What Canada can teach the U.S. about immigration
Canada’s provincial-nominee program, while not perfect, avoids the economically meaningless distinctions between skilled and unskilled workers that bedevil the employment-based U.S. immigration laws. It also puts in place incentives to treat foreign workers not as foes but as friends whose labor and skills are vital to the economy. …
As for the unskilled, a guest-worker program for Mexican labor that would make it easier for migrants to get temporary visas for seasonal work is gaining traction.
Such changes might address the most egregious defects in immigration policies, yet the discussion shows how behind the curve the U.S. is compared with other countries. Canada and Australia, for example, skip the temporary work-visa step completely and offer fast-track permanent residencies to highly skilled workers and their spouses before they even arrive in the country. Australia offers almost as many employment-based green cards as the U.S., even though the American population is 14 times bigger.
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what if you have open borders and no one shows up.
ChunkyLover on December 5, 2012 at 4:47 PM
I am so sick of the cult of the immigrant
ChunkyLover on December 5, 2012 at 4:48 PM
Canada can show us how to play hockey and that’s about it.
reddevil on December 5, 2012 at 4:51 PM
How not to border on Mexico?
Valkyriepundit on December 5, 2012 at 4:55 PM
Say what?
sadarj on December 5, 2012 at 4:57 PM
Australia and Canada are both highly selective in their criteria for granting work visas – this article is bunk. They both select for defined areas where they have critical labor shortages…they don’t just take in anyone with a post-grad degree (which is what Repubs and Democrats seem to think is totally logical).
CorporatePiggy on December 5, 2012 at 4:58 PM
FTFY
agmartin on December 5, 2012 at 5:00 PM
I think that I can safely predict that the US will learn nothing about immigration from anyone.
besser tot als rot on December 5, 2012 at 5:01 PM
Premises, premises.
Canada is the 2nd largest land mass and has a tiny population, relative to size.
When you compare apples to oranges you get apples compared to oranges, fools.
Schadenfreude on December 5, 2012 at 5:04 PM
We can’t do it by location, but we could do it by conquest (or purchase if the Feds weren’t so busy wasting money – that we don’t have). I wouldn’t mind having some property in the US Territory of Baja (at present, foreign nationals aren’t even allowed to own property in Mexico).
besser tot als rot on December 5, 2012 at 5:04 PM
Does Canada have all the ‘goodies’ the US give the illegal aliens who come over our S border? If a baby is born in Canada, is it a citizen of Canada as there are here? Does those get ‘free schooling, homes, food stamps, and the enormous cost of those here that are in prison we fund? Just a few questions on my mind on Canada and OUR problem!
L
letget on December 5, 2012 at 5:04 PM
Gratis
Schadenfreude on December 5, 2012 at 5:05 PM
Which is the apple and which is the orange? I prefer apples.
besser tot als rot on December 5, 2012 at 5:07 PM
America already accepts more immigrants than the rest of the world – combined - and has for the last four decades.
This isn’t enough? Really? In a nation suffering under 20%+ real unemployment?
How about we implement a 10 year moratorium on all immigration, and let the rest of the world show us how it’s done, while we get our house back in order?
Rebar on December 5, 2012 at 5:07 PM
Why not? They’re all coming here anyway — we’ll just save them the trouble and bring America to them. Much easier to build the wall along the Guatemalan border, anyway. As far as I know, Mexico is already divided into states – the hard part will be figuring out how to pattern the stars on the flag with all the additional ones…
affenhauer on December 5, 2012 at 5:08 PM
As someone noted, the populations of these two countries are ridiculously small. They allow few people in and many leave. I’ve none quite a few countries that immigrated to both with the plan to come to the US.
Blake on December 5, 2012 at 5:16 PM
Both Canada and Australia ave an anti-white bias in their immigration policies. Even though they are more rational they are still driven by the cult of multiculturalism and white guilt.
Charlemagne on December 5, 2012 at 5:22 PM
Prog journalist wants to use Canadian example as lever for open borders in US. Prog journalist fails to actually consider Canadian policy, assumes it matches worldview.
That’s what it looks like anyway.
WeekendAtBernankes on December 5, 2012 at 5:33 PM
Canada can’t teach us anything about immigration because they don’t share a 2,000 mile border with a third world country.
Mark1971 on December 5, 2012 at 5:33 PM
yet. We’re trying, though…
affenhauer on December 5, 2012 at 5:43 PM
You forgot the important aspect.
astonerii on December 5, 2012 at 5:43 PM
They aren’t far from sharing a 5,500 mile border with a third world country.
CTSherman on December 5, 2012 at 5:45 PM
How about we print Spanish language pamphlets for our illegals so that they can learn of the land of milk and honey that is Canada?
Let’s just shove all our poor and huddled masses on the Canadian taxpayer.
Punchenko on December 5, 2012 at 6:13 PM
Hey, federalism! That might just work if we gave it a chance. But there’s too much power and money involved here for that.
Meanwhile Canada is recruiting unemployed construction workers from California.
Sad. Just sad.
PattyJ on December 5, 2012 at 6:28 PM
There it is right there.
Let’s fill those two countries with 5 million each of low skilled, no skilled, non educated, non English speaking migrants who have a 2/3 chance of ending up on a govt. assistance program and will vote and get back to them in 10 years and see how they are doing.
The quality of their immigrants is probably better than the quality of their own citizens.
NeoKong on December 5, 2012 at 6:38 PM
I remember back in the ’90′s there was a shortage of strippers in Canada so they created a temporary “exotic” dancer visa!
Second look at immigration reform?
Caper29 on December 5, 2012 at 6:46 PM
LOL. That’s always the solution, isn’t it? Import more ignorant Turd-World peasants. Nevermind that they play our welfare system like a fiddle or may be carrying God-alone-knows-what exotic disease.
MelonCollie on December 5, 2012 at 7:36 PM
‘Murkuh don’t need to lurn nuthin from no furrin countries.
Alpha_Male on December 5, 2012 at 7:50 PM
Edited for truth.
MelonCollie on December 5, 2012 at 10:55 PM