The federal government might refuse temporary foreign worker (TFW) applications under its low-wage stream, Employment and Workforce Development Minister Randy Boissonnault told business associations on Tuesday.
“I’ve been clear over the last year, abuse and misuse of the TFW program must end. The health and safety of temporary foreign workers in Canada is a responsibility I take very seriously,” Boissonnault said in a media statement.
“Bad actors are taking advantage of people and compromising the program for legitimate businesses. We are putting more reforms in place to stop misuse and fraud from entering the TFW program.”
The change in question would pertain to jobs that pay below the median hurl wage in each province and territory, according to CBC News.
The meeting on Tuesday featured representatives from the transportation, agriculture, and food and beverage industries.
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An employer who wants to hire a TFW needs to submit an LMIA to the federal government to show they could not find a qualified Canadian in 28 days.
IRCC’s program requirements for low-wage positions include the payment of $1,000 for each position requested to cover the cost of processing a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application.
Employers who have not employed a TFW in the past six years prior to submitting an LMIA application will be subject to a review, which is aimed at providing a workplace that is free of abuse.
As of April 30, 2022, employers are subject to a 20 per cent cap limit on the proportion of TFWs that they can hire in low-wage positions at a specific work location.
This cap is in place for Canadians and permanent residents to be considered first for jobs.
However, for applications received as of May 1, 2024, employers in the following sectors and sub-sectors are eligible for a cap limit of 30 per cent:
- Construction (NAICS 23)
- Hospitals (NAICS 622)
- Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623)
While agriculture is the sector with the most TFWs, many other sectors have seen major increases in the number of TFWs they have employed since 2018, as per CBC.
