It has been announced that Canada and the U.S. have agreed to work together on updating the Safe Third Country Agreement. Joe Biden the president of the U.S. visited Ottawa on 24th March. As part of a two-day trip to Canada’s capital city, Vice President Biden arrived on the 23rd of March night.
During their conversation, President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed trade and immigration. And the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
This president of the United States is making his first state visit since Barack Obama’s official visit in 2016. Donald Trump never paid an official visit to Canada during his tenure as president from 2017 to 2021. A formal state visit to Canada has been made by Vice President Biden only once since his election two years ago.
Safe Third Country Agreement – An overview
According to the agreement between the Canadian prime minister and the United States president, the Safe Third Country Agreement will be updated. The new terms in the agreement will be based on how the Canadian American boundary is now defined. Furthermore, both designated and non-designated ports of entry will be covered.
In the absence of an exception to the Convention, refugees must apply for protection in the first country they reach that is considered secure. As far as claimants who arrive at the site are concerned, the agreement applies as follows:
- Canadians and Americans who cross the border at a land border crossing.
- Traveling by train
- When someone applies for refugee protection in Canada after being expelled from the United States. If and have already been denied refugee status there, they can be intercepted by Canadian immigration officials at airports.
In 2022, more than 39,000 unauthorized crossings from the U.S. to Canada were recorded on Roxham Road. It is a well-known unauthorized land crossing.
The time change is in effect from 24th March at 1:00 AM Eastern Time. In other words, Canada will be able to deny entry to those seeking refuge at ports of entry where they aren’t specifically authorized. The Canadian government has also promised to provide humanitarian assistance to 15,000 migrants from the Western Hemisphere in the coming year.
The common interest of Canada and the U.S.
Despite their geographic and economic distances, the United States and Canada have strong ties. Canada’s lone neighbor, the United States, has the world’s longest land border at 9,000 km, making it the longest in the world.
In terms of their trade relations, Canada and the United States are relatively close to one another. Two trillion dollars’ worth of services and goods were traded between the two nations in 2021.
The United States and Canada participate together in the largest free trade zone in the world, CUSMA – (Canada, United States, and Mexico Agreement). It will improve living conditions for the people of both nations and grow the economies of both countries because of this agreement.
The CUSMA allows professionals working in any of the 63 listed occupations to work abroad. For CUSMA participants to receive a work permit, no LMIA – (Labor Market Impact Assessment) is required. ESDC requires LMIAs when hiring foreign workers to demonstrate that their hiring will not negatively impact the country’s workforce or economy.
It is necessary for the candidate to have already secured a job in Canada that matches his or her qualifications. There are no exemptions for professionals working for themselves.
Immigration policies of the U.S. and Canada
A new immigrant’s choice of destination is often either Canada or the United States. The growth in Canada’s population has been largely attributed to immigration. It has accounted for about 1.3 million people or more than one-third of this growth since 2016. According to the census results from 2021, overseas immigrants make up roughly 24 % of the population of the country. Aiming to welcome more than 500,000 new permanent residents by 2025, Canada aims to boost immigration.
As of 2021, just over 13% of the 339 million Americans living in the country were immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Center. Immigration policy in the United States places a greater emphasis on families. The American government admitted 61% (451,086) of the 740,000 immigrants granted permanent residency status during the fiscal year 2021 through a family sponsorship program. Approximately 26% (193,338) of immigration was economic, while 13% (95,578) was humanitarian.
The number of immigrants to Canada increased to over 70,000, including 80,990 family immigrants. As well as 252,975 skilled economic immigrants. As of 2021, these refugees, aid recipients, and others belonged to various categories. 748,120 immigrants to Canada were admitted between 2016 and 2021.
Because of the existing shortage of skilled employees in Canada, qualified immigrants are crucial to addressing the issue. 75% of Canada’s growth has been attributed to immigration.
An interesting fact about immigrants to Canada is that they come from the United States among the top ten countries. Statistics Canada reported that 10,400 Americans became permanent residents in 2022.
Prior to the epidemic, the Prime Minister’s Office calculates that roughly 400,000 persons per day crossed the border between Canada and the United States. By 2021, there will be 800,000 Canadians in the US.
