#Temporary Foreign Worker Program

[myconsultantcanda]

Challenging a Positive Labour Market Impact Assessment?

Generally, a positive result is sought by Canadian employers when applying for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Here’s a case where a positive LMIA was challenged. Why? What’s to learn from it? Read on.

LMIA explained

Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a mechanism to ensure Canadian jobs are extended to Canadians and permanent residents first. In other words, LMIA is to examine if a vacant position in Canada has to be offered to a foreign national because no Canadians nor permanent residents are available for the position. An LMIA is a prerequisite for applying for a work permit by foreign workers whose work permits are issued under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). When employers in Canada intend to hire a foreign national through the TFWP, which means that the intended foreign worker is not eligible for work permits prescribed in sections 204 to 208 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, SOR/2002–227 (IRPR), namely, International Mobility Program (IMP), the employers need to obtain a positive LMIA. Employers applying for an LMIA must pay a $1,000 processing fee for each foreign worker according to subsection 315. 2(1) of IRPR. Therefore, generally speaking, a positive LMIA is the outcome employers would expect when applying for an LMIA.

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is the federal department responsible for LMIA processing. ESDC officers assess LMIA following the six factors prescribed in subsection 203(1) of IRPR, including the hiring and retention of Canadian and permanent resident workers, the labour shortage, etc. Subsection 203(2.1) of IRPR requires ESDC officers to assess LMIAs based on information provided by the employer applicant and other relevant information. After a positive LMIA is issued by ESDC, the employer will provide it with the intended foreign worker for the worker to apply for a work permit, which will authorize its holder to work in Canada for the employer specified on it.

Click Here To Read Full Article

Canada ImmigrationStudy In Canada

[xtruss]

Canada Foreign Worker Program A ‘Breeding Ground’ For Slavery – UN Expert

The United Nations has called on Ottawa to guarantee the rights of tens of thousands of migrant workers who enter the country annually

Migrant Workers remove weeds surrounding Strawberries Plants at a farm in Markham, Ontario, Canada, on July 30, 2023 © Getty Images/Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images

Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program, under w hich up to 60,000 people arrive in the country each year, is leading to Modern Forms of Slavery, a United Nations expert has warned.

Following a two-week fact-finding visit to Canada, UN Special Rapporteur for contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata, said on Wednesday that he was “deeply disturbed by the accounts of exploitation and abuse” he was informed of by migrant workers.

“Employee-specific work permit regimes, including certain Temporary Foreign Worker Programs (TFWPs), make migrant workers vulnerable to contemporary forms of slavery, as they cannot report abuses without fear of deportation,” Obokata said in a statement posted to the UN Human Rights office website.

The controversial program sees between 50,000 to 60,000 foreign laborers arrive in Canada each year, but has for several years Faced Accusations of Systemic Exploitation. Foreign workers across various sectors, including agriculture and meat processing, have complained of sub-par conditions, as well as having only limited recourse to address instances of abuse.

The UN investigation comes a little over a year after a group of Jamaican Farm-Workers Complained in a letter to their country’s labor minister that work they were being compelled to perform at two Ontario Farms was Akin to “Systemic Slavery.” The letter detailed accusations that they were “exposed to dangerous pesticides without proper protections, and our bosses are verbally abusive, swearing at us.”

Canada’s foreign worker scheme permits employers to Hire Laborers From Mexico and Eleven Caribbean Nations for up to eight months of the year.

In his statement, the special rapporteur also called on Canada to offer a “clear pathway to permanent residency for all migrants, to prevent the recurrence of abuses.” He added that foreign workers “have valuable skills that are critical to the Canadian economy” and called upon lawmakers to push forward legislation to protect the rights of overseas workers.

A 2014 study from the Canadian Medical Association Journal Open said that 787 Migrant Farm Workers in Ontario were repatriated to their home countries after suffering injuries in the course of their work – some of whom were transported with little prior notice, and without having been granted access to medical treatment.

— RT | September 07, 2023

[allthecanadianpolitics]

A recently released international report says Canada’s temporary foreign worker program is a “breeding ground” for contemporary slavery. The final report by a United Nations special rapporteur who visited Canada last year says a power imbalance prevents workers from exercising their rights. A worker’s status is dependent on a closed work permit that is specific to their employer. If an individual is fired, they may be deported from Canada. Workers are subject to a wide range of abuses and aren’t always aware of their rights, the report says. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland, @vague-humanoid

[fatehbaz]

The SAWP is a temporary labour program that brings foreign workers to Canada for periods between six weeks and eight months annually [...], paving the way for the recruitment of Jamaican workers as well as workers from other Caribbean countries like Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados [beginning] in 1968. [...] The SAWP has been a resounding success for Canadian growers because offshore indentured workers enable agribusiness to expand and secure large profits. Being indentured means that migrant farm workers are bound to specific employers by contractual agreements [...]. First, they are legally prevented from unionizing. [...] Additionally, because they are bound to specific employers, they must ensure that the employer is happy with them [...]. For instance, migrant farm workers are forced to agree to growers’ requests for long working hours, labour through the weekend, suppress complaints and avoid conflicts, if they want to stay out of “trouble” [...]. In “Canada’s Creeping Economic Apartheid”, Grace Galabuzi shows that the Canadian Government’s immigration policy is, in reality, a labour market immigration policy [...].

[Text by: Julie Ann McCausland. "Racial Capitalism, Slavery, Labour Regimes and Exploitation in the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program". Caribbean Quilt Volume 5. 2020. Paragraph contractions added by me.]

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A big finding that came out of the oral history interviews was a much richer tapestry of worker protest than has previously been documented. Speaking with workers – including former workers back in their home countries of Jamaica and Barbados – allowed me to hear the types of stories that often don’t make it into archives or newspapers. Interviewees told me stories about wildcat strikes, about negotiating conditions with employers, and also about protesting their home governments’ role in organizing the migrant labour program. [...] [T]hings did not have to be this way; our current world was anything but inevitable. [...] [But] economic forces transformed tobacco farming (and agriculture writ large), [...] leaving mega-operations in their wake. [...] [L]arge operations could afford [...] bringing in foreign guestworkers. The attraction of foreign workers was not due to labour shortages, but instead in their much higher degree of exploitability, given the strict nature of their contracts and the economic compulsion under which they pursued overseas migrant labour. [...] Ontario’s tobacco belt (located in between Hamilton and London, on the north shore of Lake Erie), was from the 1920s to 1980s one the most profitable sectors in Canadian agriculture and the epicentre of migrant labour in the country [...]. In most years, upwards of 25,000 workers were needed to bring in the crop. [...]

[The words of Edward Dunsworth. Text is a transcript of Dunsworth's responses in an interview conducted and transcribed by Andria Caputo. 'Faculty Publication Spotlight: Ed Dunsworth's "Harvesting Labour"'. Published online at McGill Faculty of Arts. 15 December 2022. At: mcgill.ca/arts/article/faculty-publication-spotlight-ed-dunsworths-harvesting-labour. Some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

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Jamaican agricultural workers say they face conditions akin to “systematic slavery” on Canadian farms, as they call on Jamaica to address systemic problems in a decades-old, migrant labour programme in Canada. In a letter sent to Jamaica’s minister of labour and social security earlier this month [August 2022], workers [...] said they have been “treated like mules” on two farms in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province. [...] The workers [...] are employed under [...] (SAWP), which allows Canadian employers to hire temporary migrant workers from Mexico and 11 countries in the Caribbean [...]. “We work for eight months on minimum wage and can’t survive for the four months back home. The SAWP is exploitation at a seismic level. Employers treat us like we don’t have any feelings, like we’re not human beings. We are robots to them. They don’t care about us.” Between 50,000 and 60,000 foreign agricultural labourers come to Canada each year on temporary permits [...]. Canada exported more than $63.3bn ($82.2bn Canadian) in agriculture and food products in 2021 – making it the fifth-largest exporter of agri-food in the world. [...]

[Text by: Jillian Kestler-D'Amours. "Jamaican farmworkers decry ‘seismic-level exploitation’ in Canada". Al Jazeera (English). 24 August 2022.]

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In my home country, St. Lucia, we believe in a fair day’s pay [...]. In Canada, we give more than a fair day’s work, but we do not get a fair day’s pay. [...] I worked in a greenhouse in [...] Ontario, growing and harvesting tomatoes and organic sweet peppers for eight months of the year, from 2012 to 2015. [...] In the bunkhouse where I lived, there were typically eight workers per room. Newly constructed bunkhouses typically have up to fourteen people per room. [...] I also received calls from workers (especially Jamaicans) who were either forbidden – or strongly discouraged – from leaving the farm property. This outrageous overreach of employer control meant that workers had difficulty sending money home, or buying necessary items [...]. [O]n a lot of farms, [...] workers’ movement and activity is policed by their employers. The government knows about this yet fails to act.

[Text are the words of Gabriel Allahdua. Text from a transcript of an interview conducted by Edward Dunworth. '“Canada’s Dirty Secret”: An Interview with Gabriel Allahdua about migrant farm workers’ pandemic experience'. Published by Syndemic Magazine, Issue 2: Labour in a Treacherous Time. 8 March 2022. Some paragraph contractions added by me.]

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The CSAWP is structured in such a way as to exclude racialized working class others from citizen-track entry into the country while demarcating them to a non-immigrant status as temporary, foreign and unfree labourers. The CSAWP is [...] a relic of Canada’s racist and colonial past, one that continues unimpeded in the present age [...]. [T]he Canadian state has offered a concession to the agricultural economic sector in the way of an ambiguous legal entity through which foreign agricultural workers are legally disenfranchised and legally denied citizenship rights.

[Text by: Adam Perry. "Barely legal: Racism and migrant farm labour in the context of Canadian multiculturalism". Citizenship Studies, 16:2, 189-201. 2012.]

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Other publications:

Smith. 'Troubling “project Canada”: the Caribbean and the making of “unfree migrant labour”’. Canadian Journal of Latin American Studies Volume 40, number 2. 2015.

Choudry and Thomas. "Labour struggles for workplace justice: migrant and immigrant worker organizing in Canada". Journal of Industrial Relations Volume 55, number 2. 2013.

Harsha Walia. "Transient servitude: migrant labour in Canada and the apartheid of citizenship". Race & Class 52, number 1. 2010.

Beckford. "The experiences of Caribbean migrant farmworkers in Ontario, Canada". Social and Economic Studies Volume 65, number 1. 2016.

Edward Dunsworth. Harvesting Labour: Tobacco and the Global Making of Canada’s Agricultural Workforce (2022).

Edward Dunsworth. “‘Me a free man’: resistance and racialisation in the Canada-Caribbean Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program,” Oral History Volume 49, number 1. Spring 2021.

[shiva1906]

Canada Work Visa: Your Gateway to a Brighter Future

Canada, known for its high standard of living, robust economy, and diverse culture, is one of the top destinations for skilled professionals worldwide. A Canada Work Visa is your ticket to accessing the many opportunities this country has to offer. Whether you're a professional looking to advance your career, a student seeking work experience, or an entrepreneur planning to expand your business, understanding the work visa process is essential.

What is a Canada Work Visa?

A Canada Work Visa allows foreign nationals to work in Canada for a specific period. It can be obtained through various pathways, such as employer sponsorship or programs like the International Mobility Program (IMP) and Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). In many cases, obtaining a work visa is also the first step toward permanent residency.

Types of Canada Work Visas

There are different types of work visas available depending on your qualifications and the job you plan to undertake:

Employer-Specific Work Permit: Tied to a specific employer, you can only work for that employer in the designated role.

Open Work Permit: This allows you to work for any employer in Canada, giving you more flexibility in job selection.

Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP): Available to international students who graduate from a designated learning institution in Canada, allowing them to gain valuable work experience.

Why Choose Canada for Work?

Thriving Economy: Canada has a growing job market with opportunities in sectors like IT, healthcare, engineering, and finance.

Pathway to Permanent Residency: Many work visa holders can transition to permanent residency through programs like Express Entry or the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

High Quality of Life: Canada is known for its world-class healthcare, excellent education system, and safe environment.

Diverse and Inclusive Society: Canada embraces multiculturalism, making it easier for immigrants to feel at home.

How to Apply for a Canada Work Visa

The process of applying for a Canada Work Visa involves several steps:

Determine Eligibility: Ensure you meet the basic requirements, such as having a valid job offer (if required), relevant qualifications, and sufficient financial resources.

Submit Your Application: Prepare your documentation, including your job offer, proof of qualifications, and a valid passport. Applications can be submitted online.

Biometrics and Interview: You may be required to provide biometrics and attend an interview at the Canadian embassy or consulate.

Processing Time: Visa processing times vary depending on your country of residence and the type of visa.

Expert Assistance for Your Canada Work Visa

Navigating the complex immigration system can be challenging, especially for first-time applicants. That's where our professional consultants come in. We offer tailored assistance to ensure a smooth and stress-free application process. From eligibility assessment to document preparation and visa application, our team is with you every step of the way.

Conclusion

Obtaining a Canada Immigration is an excellent opportunity to advance your career, experience a new culture, and potentially secure permanent residency. With our expert guidance, you can make your Canadian work and immigration dreams a reality. Start your application today and take the first step toward a brighter future in Canada.

[survivingcapitalism]

In this singular firsthand account, a former migrant worker reveals a disturbing system of exploitation at the heart of Canada’s farm labour system.

When Gabriel Allahdua applied to the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program in Canada, he thought he would be leaving his home in St. Lucia to work in a country with a sterling human rights reputation and commitment to multiculturalism. Instead, breakneck quotas and a culture of fear dominated his four years in a mega-greenhouse in Ontario. This deeply personal memoir takes readers behind the scenes to see what life is really like for the people who produce Canada’s food.

Now, as a leading activist in the migrant justice movement in Canada, Allahdua is fighting back against the Canadian government to demand rights and respect for temporary foreign labourers. Harvesting Freedom shows Canada’s place in the long history of slavery, colonialism, and inequality that has linked the Caribbean to the wider world for half a millennium—but also the tireless determination of Caribbean people to fight for their freedom.

[catdotjpeg]

Anakbayan-USA stands with the jeepney drivers as they begin their strike today! We commend the 40,000+ jeepney drivers in Metro Manila and beyond for their unity and strength in waging this historic work stoppage. After 5 long years of struggling to participate in the jeepney phaseout and modernization program, the drivers are taking a huge stand to oppose and expose the phase out’s anti-people roll out.

This program would mandate that individual drivers join a cooperative or corporation that must acquire at least 15 modern public utility vehicles, each costing P2.4-2.6 million or $43,000+ US dollars. Only larger businesses or corporations will be able to afford this requirement, resulting in the disappearance of small business owners and ordinary drivers in the jeepney industry.

In the midst of ruinous inflation on top of the pandemic-caused one year service stoppage, the government is forcing drivers into predatory debt with no subsidies. Many drivers will be pushed to work under larger businesses who will further exploit them. Many drivers will lose their livelihoods, and be thrust into an economy where thousands toil as contractual workers or thousands more leave the country each day in search of employment.

Truly, the only winners of the jeepney modernization plan are the big corporations who already have access to huge amounts of capital, the banks doling out the loans and reaping all of the interest, the foreign car manufacturers producing all of the vehicles, and the capitalists amongst the ranks of the government.

The Philippine government wants to push forward a bogus modernization plan to reap the benefits for themselves. Vice President Sara Duterte blasts the strike for its supposed "hardship on students." But what is the reality?

The strike is only temporary, while the lasting impacts of the jeepney modernization pose the greatest hardships on students: higher fares to pay for these new vehicles, joblessness that this plan forces students and their families into, and a lack of future opportunities.

If the government is not willing to provide a modernization plan that has lasting impacts to secure the livelihoods of the drivers and prioritizes working class people, how can we expect that they will do any different for any other sector?

The people deserve safe, accessible, and quality public transportation. Drivers deserve to have true inclusion in the modernization plan that has lasting impacts and secures their livelihoods.

We call on all youth to stand with the striking drivers!

No to Jeepney Phase Out, Yes to Pro-People Modernization!

TAKE ACTION

- Follow the "No to PUV Phaseout Coalition" on FB - Post a selfie or poster with your support for the protest. Use the hashtags #NoToJeepneyPhaseout #NoToPUVPhaseout #SupportTransportStrike - Donate to BAYAN USA to support the strike

-- “No to Jeepney Phaseout! Yes to Pro-People modernization!”, Anakbayan-USA, 5 March 2023

[mdlearning]

Working in Canada

Working in Canada as a foreign national involves understanding the country's immigration and employment regulations. Canada offers various pathways for individuals interested in working there. Here are some key steps and considerations:

1. **Determine Eligibility:** Before pursuing employment in Canada, determine if you are eligible to work there. Common pathways include:    - Temporary Work Permits: These allow you to work in Canada for a specific job and period. Common categories include the International Mobility Program and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.    - Express Entry: This system is used for certain skilled workers who want to become permanent residents. It includes the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class.

2. **Job Search and Networking:** Research Canadian companies and industries that match your skills and qualifications. Networking can help you find job opportunities and make connections.

3. **Job Offer:** In many cases, you will need a valid job offer from a Canadian employer to apply for a work permit.

4. **Work Permit Application:** Once you have a job offer, you or your employer will need to apply for a work permit through the appropriate channels, such as the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website.

5. **Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA):** Depending on the type of work permit and your circumstances, your employer may need to obtain an LMIA, which is a document that shows there is a need for a foreign worker.

6. **Express Entry Profile:** If you are considering permanent residency, create an Express Entry profile and receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence based on factors such as your age, education, work experience, and language proficiency.

7. **Documentation:** Prepare all required documentation, including forms, job offer letters, and supporting documents, for your work permit or permanent residency application.

8. **Biometrics and Medical Exams:** Depending on your situation, you may need to provide biometric data and undergo a medical examination.

9. **Arrival in Canada:** Once your work permit is approved, you can travel to Canada and start working.

10. **Permanent Residency:** If your goal is to become a permanent resident of Canada, you can explore options like the Provincial Nominee Program, Family Sponsorship, and other pathways available through Express Entry.

It's important to stay updated on Canadian immigration policies and procedures, as they may change over time. Consulting with an immigration consultant or an authorized representative, as well as using official government resources, is advisable to ensure accurate and up-to-date information.

Additionally, consider factors such as cost of living, lifestyle, and cultural adaptation when considering working in Canada.

[atasteforsuicidal]

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is asking for urgent help as wildfires continue to burn out of control in his province.

In a news conference Wednesday, Houston said he has reached out to Ottawa and other provinces for all available assistance.

“The list of asks is significant, we know that. But we’ve made the ask,” Houston said.

“It’s time to pitch in with whatever you have… Nova Scotia needs the help right now.”

In a letter to the prime minister, Houston said nearly 20,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and tens of thousands of hectares of land is on fire.

“With only dry weather conditions in the forecast for the remainder of the week, Nova Scotia is a province in crisis,” reads the letter.

Nova Scotia has already received supplies and assistance from Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. Houston says the province has asked for the Coast Guard to be deployed to Shelburne County. Additionally, 17 firefighters from New York and New Hampshire will start work on Saturday and the 20-member Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR) firefighting crew that was assisting with the Northwest Territories wildfires will return late Wednesday night and begin work in Nova Scotia Thursday.

“The province is doing everything within its power to combat the fires and to meet the needs of our people. All emergency services are activated and being used to fight and contain the fires to the extent that is possible with human intervention,” wrote Houston.

Houston said the road to recovery will be a long one.

“As you can appreciate, we need help urgently and would most certainly appreciate coordination across federal departments. Given the scope and breadth of Nova Scotians' needs, I wanted to put all requests in writing and in one place so that they could be addressed directly by you,” reads the letter to the prime minister.

Houston has formally requested the following assistance from the federal government:

military firefighters when the fire reaches the sustained attack stage

ignition specialist personnel and ignition equipment

firefighting foam

assistance in securing a base camp that can house 250 firefighters, as well as an incident command post infrastructure to support all on the ground.

5,000 lengths of 1 ½ inch 100 ft. length quick connect coupling hose

Nomex or equivalent wildland firefighting clothing

12 4X4 trucks

four helicopters (intermediate or above) certified to drop water

50 per cent cost share on modular housing for those who have lost homes due to the fires

commitment of advanced payment through the Disaster Financial Assistance Agreement administered by Public Safety Canada.

commitment to match any Red Cross donations

commitment to collaboration between the Nova Scotia Office of the Superintendent of Insurance and Federal Office of the Superintendent of Financial Intuitions to ensure any Nova Scotian impacted by the fires has timely access to decisions by their insurance company, and an expedited pathway to address situations where individuals are denied coverage

access to any under utilized military housing for displaced individuals while rebuilding takes place

a commitment of skilled trades people from military, federal agencies, and departments – via special secondments to the private sector through CANS. Additionally, a commitment under the Temporary Foreign Workers Program that the situation in Nova Scotia will be classified as a natural disaster under the Exceptional and Unforeseen Events - Provincial Agreements (R204{c} - T13) allowing employers to by-pass a Labour Market Impact Assessments if there is a provincial letter of support for certain trades (eg. constructions, trades and other labourers)

mobile resources to supplement and complement those already deployed

support for critical infrastructure for telecommunications.

a Temporary Leave Benefit that would provide wage replacement and/or funding to support for buying necessities such as food and clothing. The funding will be advertised through social media and disbursed through Labour, Skills and Immigration’s Nova Scotia Works Centres

support to restart agriculture businesses that were in evacuation areas

for tourism operators (and other businesses/employers impacted by the fires), ACOA could play an active role by funding and streamlining distribution of funds for the eventual rebuilding and pivoting of businesses to recover as quickly as possible

“You know your resources best and know what can help in a situation like this. Given the seriousness, any other resources at the disposal of the federal government that we haven’t mentioned but could help, please send. We ask for your common sense and support,” wrote Houston.

Earlier Wednesday, leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party Zach Churchill issued a statement saying “Nova Scotia has yet to make a formal request to Ottawa for additional resources.”

“The province needs to pull all available levers to ensure Nova Scotians are kept safe and we receive more help to contain this escalating situation. That must include calling on the federal government to help,” Churchill said.

During Wednesday’s news conference, Houston said it was “absolutely not true” that Nova Scotia was refusing offers of help.

“Those that spread the rumours that Nova Scotia hadn’t asked for help — these are ongoing discussions… Officials have had ongoing conversations with counterparts,” Houston said, referring to municipal, provincial and federal governments.

Houston added the rumours are “not helpful when we’re in a crisis like this.”

[cricketcat9]

About time 👍🏼

From Government of Canada website, yesterday:

“The Government of Canada takes its responsibilities to protect temporary foreign workers (TFWs) very seriously. Ensuring the health and safety of these workers while they are in Canada is a key priority, and the Government is taking concrete action to better support them.”

“The new regulations will better protect TFWs and help to prevent mistreatment and abuse during their stay in Canada by:

mandating that employers provide all TFWs with information about their rights in Canada;

prohibiting reprisal by employers against workers, for instance against those who come forward with complaints; and,

prohibiting employers from charging recruitment fees to workers and holding them accountable for the actions of recruiters in this regard.

In addition, employers are now required to provide reasonable access to health care services. Employers using the TFW Program, are also required to provide private health insurance when needed.”

The list of employers infringing on the previous, weaker regulations, is 60 pages long.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

A major construction union is calling for a suspension of Canada’s temporary foreign worker program, citing the case of an Indonesian man who says he was exploited. Ariefs, who Global News is not identifying because he fears retaliation for speaking out, came to Canada after seeing a job with Concord Wall Painting advertised in a YouTube ad. He was hired to work on major public building expansions, including the Lions Gate and Royal Columbian hospitals.

Continue Reading

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[immigration-canada7]

IRCC announces for study permits and changes to PGWP eligibility

The international student cap is here to stay” according to Canada's Immigration Minister, Marc Miller.  

Specifically, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will issue just 437,000 study permits in 2025. According to the department, this number is based on a 10% reduction from the 2024 target of 485,000 new study permits issued, and then stabilizing the intake cap for 2026.  

IRCC expects this to result in 300,000 fewer study permits being issued to international students over the next few years.

This is just one of several announcements the minister made regarding ongoing changes to Canada’s international student program.

“The reality is that not everyone who wants to come to Canada will be able to—just like not everyone who wants to stay in Canada will be able to,” said Miller. 

“Our immigration system must preserve its integrity and be well-managed and sustainable. And as we look forward, we will do everything it takes to achieve that goal and set newcomers up for success.”

Master’s and PhD students now require a Provincial Attestation Letter

The updated cap will now include master’s and doctoral students, who will no longer be exempt from obtaining a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL). 

The department says it will be reserving approximately 12% of allocation spaces for these students “in recognition of the benefits they bring to the Canadian labour market.”

PALs were introduced earlier this year for many college and undergraduate students to help IRCC verify that their applications are genuine and stabilize the number of study permits issued. 

Changes to PGWP eligibility 

Additionally, more changes have been made to eligibility requirements for a Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). Applicants will now be required to demonstrate a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of 7 for university graduates and a CLB of 5 for college graduates who apply after November 1. 

Miller says he expects this will result in 175,000 fewer PGWPs being issued over the next three years.  

Limits for Spousal Open Work Permits 

IRCC is also limiting work permit eligibility, later this year, to spouses of master’s degree students whose program is at least 16 months in duration. This is expected to result in 50,000 fewer spousal work permits being issued over the next three years. 

Unrelated to the international student program, Spousal Open Work Permits will also be limited to the spouses of Canadians or permanent residents who are employed in critical work sectors.  

Impact on Temporary Foreign Worker Program 

Canada’s unemployment rate has been climbing since April 2023, rising 1.5 percentage points over that period. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) says the overall unemployment rate has risen from 6.4% to 6.6%. In August 2024, there were 1.5 million unemployed people, an increase of 60,000 (+4.3%) from the previous month. 

The measures announced today aim to curb the volume of temporary residents in Canada on work permits in the near future. 

 Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault spoke alongside Minister Miller and echoed many of his earlier remarks surrounding the intent of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). He said the TFWP should be a last resort measure and should never be used to replace Canadian workers or suppress their wages.  

Still, Minister Boissonnault noted that 99% of economic growth in Canada is dependent on immigration. This is expected to rise to 100% by 2032.  

Changes to temporary and permanent resident levels in Canada 

This year has seen considerable overhauls of Canada’s immigration system, with multiple measures introduced.

In January IRCC put in place the first-ever cap on study permits, initially implemented as a temporary policy that would be in place until the end of 2025. As part of this cap, each provincial government was issued study permit allocations for their province. The implementation of this new cap also ushered in the PAL system. 

The announcement of the study permit cap was coupled with further restrictions on PGWP eligibility (making students in college programs with “curriculum licensing agreements” ineligible); as well as a new restriction on Spousal Work Permits to only spouses of students in master’s and PhD programs (with some exceptions).  

In March Minister Miller also announced that the Immigration Levels Plan for 2025-2027 will include temporary resident levels for the first time as the department seeks to reduce the number of temporary residents (those on a study or work permit). 

 Canada has taken other steps to reduce the number of temporary residents, including: 

Ending the COVID-era policy allowing some visitors to apply for a job-supported work permit from inside Canada; 

Pausing the processing of Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) in the low-wage stream of the TFWP, for jobs in Canada that are destined for Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) with an unemployment rate equal to or higher than 6%; and 

Considering drastic changes to the issuance of Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP) to international graduates, tying the issuance of these work permits to educational programs that would enable graduates to work within in-demand sectors of the Canadian economy.  

Minister Miller has previously stated that he is also open to looking at options to address permanent immigration levels to Canada. The Minister noted that though it would be important not to “overcorrect” permanent immigration levels, the changes he was considering would be “significant” and not simply “cosmetic”. More information is expected on this front in the coming weeks 

@immigrationvisa4uk-blog @immigrationvisa @immigrationvisa4-blog @immigrationvisaaustralia @immigrationnewsdigest

[finlaure13]

CTV News

Why it's 'very hard' to find work in Canada

Published Sept. 17, 2024 2:53 p.m. ADT

For every vacant job in Canada, there are 2.4 unemployed people.

That was the picture recorded from April to June in Canada, according to Statistics Canada’s second-quarter report on job vacancies.

Vacancies have steadily fallen since the glut of nearly one million open posts in 2022. At the time, one in three businesses had trouble hiring staff due to a labour shortage. Two in five had issues finding skilled staff, and one in four would have to fight to keep them.

The agency says available wages, which may have been lower than what prospective employees were willing to accept at the time, could have limited hiring. Some businesses also said they were weathering a spike in retirements among boomer-aged workers.

Since then, vacancies have dropped. Unemployment has gained steadily to 6.6 per cent from the 4.8 recorded in the summer of 2022. Last quarter, there were just 580,000 available jobs in Canada -- a far cry from one million.

The drop in vacancies can be attributed in large part to few openings for jobs requiring high school education or less, according to StatCan. There were 30 per cent fewer vacancies than last year in those fields, accounting for 70 per cent of the overall decline.

The trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations saw the largest losses in vacancies over the last year. By the end of the second quarter, open jobs in those fields were 30 per cent fewer than the year before.

The deepest losses were among transport trucking jobs, construction helpers and labourers, material handlers, and residential commercial installers and servicers.

How did we get here? Low wages and 'lousy' jobs

“It’s very hard to find a job in Canada today,” said Jim Stanford, economist and director for the Centre for Future Work, a non-partisan policy think tank.

He called Canada’s job market “unacceptably weak,” arguing the government and the central bank overreacted to pandemic “shock.”

During the early pandemic years, Stanford recalled, the Canadian government largely halted immigration and the regular operations of several industries.

Vacancies skyrocketed once the government ended lockdowns and lifted restrictions, he said. However, Canada’s workforce changed.

“Canadians did not give up on work,” Stanford told CTVNews.ca. “When those jobs disappeared, they figured out what to do. … They went and got more training.”

And when the jobs reappeared, many expected better wages, he says.

Source: Statistics Canada

“Employers in those industries cried, saying people ‘don’t want to work,’” and demanded the government take measures to remedy the worker shortage, he continued. In response, the Liberal government eased rules on temporary foreign workers, among other measures.

The Temporary Foreign Workers Program allows businesses to hire foreign staff in the absence of Canadian labour.

Since then, the program has drawn the ire of international spectators. Notably, the United Nations called it a “breeding ground for contemporary slavery.”

To remedy the influx of foreign workers, the Liberals have since announced cuts to the program. Stanford said the Bank of Canada should continue to lower interest rates to reduce costs on Canadians and ease the strains of post-pandemic economic recovery.

And if the government is capable of reducing unemployment and increasing job vacancies, “employers will cry again,” he said.

“Next time we hear that cry, we should ignore it.”

With files from The Canadian Press

[tcw-immigration]

Guide to Canada Work Permit with Expert Immigration Support

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Types of Work Permits for Canada Immigration

1. Employer-Specific Work Permit: This type of permit binds you to a specific employer. To qualify, you generally need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), proving that no Canadian worker is available for the job.

2. Open Work Permit: Unlike the employer-specific permit, an Open Work Permit allows you to work for almost any employer in Canada without requiring an LMIA. This is popular for international students, recent graduates under the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), or spouses of temporary foreign workers.

Benefits of a Canada Work Permit

- Gain Canadian Work Experience: Work experience in Canada significantly boosts your eligibility for Canada PR through immigration pathways like Express Entry and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

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Canada PR Through Work Experience

Gaining work experience on a Canada Work Permit can make you eligible for permanent residency via the Express Entry system. The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) is particularly designed for workers who have at least one year of skilled work experience in Canada. This increases your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, boosting your chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for PR.

Steps to Apply for a Canada Work Permit

1. Job Offer: Secure a valid job offer from a Canadian employer.

2. LMIA: In most cases, your employer must obtain an LMIA, demonstrating that no Canadian worker is available to fill the position.

3. Apply for Work Permit: Submit your application online or on paper to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

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5. Processing Time: Varies by country but typically takes several weeks to months.

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