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Canada doesn't have a border with Mexico, but it does have its share of undocumented and under-protected workers. > While there are no accurate figures represe

Canada doesn't have a border with Mexico, but it does have its share of undocumented and under-protected workers. > While there are no accurate figures representing the number or composition of undocumented migrant population in Canada, estimates range between 20,000 and 500,000 persons > Research suggests most undocumented individuals live in large urban centres and typically work in seasonal and informal sectors, such as construction, agriculture, caregiving and housekeeping. > Undocumented migrants are a vulnerable group due to their lack of immigration status, as was seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have limited access to health care, social services or employment protections. Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/transparency/committees/cimm-mar-03-2022/undocumented-populations.html https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/co... Until this year, asylum-seekers could transit through the United States into Canada under the Safe Third Country Agreement, by crossing the border at an irregular crossing like Roxham Road. Sources: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/deal-roxham-road-migrants-biden-trudeau-1.6788358 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/deal-roxham-road-migrants-b... https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-asylum-seeker-increase-1.6916053 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-asylum-seeker-increase... https://web.archive.org/web/20230601135133/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/02/world/canada/canada-migrants-immigration.html https://web.archive.org/web/20230601135133/https://www.nytim...

DoreenMichele 3y ago
A quick search suggests there are 10.5 million in the US. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/04/13/key-facts-about-the-changing-u-s-unauthorized-immigrant-population/ https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/04/13/key-facts...
- spanktheuser 3y ago
  A quick search suggests there are 335 million Americans but only 37 million Canadians. https://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/compare/canada.united-states/demographics https://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/compare/canada.united-st...
  - prepend 3y ago
    So Canada has 1/10 the population of the US and 1/20 the population of undocumented immigrants. So seems like Canada has many fewer immigrants of this type than the US.
- mitthrowaway2 3y ago
  On a per-capita basis that's not hugely different, but one of the reasons may be that Canada provides a somewhat easier path, relative to the United States, to becoming a legal immigrant rather than remaining undocumented.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - lazide 3y ago
    Really? I’ve had relatives try to immigrate to Canada (from the US), and it was quite a horror story. Any specifics?
    - nemo 3y ago
      Relative to Canada the United States is even more difficult to legally immigrate to, consider that the US system has been constantly adding ever increasing hurdles to legal immigration for ages.
LegitShady 3y ago
Canadas temporary foreign worker program means you don't need to illegally hire day workers, you just keep the wages low enough that nobody will take the job and then tell the government you need to bring in foreign workers - not for professional or technical work, not for picking in the fields, but for working at McDonald's and tim Hortons. They also allow international students at diploma mills to work 40 hrs a week, above the table. It's a sham.

DoreenMichele 3y ago

A quick search suggests there are 10.5 million in the US. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/04/13/key-facts-about-the-changing-u-s-unauthorized-immigrant-population/ https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/04/13/key-facts...

spanktheuser 3y ago
A quick search suggests there are 335 million Americans but only 37 million Canadians. https://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/compare/canada.united-states/demographics https://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/compare/canada.united-st...
- prepend 3y ago
  So Canada has 1/10 the population of the US and 1/20 the population of undocumented immigrants. So seems like Canada has many fewer immigrants of this type than the US.
mitthrowaway2 3y ago
On a per-capita basis that's not hugely different, but one of the reasons may be that Canada provides a somewhat easier path, relative to the United States, to becoming a legal immigrant rather than remaining undocumented.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- lazide 3y ago
  Really? I’ve had relatives try to immigrate to Canada (from the US), and it was quite a horror story. Any specifics?
  - nemo 3y ago
    Relative to Canada the United States is even more difficult to legally immigrate to, consider that the US system has been constantly adding ever increasing hurdles to legal immigration for ages.

LegitShady 3y ago

Canadas temporary foreign worker program means you don't need to illegally hire day workers, you just keep the wages low enough that nobody will take the job and then tell the government you need to bring in foreign workers - not for professional or technical work, not for picking in the fields, but for working at McDonald's and tim Hortons. They also allow international students at diploma mills to work 40 hrs a week, above the table. It's a sham.