job offer and the equipment needed to do the work.

Key takeaway: Funding and fee rules at the government level can meaningfully tilt where early‑career and senior researchers choose to relocate, because they affect both institutional hiring costs and individual stability.

Human and institutional considerations

The Canadian announcement also recognizes that researchers are more than workers; they have:

• Families and school considerations for children,
• Partners or spouses with career implications,
• Lab teams and project timelines that span years.

Cross‑border moves can cause school changes, career breaks for partners, and risks that grants, clinical trials, or multi‑year projects will stall. A government‑backed offer that funds hiring and lab capacity can feel like a promise of stability.

By contrast, the U.S. supplemental payment can feel like a late rule change for those who had planned a U.S. move on an H‑1B, because it is linked to filing dates and processing choices rather than the worker’s experience or field.

Sources, ripple effects, and outlook

The source material does not include direct quotations from Joly, Michel, USCIS, or the presidential proclamation text; readers may consult the primary documents for verbatim wording.

• To check the Canadian announcement in its original form, start with the federal government’s official news site at Canada.ca, where departments post releases and backgrounders.
• VisaVerge.com reports that talent programs and fee changes like these often have ripple effects well beyond academia, since researchers also:
  • Start companies,
  • Build patents,
  • Train graduate students,
  • Anchor entire local job markets.

What to expect next

In practical terms, the next year is likely to bring:

1. More head‑to‑head recruiting between Canadian institutions using Impact+ funding and U.S. employers weighing the new H‑1B payment rule.
2. The Canadian plan’s 12‑year runway for more than 1,000 hires suggests Ottawa expects sustained competition rather than a short‑lived shift.
3. On the U.S. side, the fee will mostly affect employers who rely on fresh recruitment from overseas, not firms extending existing H‑1B workers already in the country.

This split could quietly reshape where early‑career talent decides to plant roots and build a life, influencing both institutional hiring strategies and individual career choices for years to come.