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Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
What's the Temporary Foreign Worker Program that is deepening jobs and housing squeeze in Canada
In a greenhouse in Ontario, Jorge Ramirez checks the irrigation lines, his fifth season as a temporary foreign worker in Canada. "I send money back to my family in Mexico. It helps a lot," he says. But back in Ottawa, political tensions are heating up over the very program that brought Jorge here. Conservative MP Jamil Jivani recently called for the termination of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, claiming it is failing Canadians. His remarks sparked a debate on what the TFWP is, how it functions, and whether its benefits still outweigh its social costs. Also Read: Conservative MP Jamil Jivani calls for an end to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Semua yang Perlu Anda Ketahui Tentang Limfoma Limfoma Pelajari Undo What is the Temporary Foreign Worker Program? The TFWP is a federal program that allows Canadian employers to hire foreign nationals temporarily to fill labor shortages. It is managed jointly by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). Live Events Employers must typically apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), demonstrating that no Canadian worker is available for the role. Once approved, a foreign national can apply for a work permit and begin employment in Canada. The TFWP includes provisions to ensure fair treatment. Employers must provide safe working conditions, pay for transportation and housing for some worker categories, and comply with Canadian labor laws. Major working streams and sectors of the program The program is segmented into various streams: High-Wage Workers, Low-Wage Workers, the Global Talent Stream, In-Home Caregivers, Foreign Agricultural Workers, and Foreign Academics. Agriculture and In-home caregiving make up a significant portion of this program, but each stream addresses different labor needs in the market. The Global Talent Stream, for instance, facilitates fast-track hiring of highly skilled workers in tech and research sectors. Meanwhile, the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program brings laborers from Mexico and the Caribbean for up to eight months a year. Rise in Canada's unemployment rate Jivani's criticism is rooted in economic concerns, including the 14% youth unemployment rate as of April 2025. Critics argue that the TFWP suppresses wages and discourages investment in training Canadian workers. "Young Canadians are being left out," Jivani said. "Instead of investing in our people, we are relying on cheap labor from abroad." Government response Employment Minister Patty Hajdu responded by defending the TFWP, highlighting its role in supporting agriculture, hospitality, and healthcare sectors. "We are scaling the program to reflect actual labor shortages, not to replace Canadian workers," Hajdu stated. Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has pledged to reduce the number of temporary foreign workers and cap total temporary residents to 5% of the population by 2027. This move is part of a broader immigration reset aimed at managing infrastructure and public service demand. Quebec has a different approach Quebec maintains its own guidelines under the TFWP. For example, all LMIA applications must be submitted in French unless they concern in-home caregivers. Quebec also has exemptions for certain skilled workers already holding work permits and Quebec Selection Certificates (CSQs). A pilot project in partnership with the federal government allows Quebec employers in specified NOC categories to bypass recruitment requirements until the end of 2024. Business groups caution against abrupt changes that could disrupt sectors reliant on temporary foreign workers. "We need balance," says an executive from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. "Without foreign workers, many farms, restaurants, and hospitals simply cannot function."
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Conservative MP Jamil Jivani calls for an end to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
Live Events Response from the government Immigration problem in Canada (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Conservative Member of Parliament from Ontario, Jamil Jivani , has initiated a petition to terminate Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), asserting that it significantly contributes to unsustainable immigration levels and adversely affects Canadian workers by taking away their says the program is a "large contributor" to an unsustainable level of links immigration to various systemic issues in a social media post as he states, "There's a pretty clear consensus, even across people with different political views, that immigration levels are just unsustainably high.""Anyone who goes to a hospital can see there are not enough beds. Anyone who goes to look for a family doctor can't find one. You go to buy a house, there's not enough of those. You go to find a job, there might not be one of those for you either."His petition specifically excludes temporary workers in the agricultural sector, suggesting that seasonal agricultural workers should be under a separate pointed to Statistics Canada 's May jobs report, highlighting youth unemployment as a driving factor for his petition, which indicates that the unemployment rate for individuals aged 15 to 24 reached 14 percent in April this Minister Patty Hajduin response remarked, "I know MP Jivani wasn't included in Andrew Scheer's shadow cabinet, but he may want to ask that the party resume briefing him, because if they had, he'd know that in the last year alone, we considerably scaled back the TFW program to reflect local labour needs."She added that the government is consulting with labour and industry groups about future changes to the program and stated it "in no way" replaces Canadian talent. She emphasized the program's importance, noting it is "vital" to the agricultural sector and tourism appears to be acting independently with his petition, as he does not hold a Conservative critic position. The roles of immigration and employment critics are held by Alberta MPs Michelle Rempel Garner and Garnett Genuis, federal government has announced plans to reduce the number of temporary foreign workers admitted to Canada. This includes refusing to process applications in metropolitan areas with unemployment rates exceeding six percent. The government aims to admit 82,000 workers annually under the TFWP from 2025 to 2027, according to its immigration levels immigration system is facing challenges as rapid population growth strains housing, healthcare, and education, leading to shortages and increased competition for Minister Mark Carney has proposed stabilizing permanent immigration levels, reducing temporary residents, and capping temporary residents to 5% of the population by approach aims to balance economic needs with infrastructure capacity and social cohesion.
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Business Standard
28-04-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Canada polls 2025: What today's vote means for Indian immigrants, students
Canada heads to the polls today, and for hundreds of thousands of Indian nationals either living in the country or planning to move, the outcome could be crucial. Immigration policies have a direct impact on students, workers and families. As of late 2023, Canada was hosting around 1,040,985 international students, of which 278,860 were Indian nationals, accounting for nearly 27% of the total. The growth has been sharp—from just 31,920 Indian students in 2015. Employment figures show a similar trend. More than 26,000 Indian nationals were working in Canada in 2023 under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, mainly in low-wage sectors. Many Indian graduates also moved to work permits through the Post-Graduation Work Permit Programme, helping strengthen Canada's skilled workforce. 'What's most concerning right now is the slowdown in investment and business, as well as the drop in local business valuation. Everything has slowed down due to high interest rates and lower appraisals of property and business. Many insiders are facing severe financial pressure—similar to the 2008 crisis,' said Varun Singh, managing director at XIPHIAS Immigration, speaking to Business Standard. 'Visa rejections based on political background are neither right nor ethical. Families are suffering because of the high rejection rates. Just look at the numbers—visa cancellations by the Canadian embassy have crossed 2 million,' he added. Pierre Poilievre, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, has said he would structure immigration policies to match new capacity in housing, healthcare, and jobs. The current Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has strong links with the Century Initiative, a think tank pushing for Canada's population to grow to 100 million by 2100. Carney's predecessor, Justin Trudeau, had immigration policies heavily influenced by the Century Initiative. So far, Carney has not given any strong indication that he would reduce immigration levels. 'If Carney wins the election, Indians aspiring to immigrate to Canada would find it easier to do so. On the other hand, the crises of expensive housing, high cost of living and lack of jobs would get further exacerbated,' Darshan Maharaja, a Canada-based immigration analyst told Business Standard. He also warned that individual Indians should carefully assess their financial prospects before deciding to move. Current immigration targets Until recently, Canada's Immigration Levels Plan mainly focused on permanent residents. In October 2024, for the first time, the government introduced targets for temporary residents as well. Liberal leader Mark Carney has acknowledged the strain on infrastructure. 'Caps on immigration will remain in place until we've expanded housing,' he said in a recent interview. The Liberals have proposed keeping permanent resident admissions below 1% of Canada's population beyond 2027. The current target is 395,000 permanent residents for 2025, which is less than 1% of the projected population of 41.5 million. This points towards a continuation of current trends. At the same time, Poilievre has linked immigration numbers to infrastructure growth. In January 2024, he said, 'We'll bring it back to sustainable levels like we had under the Harper government.' Between 2006 and 2015, Canada admitted between 247,000 and 281,000 permanent residents annually. It is unclear whether Poilievre would stick to these numbers or adjust them based on today's larger population. His party has repeatedly said that immigration growth should not outpace the availability of housing, jobs, or healthcare. Temporary foreign workers and international students The number of temporary residents has been a growing concern for both major parties. As of January 1, 2025, Canada had around 3.02 million temporary residents, making up roughly 7.27% of the population. The Liberal Party has proposed reducing this share to under 5% by the end of 2027, with steps including: < Adding temporary resident targets to immigration plans < Placing caps on study permit applications < Restricting access to post-graduation and spousal open work permits < Reducing net new temporary arrivals by 150,000 between 2025 and 2026 Meanwhile, Poilievre has criticised the Temporary Foreign Worker Program sharply. 'We will crack down on fraud and dramatically reduce the number of temporary foreign workers and foreign students,' he said during a campaign event. The Conservative Party proposes: < Requiring union Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) for hiring foreign workers < Limiting temporary workers mainly to agriculture or small towns with shortages < Requiring criminal background checks for all international students Currently, police certificates are only asked for if an officer requests them during the study permit process. Economic immigration and employment The Liberal Party supports economic migration and promises to 'revitalise' the Global Skills Strategy to attract highly skilled workers, particularly from the United States. It also plans to fast-track the recognition of foreign credentials, especially in healthcare and trades. Poilievre, in contrast, has spoken about a 'blue seal' national licensing standard that provinces could adopt to help immigrant healthcare workers get jobs faster. Impact on education Indian student numbers have fallen sharply, dropping by over 40% between 2023 and 2024, according to ICEF Monitor. Experts said this was largely due to Canada's real estate crisis, tighter visa rules, and tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa. However, there are signs of optimism. With US President Donald Trump taking a harder line on international students, Canada could regain its appeal for Indian students. Saurabh Arora, CEO of University Living, a global student housing marketplace, told Business Standard, 'First, we need to know who the next PM will be and whether it's a Liberal or Conservative government. Only then will we have clarity on future immigration policies. That said, with the significant contribution of Indians to Canada's economy—around CAD 13–14 billion annually from Indian students alone—India's importance cannot be ignored. Also, Punjabi is now the third-most spoken language in Canada.' Siddharth Iyer, COO of OneStep Global, said, 'Canada is a leading destination for international students, especially Indians. After the US, Canada has the largest intake of Indian students. They choose it because of its student-friendly policies, high-quality education, and ample work opportunities. Over the years, Indian students have built strong ties with Canadian institutions, and this is not set to change anytime soon.' As of the latest update to the CBC Poll Tracker, the Liberals were polling at 43.1%, compared to the Conservatives' 38.4%. The NDP had 8.3%, the BQ 5.8% nationally (25.4% in Quebec), the Greens 2.2%, and the People's Party 1.4%. It marks a striking turnaround for the Liberals, who were 24 points behind in January and are now ahead by 4.7 points. Numbers at a glance as per IRCC Annual Immigration Reports Permanent residents 2015: 39,340 Indians became permanent residents 2023: 139,715 Indians became permanent residents International students 2015: 31,920 Indian students held study permits 2023: 278,860 Indian students held study permits Temporary foreign workers 2015: 24,000 Indian nationals had Canadian work permits 2023: 64,000 Indian nationals had Canadian work permits The rapid growth over the past decade has been driven largely by policies under the Trudeau government. However, rising concerns about housing and infrastructure have already pushed the Canadian government to announce lower immigration targets starting late 2024.
CBC
15-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Temporary foreign workers will still be at risk after new P.E.I. safeguards take effect, advocate says
Social Sharing P.E.I.'s Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act, which was passed nearly three years ago, will finally take effect next month, but advocates say the legislation doesn't go far enough to address the systemic injustices faced by this vulnerable population. Starting April 1, the first phase of the act will introduce new regulations for people who recruit foreign workers, requiring them to be licensed. The act will also prohibit recruiters from charging foreign workers fees for recruitment services and ban practices such as providing false or misleading information or withholding workers' official documents, including passports. The province's website says the second phase of the act will introduce an employer registry and administrative penalties, though the site does not mention a timeline for when this phase will be implemented. Joe Byrne, who runs the Migrant Workers Resource Centre at the Charlottetown-based Cooper Institute, said the act does not address one of the biggest vulnerabilities temporary foreign workers face — the closed work-permit system, which ties them to a single employer. He said this system creates an environment where workers are more susceptible to abuse and mistreatment. "We've heard about harassment and actually sexual assault. Why people are scared to report it is because if they report it, they can lose their job. Once they lose their job, they lose their pathway to permanent residency and everything. Their dreams are shot," he told CBC's Island Morning. "That is still the same kind of indentureship that we need to address. I don't think the act is designed to even begin to address that, because it's a systemic thing." Temporary foreign workers face major barriers in P.E.I. 1 month ago Duration 1:56 A panel discussion in Charlottetown focused on the challenges temporary foreign workers deal with on the Island, especially the issue of sexual violence in the workplace. Many workers don't report incidents out of fear that they may lose their status. CBC's Connor Lamont has more. Addressing systemic issues The federal government issues closed work permits to people who come to Canada under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. However, a report last year from the United Nations' special rapporteur said the program is a "breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery" due to the widespread mistreatment, exploitation and abuse of workers. Byrne said that while the new provincial act may provide some protections, it does not address the core issue and requires action from the federal government. For years, he and other advocates for temporary foreign workers across Canada have been calling on Ottawa to give all temporary foreign workers open work permits, allowing them to leave abusive situations without risking their ability to remain in the country. "We have to start addressing these injustices, and that means open work permits," he said. Reliance on temporary foreign workers Temporary foreign workers make up an estimated 40 per cent of P.E.I.'s agricultural workforce. When you add in employees in seafood processing, the trucking industry and other jobs, the number of temporary foreign workers arriving on the Island every year has grown from about 400 in 2015 to nearly 1,500 in 2024. "If they're not here, that means the fish plants don't work and the grocery stores don't stay open," O'Leary Mayor Eric Gavin told CBC News recently. "That is a very big concern." Given the province's significant reliance on these workers, Byrne said protections should have been in place much sooner, rather than not coming into force until nearly three years after the act was passed in the provincial legislature. "Why does it have to take so long if something's going to be a priority? And we see when government puts a priority on things, they can actually get things done efficiently and quickly. This cannot be considered quick." Byrne said he looks forward to seeing how well the act can protect temporary foreign workers after April 1. One of his biggest concerns is how the act will be enforced.
Saudi Gazette
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Migrant workers in Canada exposed to ‘shocking abuse and discrimination,' Amnesty says
ONTARIO — Migrant workers in Canada have been exposed to 'shocking abuse and discrimination' while working under the country's Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), according to a new report by Amnesty the report published Thursday, Amnesty criticized the structure of Canada's TFWP, which allows employers to hire migrant workers for primarily low-paid jobs across sectors including agriculture, food processing, construction, and human rights organization said laborers were vulnerable to abuse through 'harmful provisions' in the program, including closed work permits that tie workers to a single employer who controls both their migration status and labor interviewed 44 migrant workers from 14 countries for the report, predominantly from what it termed the Global South, with most workers reporting unpaid wages and excessive hours. Some workers told Amnesty their contracts stipulated zero rest workers said they suffered discrimination at work, including being tasked with the hardest physical jobs. Some workers said they suffered severe injuries or developed medical conditions due to unsafe working woman from Cameroon, Bénédicte, told Amnesty she had suffered racist psychological and sexual abuse at the hands of her employer while working on a two-year closed work permit on a leaving the farm in July 2018, her employer canceled her work permit, leaving Bénédicte with an irregular migration status. 'I did not expect to be a slave here,' she told worker told Amnesty he faced 'severe forms of control' by his a Guatemalan migrant worker with a two-year visa under the TFWP, told Amnesty he was threatened and surveilled. He said his boss confiscated his passport and placed cameras in the container where he lived and the garage where he worked.'The abuse experienced by migrant workers in Canada is deeply troubling, especially for a country that claims to be a leader when it comes to protecting human rights,' Erika Guevara-Rosas, senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns at Amnesty International, also said many workers reported living in inadequate housing conditions, with a few saying they did not have drinking water in their official at Amnesty International Canada, Ketty Nivyabandi, called on Canada's leaders to implement reforms to 'bring the program in line with Canada's human rights obligations – and, ultimately, to respect the rights of workers.'The Canadian government told CNN it was aware of the Amnesty report.'The government of Canada takes the safety and dignity of temporary foreign workers very seriously and has been taking strong action to protect workers,' said Nancy Caron, the spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).'While in Canada, temporary foreign workers have the same employment standards, rights, and protections under federal, provincial, and territorial law as do Canadian citizens and permanent residents.' She added the government was 'continuously taking steps to strengthen its temporary foreign worker programs,' including programs to help workers obtain private health insurance, a tip line to report wrongdoing, and 'open work permits' to allow temporary foreign workers to change employers. — CNN
