Mimmi said:
Is this change even for spouse open work permit or is TFWP different from SOWP.
Hello Mimmi,
SOWP is subset of TFWP, Because Spouse WP is only eligible for processing if Principal Applicant is able to get WP under TFWP. So if there are restrictions imposed on TFWP then if Principal applicant is able to secure visa/wp then SOWP should be ok, but there are other conditions as they are applicable today which needs to be satisfied before this SOWP visa is granted.
Usually I have seen that SOWP or Open Work Permit is usually taking long time to process. At least 3 Months . May be CIC is thinking that there is no job waiting for these kind of applicants so they process these kind of WP's slowly.
Because it has been noticed that some of the employers are misusing TFWP program to displace Canadian Workers, Locals are driving cabs while TFW's are doing jobs in Canada so there is a kind of protest from locals . In case you wanna follow these stories you may visit following links :
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/04/24/bc-inside-outsourcing.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/04/05/bc-rbc-foreign-workers.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/pdf/temp-foreign-workers.pdf
Considering this protest/ media rage and to protect the interest of local Canadians Govt of Canada has imposed some restrictions on TFWP . You may check following links :
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/04/29/pol-temp-foreign-workers-changes.html
http://www.canadavisa.com/major-changes-made-to-temporary-foreign-worker-program.html
Being on Open WP in Canada, Myself has noticed that companies are really abusing TFWP. Just for the name sake Indian companies are showing that they are hiring local Canadian resources because they wanna get their LMO's approved. They will publish jobs for 3 months and later they will tell govt of Canada that they did not find any skilled resource in Canada so we are bringing person from overseas. You can find hell lot of openings from TCS / Infosys etc on Workopolis / Monster etc . But they are all fake openings . Even if your skill set is matching and you have relevant experience you will never get a call for Interview. Reason being : There is no real job opening it is just published there to get their LMO's approved for bringing low cost resources from overseas.