Canadian immigrants who are living and working in the US under the NAFTA treaty may be forced to go home if President-Elect, Donald Trump goes ahead with his threat to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, which was signed into law in 1994.
During his election campaign, Trump described the agreement as the worst the US has ever signed. While his tone has softened since winning the White House over Hillary Clinton earlier this month, it is likely that he will, at least, try to renegotiate some of the terms of the deal. Canadians are able to get a specially-issued US visa under NAFTA, providing they are offered secure employment by a US business.
Thousands of Canadian immigrants have crossed the border to be able to work in the US. Following Trump’s victory. They are now feeling insecure, given his stated intention to end the treaty. Trump has said he believes that the US is losing out to Canada because of the terms of the deal, and claims that it has resulted in a ‘tremendous’ trade deficit.
Speculation about Trump’s intentions has been running rampant among experts. These could range from working out new terms with Canadian and Mexican representatives to completely scrapping the deal. Whichever way the situation ultimately plays out, many Canadians who currently work in the US now feel uncertain about the future.