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TL;DR

Canada is creating a quicker immigration option for H-1B visa holders in the U.S. The goal is to attract skilled workers while lowering the total number of temporary residents.

The government is also supporting a separate program to bring in over 1,000 international and expatriate researchers. These efforts focus on health care, research, artificial intelligence, and advanced industries.

At this time, neither program is open for individual applications. The H-1B pathway is still being developed, and researcher recruitment is handled by universities and federal research funding programs.

According to Budget 2025, Canada plans to create a faster process for H-1B visa holders to help fill labour shortages in key fields. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has not yet released an application form, fee, quota, or launch date.

The government has not said if successful applicants will get open work permits or permits tied to a specific employer. It is also unclear if families can apply or how permanent residence might work.

Canada ran a similar program in 2023, allowing H-1B holders in the U.S. to apply for open work permits for up to three years. The program hit its 10,000-application limit on July 17, 2023, less than two days after it opened.

The 2023 program is now closed. The government has not said if the new version will have the same permit length, family rules, or application cap.

On December 9, 2025, the government announced the Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative. It will provide up to C$1.7 billion over 12 years to recruit over 1,000 established researchers, new scholars, doctoral students, and postdoctoral researchers.

The funding includes C$1 billion for 100 Canada Impact+ Research Chairs and C$400 million for research infrastructure. Another C$133.6 million will support up to 600 doctoral scholarships of C$40,000 per year and 400 postdoctoral awards of C$70,000 per year.

Priority areas include AI, quantum technology, cybersecurity, health, biotechnology, clean technology, climate resilience, advanced manufacturing, and defense-related research.

Researchers usually cannot apply directly for immigration under this program. Instead, universities select candidates and apply through the right funding programs, and immigration steps follow the university’s process.

The 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan aims for 385,000 new temporary residents in 2026, and 370,000 in both 2027 and 2028. Permanent resident admissions will be 380,000 each year.

Budget 2025 said new temporary resident arrivals would decline from 673,650 in 2025 to 385,000 in 2026. Ottawa wants temporary residents to represent less than 5% of Canada's population by the end of 2027, down from 7.5% in 2024.

The government says the talent strategy will use existing immigration spaces rather than increase total admissions. Economic immigration is scheduled to account for 64% of permanent-resident admissions in 2027 and 2028, compared with 59% in 2025.

If you hold an H-1B visa, do not treat the proposal as an available route or give up your current U.S. status based on the announcement. Watch the IRCC website for official eligibility rules and application instructions. The speed of the 2023 intake suggests that document preparation could matter once details appear.

Researchers should contact eligible Canadian universities in their field because recruitment is institution-led. Health professionals and other regulated workers should also check provincial licensing requirements. A faster immigration process would not automatically grant permission to practise a regulated occupation in Canada.