As President Donald Trump hikes the fee for a popular skilled worker visa programme in the US, lawyers and business experts are urging Canada to seize the moment and open its doors.

But some caution that those looking north as an alternative may find that Canada’s immigration system has its own challenges.

The call to attract and retain talented workers left behind by the Trump administration’s changes to H-1B visa is one that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney appears to be paying attention to.

In a Monday speech before the Council of Foreign Relations in New York City, he highlighted Canada’s homegrown research and AI talent, before noting that “unfortunately, most of them go the US”.

“I understand you’re changing your visa policy,” he added. “Maybe we can hang on to one or two of them.”

Trump’s announcement late last week to charge $100,000 (£74,000) for new H-1B applications has stunned tech companies, which have long relied on the programme to employ foreign workers lawfully in the US.

This includes Canadians, who made up 1% of total H-1B applicants in 2019, according to US data.

The White House said current H-1B holders in the US won’t be affected, and the move is likely to face legal challenges. But the changes, which took effect on Sunday, are expected to limit opportunities for highly educated foreigners seeking work in the country. Experts say the hardest hit will be recent international graduates of US universities who had hoped to stay and work long term.

With those workers now looking elsewhere, Canada-based immigration lawyer Evan Green said this is “a wonderful opportunity for the Canadian government to take advantage of”.

He is not the only one calling on Canada to pay attention.

Build Canada, a non-profit focused on growing the country’s productivity, released a memo on Monday urging Canada “to move fast”, arguing that it is a likely landing spot for workers left behind by H-1B changes.

“Hundreds of thousands of highly skilled and highly paid H-1B professionals are now seeking a new home,” the memo said.

“Canada, with its world-class research institutions, similar timezones, proximity to the US, and high quality of life, is the natural destination.”

A 2020 study conducted for the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that when faced with policies restricting immigration for skilled workers, US-based multinational companies have looked elsewhere to retain talent – often to India, China and Canada.

The study, authored by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, examined the 2004 H-1B restrictions that cut the visa cap by 70%.

It found that firms hired the same skilled immigrants they had originally wanted in the US – but in Canada instead. At the time, Canada’s more open immigration policies made it easy to move workers there, the study stated.

There is also evidence that H-1B visa holders had been eyeing Canada as an alternative.

In 2023, the Canadian government introduced a programme for US-based H-1B holders to obtain a three-year work permit in Canada. Applications closed within 24 hours after 10,000 people signed up.

It is unclear how many of them ended up re-locating to Canada. But Mark Holthe, a Calgary-based lawyer, said some of his clients did move north after failing to get their H-1B visas renewed.

“These individuals didn’t have another alternative,” Mr Holthe told the BBC. He noted, however, that many in Canada are now having trouble obtaining permanent residency, making their future status in the country uncertain.

Economist Mikal Skuterud cautioned that much more needs to be done to make it an attractive destination for skilled workers, including an overhaul of the immigration system.

“There is a potential for Canada for sure, but I think we shouldn’t overstate what that potential is,” Mr Skuterud, a professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, said.

He noted that Canada has scaled back immigration in recent years, and a political fight is brewing over its temporary foreign worker programme. The Conservative opposition has called for it to be scrapped, arguing the focus should instead be on hiring Canadians. The programme is designed to bring in workers to fill gaps in industries, and tends to attract lower-skilled workers or workers in seasonal industries.

“Canada does not look much more predictable than the US,” Mr Skuterud said. “And that’s a problem if you’re trying to attract talent.”

It also does not have the same salary structure as the US, he said, with wages trending lower on average.

But he added that it doesn’t mean Canada should not try. Evidence shows that the H-1B programme has led to notable economic growth in the US, Mr Skuterud said, especially when it comes to research and innovation in high-tech sectors.

An IRCC spokesperson declined to comment on the H-1B visa changes in the US, but noted several avenues employers can take to bring workers into Canada, like the Express Entry programme for skilled workers and the Global Skills Strategy programme, which allows quick processing of temporary work permits for “highly skilled” foreigners.

Spokesperson Matthew Krupovich added that the IRCC continues “to identify new solutions to attract the world’s brightest and best”.