Government of Canada Announces Changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
Today the federal government announced the Temporary Foreign Worker Program Workforce Solutions Road map. The roadmap will address labour shortages, enhance worker protections and build a stronger workforce. The government is implementing five key policy changes in the next several weeks which respond to current labour and skills shortages.
Effective immediately:
- Removing the limit to the number of low-wage positions that employers in seasonal industries, such as fish and seafood processing, can fill through the TFW Program. Making the Seasonal Cap Exemption that has been in place since 2015, permanent. In addition, the maximum duration of these positions will be increased from 180 days to 270 days per year.
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Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA’s) will be valid for 18 months, an increase from 9 months.
- The maximum duration of employment for High-Wage and Global Talent Streams workers will be extended from two years to three years.
Effective April 30:
- For seven sectors with demonstrated labour shortages, such as Accommodation and Food Services, employers will be allowed to hire up to 30% of their workforce through the TFW Program for low-wage positions for one year. All other employers will be allowed to hire up to 20% of their workforce through the TFW Program for low-wage positions until further notice, an increase from the former 10% cap for many employers.
- The Government will end the current policy that automatically refuses LMIA applications for low-wage occupations in the Accommodation and Food Services and Retail Trade sectors in regions with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher.
A full analysis of this roadmap and the changes made to the TFW program will be provided in the coming days. For more information, please see here.
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