The United States is seen as the land of opportunities & is a famous destination for newcomers to study, work, & reside. Around 45 million international-born people live in the nation, making up 14% of the total population. Canada is another popular destination for newcomers. In 2021, more than 8.3 million foreign-born individuals were residing in Canada, thus making up 23% of the total population. This article is about Canada Immigration v/s US Immigration. Herein, we will contrast the immigration policies of both countries & contrast different options available to immigrants. So, let us begin! 

 

Canada Immigration v/s US Immigration

The primary part of Canada immigration v/s US immigration is the immigration policy. Let us discuss it in detail. 

  • Immigration Policy Of Canada 

Each year Canada releases its Immigration Level Plans that represent how many immigrants/ newcomers are coming into the nation. It involves the breakdown of immigrants in family, humanitarian, & economic class programs over the next three years.   

In the Immigration Level Plans 2023-25, the nation declared that it would be increasing the immigration targets & plans to welcome over 460,000 individuals in 2023, 485,000 individuals in 2024, & 500,000 individuals in 2025. The plan focuses on attracting skilled workers to address labor shortages, thus recognizing the significance of family reunification & helping vulnerable populations worldwide via refugee settlement efforts.  

In 2022, IRCC welcomed over 437,000 applicants to the country. Moreover, over 56% of the newcomers arrived under the economic/ financial pathways, such as Express Entry & Provincial Nominee Program, while family-class immigrants/ newcomers  made up 24% of the admissions. 

The most typical countries of origin for Canadian permanent accommodation are India, China, the Philippines, France, Nigeria, etc. 

  • Immigration Policy Of US 

In the year 2016, the US admitted over 1,100,000 legal permanent inhabitants to the country. However, in recent years the number of LPR admitted to the nation significantly declined to 700,000 from 740,000. This is because of the price of ceasing delays by government policies & pandemic. This implies that the nation welcomes three times more immigrants/ newcomers per capita than the United States. 

The law body that governs the US immigration policy is INA, i.e., Immigration & Nationality Act. The INA allows the US to grant over 675,000 immigrant visas annually across numerous visa categories. On top of that, the INA sets zero limits on yearly admission of US citizen parents, kids, & spouses. Every year a particular number of refugees enter the country via the US Refugee Admission Program.  

The nation also offers numerous ways for immigrants/ newcomers with valuable skills & expertise to live in the country on a temporary/ permanent basis. There are more than 20 kinds of visas for temporary non-immigrant professionals. Discussing the permanent employee-based programs, the nation limits this number to 140,000 immigrants/ newcomers every year. 

An unlimited number of visas are available each year for immediate relatives of US citizens, spouses, and unmarried citizens of permanent inhabitants. The typical countries of origin for US permanent inhabitants are India, Mexico, China, Dominican Republic, Philippines, & Cuba. 

 

How To Get Permanent Residency In The US? 

LPRs, i.e., Lawful Permanent Residents of the US, are authorized to reside in the country permanently. They also might accept an employment offer without specific restrictions, property, join the armed forces, & receive financial assistance. 

There are numerous methods to acquire a permanent accommodation in the US: 

  • A professional-sponsored green card application based on a particular, full-time job offer.
  • A self-sponsored employment-based green card application without needing a job offer. 
  • Marriage to a citizen of the US.   
  • The lottery program organized by the US Department of State diversity. 
  • Sponsorship by a close relative who is a permanent inhabitant of the US. 

 

How To Get Permanent Accommodation In Canada 

A permanent inhabitant can work, study, reside in Canada & gas the right to numerous social benefits Canadians obtain, like healthcare coverage & capability to apply for Canadian citizenship. 

Moreover, there are numerous ways to qualify for Canadian permanent accommodation. The most popular methods are: 

  • Sponsorship 
  • Express Entry 
  • Provincial Nominee Program 

 

The Canadian government uses the Express Entry system to provide permanent accommodation to skilled professionals in FSWP, FSTP, & CEC. Eligible applicants enter into the Express Entry pool & are evaluated on numerous factors according to CRS. In addition, the government also issues ITA for permanent residency to the highest-scoring applicants. 

Furthermore, every territory & province operates PNPs except Nunavut & Quebec. The PNP allows territories/ provinces to nominate applicants who wish to immigrate to the nation & wish to settle into a specific province. 

Canada also offers nomination programs that allow Canadian citizens & permanent inhabitants to bring their families. Also, spouses, children, & grandchildren of a permanent inhabitant might be eligible for family sponsorship.

 

Looking Forward 

There have been numerous ongoing changes in the immigration policies of the US. Many of these changes are directed towards unlawful migration and border enforcement, including expanding current legal pathways to ensure orderly & safe migration. 

Employment-based & family-sponsored immigration visa numbers fluctuate as unused visa numbers from previous years to forthcoming years. In order to demonstrate, the US Citizenship & immigration services website asserts that the Department Of State currently estimates that the 2023 employment-based annual limit will be 197,000 approx. 

Moreover, Canada is continuing to increase its immigration objectives over the next few years, thus aiming to welcome over 500,000 newcomers by 2025. In addition, these provinces/ regions will obtain more authority in the forthcoming years in nominating immigrants/ newcomers via the PNP. 

The immigration minister of Canada agreed to a multi-year PNP allocation plan. Moving forward, the PNP allocation targets will be set for three years. In the same way, permanent resident objectives are determined over three years