Canada can’t afford to lose immigrants during trade war with U.S.

President Donald Trump’s tariffs are escalating fears of a global recession, and a Toronto-based immigration lawyer says, Canada can’t afford to lose talented immigrants in the country right now.

“We don’t want to lose good people, we can’t afford it, especially with the tariffs coming,” said Ravi Jain, an immigration lawyer and the founder of Jain Immigration Law.

“We can’t afford to shoot ourselves in the foot, in terms of not focusing on innovation, focusing on talent that is already here, and making it hard for people to transition into permanent residents.”

Canada has the opportunity to attract high-skill talent and maintain the talent already living and working in the country. It’s especially important as Canada undergoes a trade war with its closest ally.

“You’ve got to correct and not drive out people who we critically need. We got to bring in talented people, because these people will support Canadian jobs, and they will help as we struggle with tariffs in terms of companies staying afloat,” Jain said.

“Most of the criticism around temporary foreign workers involve low-skill, and they say they drive wages down and they take away jobs from Canadians, and all that kind of stuff. That’s not really what I’m talking about, I’m talking about those who are engaged in high skill work that Canadian companies need.”

The next immigration minister should look at people already in Canada, regularize and turn these individuals into permanent residents, Jain said. These people can be high-skilled individuals who have key roles in Canadian companies.

“There are lots of very talented people here who cannot transition. I’m not talking about students necessarily, although there are some who are quite bright, but I’m talking about people who are executives, who have key roles in key Canadian companies, who are really needed in Canada,” Jain said.

The Liberals and Conservatives have signalled cuts to immigration on the campaign trail.

“The Liberals have reduced their target to 395,000. The Conservatives are talking about reducing it and tying it to housing,” Jain said.

“There’s lots of mistakes that have been made in the past. Let’s not compound those mistakes by kicking out people who we desperately need.”

U.S. tariffs and trade are hurting the economy, as Canadians face layoffs and uncertainty. Jain said keeping immigrants can provide relief and support.

“We’ve really got to think about whether or not it’s wise to kick out people who are key. People who are supporting Canadian jobs,” Jain said.

Many Canadians have boycotted American goods and businesses, but an immigration lawyer says some Canadians are being laid off by that decision.

“Canadians are reluctant to do business with the Americans, it’s become our way of expressing our sovereignty. As a result of that, their diminished revenues have led to laying off Canadians,” Heather Segal said, the founder of Segal Immigration Law.

“Even if a country is American, there might be Canadians employed and supported by it and we might need that company to be robust in Canada.”

Americans eyeing move to Canada  

More Americans are ready to pack their bags and move to Canada.

The next federal government should embrace the fact that more Americans want to make the move, said Segal. Changes in U.S. politics and culture are making Canada look more attractive.

“We can have a reverse brain-drain. For years, we’ve always had people from Canada going down to the U.S., and now we’re seeing a different direction from this movement,” Segal said.

Segal said immigration will always be in demand in Canada because of declining population growth and the nature of taxes.

“I think Canada should open its arms to the educated professionals that we can bring in from the U.S. because this is the best opportunity we’ve had in years.”