American H-1B Problems, Canadian Solutions

While the impact on immigration hasn’t been as visible as an ICE raid, it has significantly eroded the H-1B’s value for businesses that depend on international talent to grow.

Over that same decade, Canada got serious about business immigration. The Global Talent Stream – our flagship program – not only competes with H-1B, but seeks to address the exact issues that plague it.

Here are four H-1B problems and exactly how Canada’s program fixes them.

The H-1B is Prohibitively Expensive

H-1B Problem: Well, this one is obvious, right? The new American policy is clear: you’re paying $100k per application. It doesn’t even matter if you’re successful. The fee is paid when the application is submitted and is non-refundable, even if the application is denied. That’s on top of the existing fees, which the American Immigration Council estimated at about $2000-$5000 per application, depending on company size.

Canadian Solution: Equally obvious – don’t charge a $100k fee. Even before the H-1B’s new fee structure, tapping into the Global Talent Stream was much less expensive. Employers pay about $1000 in fees, and workers pay an additional $250 in fees.

Too Much Competition, Too Few Spots

H-1B Problem: Do you know how many H-1B visas are available in a given year? In 2025, the magic number was 85,000. Now, guess how many applications were submitted. If you guessed 470,000, you’d be correct. That means there’s just an 18% chance you’ll get an H-1B visa for your employee.

Canadian Solution: Don’t put a cap in place. It seems obvious – if a company needs a specialized employee and they can only find them outside of Canada, they should be able to hire that employee. There are some limits, of course, but Canada doesn’t have an annual cap for how many of these high-priority work visas they’ll issue.

Limited Registration Window

H-1B Problem: The registration window for the H-1B program is… a big problem. The window usually opens in early March, but there’s a cap to how many registrations US Citizenship and Immigration Services will accept prior to the lottery. Once they hit that cap, they close the system down. That means that if you aren’t quick enough you might not even get into the lottery. According to USCIS data, the registration period was only 20 days in 2025. It has been as short as five days, though there now appears to be a 14-day minimum.

Canadian Solution: Don’t make it a single registration window. The Canadian Global Talent Stream accepts applications year-round. Private companies don’t – and shouldn’t have to – work on government timetables. If you need talent, apply for it. Simple.

Long Wait Times

H-1B Problem: OK, so we won’t go into eye-watering detail, but generally the initial registration is done in early March and approved H-1B applicants can begin working on October 1 of the same year. So, the best case is that the process takes about 6 months, though most sources say it’ll take 6-9 months. If you pay for premium processing – an additional fee – you can cut that down to about 4 months.

Canadian Solution: Turn the entire process around in a matter of weeks. The Global Talent Stream was designed to meet a two-week visa service standard. Simple.

Waterloo EDC: Your Immigration Partner

Is it really simple? Well, no. Immigration is complicated. Some programs require referrals, and applying to visa programs on either side of the border will undoubtedly require legal support.

Waterloo EDC is here to help. We can connect you with exceptional legal professionals – ones that have helped countless American companies expand in Canada – and walk you through the entire process. If you choose to come to Waterloo, we can help you find a space, hire local talent, access government incentives and more. Our support is free.