Trump’s plan to revoke visas of 200,000 asylum seekers should fuel action by Ottawa, experts say

Trump’s plan to revoke visas of 200,000 asylum seekers should fuel action by Ottawa, experts say MARIE WOOLF OTTAWA PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO UPDATED 46 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: This week, the Trump administration signalled plans to revoke the tourist and business visas of up to 200,000 foreign nationals who have applied for or are actively seeking asylum in the United States. DADO RUVIC/REUTERS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Immigration experts say Canada should prepare itself for the arrival of asylum seekers at the border after the Trump administration indicated it is preparing a mass cancellation of visas issued over the past decade. This week, Washington signalled plans to revoke the tourist and business visas of up to 200,000 foreign nationals who have applied for or are actively seeking asylum in the United States. The move is expected to prompt legal challenges, but if it goes ahead it would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history. Some immigration lawyers and academics researching migration in Canada are urging Ottawa to consider allowing those who face having their visas cancelled to enter Canada on a discretionary basis. Under the Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S., foreign nationals who have already claimed asylum in the United States are turned away at Canada’s border, with a few exceptions, including for those who have family in Canada. But experts say the Trump administration has undermined the premise of the responsibility-sharing agreement between the two countries by eroding the rights of asylum seekers in the U.S. This latest plan to cancel visas issued between 2016 and 2026 further undermines the pact, they told The Globe and Mail, which is premised on asylum seekers being treated fairly in the United States. On his inauguration day in January, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump said an “invasion” at the U.S.-Mexico border justified extreme measures. He indefinitely closed that border to asylum seekers, signed an executive order freezing refugee processing and has slashed the U.S.’s annual refugee cap to a historic low. Trump administration moves to increase H-1B visa fee to more than $100,000 Lori Wilkinson, Canada Research Chair in Migration Futures at the University of Manitoba, said the latest announcement from the Trump administration may drive asylum seekers who face the…