Is Canada Winning the War for Talent?

While the United States continues to struggle with immigration policy, Canada cements theirs. As we prolong the societal debate over whether we even WANT immigrants anymore, Canada opens wide its arms and assures them they do.

"Currently on an H1B Visa or otherwise working or studying in the United States?" asks canadavisa.com.

They openly recruit temporary US professional workers who no longer feel welcome in a country where it can easily take over ten years to get a Green Card, even for those who qualify for one of the strictly-defined immigrant categories.

Who can blame our northern neighbors for taking advantage of our labyrinthine of laws that wind their way through the Department of Labor, Department of State, and Department of Homeland Security?

Why wouldn't they cash in on our confusion and indecision regarding immigration policies?

After all, they too have concerns about economic growth and 'brain drain'. They too exert great effort in filling positions in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) sector.

Studies show the average American believes that 39% of the U.S. population was born abroad. It's actually 13% -- just a little higher than Great Britain's.  Canada's current foreign-born population, on the other hand, is almost 20%. And they're not alone. Australia's political and popular culture was described as xenophobic less than two decades ago. Their population is now more than 25% foreign born.  They, coincidently, are enjoying economic growth and robust cultural diversity.

Bottom line, it looks like Canada is learning more from their southern neighbor's mistakes, than America is from theirs.