The Temporary Foreign Worker Program in Canada has been updated with new provisions 2024
The government of Canada has announced that the Temporary Foreign Worker program would be subject to a number of changes in the near future. These changes are being made as part of an endeavor to reduce the number of persons who are temporarily residing in Canada.
Important Considerations:
The Canadian government has recently announced reforms to raise the cost-of-living financial requirement for study permit applications and establish an intake cap on international student permit applications. These reforms are intended to better align with the needs of the labor market and alleviate growing pressures on housing, healthcare, and other services. BAL has previously reported on these reforms.
Canada announces important changes in the employment system
Additionally, the government has declared that it would be making modifications to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in the near future in order to lower the number of people who are permanent residents.
At the beginning of May, the validity period of a labor market impact assessment will be extended to a duration of six months. For the duration of the COVID-19 epidemic, the validity time was temporarily extended to 18 months. However, in order to alleviate the difficulties of the labor market, the validity period was recently reduced back to 12 months.
Officials from Canada have also announced that, beginning on May 1, some industries under the Temporary Foreign Worker program would return to a ceiling of 20% on low-wage foreign workers. This cap was originally established at 30% as a temporary measure in 2022.
Additional Information: The cap exemption for the agriculture sector and seasonal businesses will continue to be in effect, and the construction and healthcare industries will continue to be permitted to have up to thirty percent of their staff on low-wage work permits.
BAL Analysis: The government of Canada is continuing to adopt revisions to laws in order to stimulate immigration in critical areas, while at the same time developing harsher restrictions in order to strike a balance between the demands of Canadian workers and the needs of immigrants. These policy modifications should be brought to the attention of employers, and they should take them into consideration when formulating employment plans and recruiting activities.
