Reply #24: Canada seems to prefer that highly skilled/educated people immigrate and become citizens [View All]

[pampango]

rather than having them come using a temporary visa (like the H-1B).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_impact_of_immigration_to_Canada

The Canadian system puts great emphasis on finding skilled immigrants, however this system does not always work. Immigrants to Canada are more skilled than immigrants to the United States. George J. Borjas compared immigrants to Canada and the United States finding those to Canada being better educated and receiving higher wages once settled. He accredits this to Canada's points based immigration system, and argues for the United States to more closely emulate the Canadian method.

Within the Canadian economy, immigrants are most found at the highest education levels. In Canada, 38% of male workers with a post-graduate degree are immigrants to the country. 23% of Canadians are foreign born (in the US the figure is 11.3%), but 49% of doctorate holders and 40% of those with a masters degree were born outside Canada.

One important effect of this steady influx of highly skilled immigrants is the reduction of income inequality in Canada. A steady stream of doctors and engineers into the economy reduces wages for these professions. In the United States immigration patterns are reversed, and income inequality is much higher as a partial result.

The presence within Canada of people representative of many different cultures and nations has also been an important boost to Canada's international trade. Immigrants will often have expertise, linguistic skills, personal connections with their country of origin that can help forge international trade ties. Studies have found that Canada does have greater trade relations with those nations that have provided large numbers of immigrants. Canada's economy is heavily centered on international trade, which accounted for 36% of GDP in 2006.