Overview
Hire from abroad by industry
In this section
Hire construction workersUS construction employers can use the H-2B only for a truly temporary need, sponsor year-round tradespeople for EB-3 green cards through PERM, and hire degree-level engineers, architects, and project managers on H-1B or TN. Canada is more open to construction in 2026: construction jobs are exempt from the low-wage LMIA refusal areas, Express Entry runs a trades category, and several provinces favor construction workers in their nominee programs. Licensing for regulated trades applies in both countries.Hire farm workersUS farms hire seasonal foreign workers through the H-2A program, which has no cap but requires a Department of Labor certification, the required wage, free housing, and transportation; year-round jobs like most dairy work don't qualify. Canadian farms use the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) for workers from Mexico and the Caribbean, or the LMIA Agricultural Stream for any country, and on-farm primary agriculture positions pay no LMIA fee and are exempt from the low-wage refusal areas. Permanent options are limited in both countries in 2026.Hire healthcare workersIn the USA, the main routes for foreign healthcare workers are the EB-3 green card for nurses and physical therapists (Schedule A, which skips PERM), TN status for Canadian and Mexican nurses and therapists, the H-1B for physicians, pharmacists, and degree-level roles, and J-1 training for doctors. In Canada, employers use LMIAs (hospitals and nursing homes are exempt from the low-wage refusal areas), provincial health streams, the Atlantic and rural programs, and Express Entry's healthcare category. Every route also requires the worker to meet state or provincial licensing before practicing.Hire hospitality workersUS hotels, resorts, and restaurants mostly rely on the capped H-2B program for seasonal staff and on J-1 exchange programs such as Summer Work Travel and hospitality internships; year-round roles need a slow PERM and EB-3 green card. In Canada, hospitality is one of the hardest sectors in 2026: accommodation and food services are not exempt from the low-wage LMIA refusal in 26 of 41 metro areas, several provinces cap or exclude hospitality from their nominee programs, and open-permit holders such as IEC working holiday participants are often the most practical hires.Hire manufacturing workersUS manufacturers hire foreign engineers and specialists on the H-1B, TN, and L-1 (common for foreign companies opening US plants), use B-1 visitors only for narrow tasks such as installing equipment bought from abroad, and sponsor production and skilled trades staff for EB-3 green cards through PERM. In Canada, food manufacturing is exempt from the 2026 low-wage LMIA refusal areas but other manufacturing is not, and provinces such as Saskatchewan treat manufacturing as a priority sector for nominations.Hire tech workersUS tech employers mostly use the H-1B (a wage-weighted lottery since February 27, 2026), the O-1 for standout talent, the L-1 for transfers from foreign offices, TN for Canadian and Mexican professionals, and OPT or STEM OPT for recent US graduates. Canada is often faster: the Global Talent Stream gives LMIAs in about 2 weeks, intra-company transfers and CUSMA need no LMIA, and Express Entry's STEM category helps with permanent residence. Many companies use both countries, keeping a hire in Canada while a US case is pending.Hire truck driversHiring foreign truck drivers is hard in both countries in 2026. In the USA there is no visa built for long-haul drivers: the H-2B works only for a truly temporary need and is capped, green cards through PERM and EB-3 take years, and a FMCSA rule in effect since March 16, 2026 limits new non-domiciled CDLs to H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 holders. In Canada, transport truck drivers (NOC 73300) can be hired through an LMIA, but trucking is not exempt from the low-wage refusal areas, it is not in the 2026 Express Entry transport category, and provinces such as Saskatchewan cap trucking nominations.
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