On February 1, 2020, the United States announced that six more countries would be added to the existing travel bans. These countries are Nigeria, Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, Tanzania. This ban means that citizens of these nations will not be able to immigrate to the United States. The ban is set to go into effect on February 22, 2020. While this ban will have an immediate impact on US immigration, it may also have an impact on Canadian Immigration.
How Would the Travel Bans Impact Canada?
With the travel bans effectively preventing citizens of these nations to immigrate to the US, some of the potential immigrants may look to Canada as another option. In the past, changes to US Immigration, specifically the tightening of border control, have led to increased asylum cases in Canada. Currently, Nigeria, Eritrea, and Sudan are responsible for a large portion of asylum cases from the irregular border crossing. By crossing the Canadian- US border irregularly, or not at a standard checkpoint, a person can claim asylum in Canada even if they have previously claimed asylum in the US. This is a loophole that the Canadian government has been attempting to fix.
In addition to a potential spike in irregular border crossings, the ban could lead to more individuals applying to study or work in Canada. After the 2017 restrictions of Iranian immigration to Canada, the number of Iranians applying to study in Canada increased greatly. Nigeria has a booming middle class and Canada could potentially see a spike in the number of Nigerian students wanting to study at Canadian universities. As Canada is currently looking to increase its skilled workforce and to attract talented individuals, this could be a welcomed result.
