The Canadian government has introduced significant changes to its Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program, which will come into effect on October 28 and November 8, 2024. These reforms aim to improve worker protections, tighten employer regulations, and reduce reliance on foreign labor by encouraging domestic hiring.
๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ
Starting October 28, 2024, businesses employing foreign workers must prove their legitimacy through provincial and territorial records instead of relying on attestations from lawyers or accountants. This change enhances the integrity of the Canada Work Permit process and ensures only valid employers can hire foreign workers.
๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก-๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ
As of November 8, 2024, employers must pay foreign workers 20% more than the current median wage in their region. Jobs not meeting this threshold will be reclassified under the low-wage stream, leading to stricter conditions and limiting access to high-wage Canada jobs for migrants.
๐๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฐ-๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฒ๐๐ซ๐ฌ
Employers hiring low-wage foreign workers face additional requirements, including providing transportation, suitable housing, and more robust recruitment efforts targeting Canadian workers. Companies in non-essential sectors can only hire 10% of their workforce through the Canada Work Permit program.
** ๐๐ก๐๐๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐&๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐๐
๐๐ง๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฒ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐
Canadaโs labor market faces challenges, particularly with high youth unemployment (13.5%) and higher unemployment rates among Indigenous workers (7.7%). The TFW Program reforms aim to address these issues by prioritizing underrepresented groups for Canada jobs.
๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฒ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐๐ซ๐ฌ
These changes will likely increase costs for employers due to wage hikes and stricter regulations. At the same time, the government hopes the reforms will encourage businesses to recruit from domestic talent pools, reducing reliance on.