In a move aimed to capitalize on the contributions being made by foreign workers to the booming Canadian economy, the Canadian Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration along with of Human Resources and Social Development Canada (ESDC) have announced that they will be extending the length of certain Temporary Foreign Worker permits.

Each year nearly 150,000 foreign nationals come to Canada to work under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Temporary permits issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada allow the holder to reside and work in Canada. Part of the requirements of the Temporary ForeignWorker Permit (though some types of permits are exempt) is a Labour Market Opinion (LMO), which is a ruling by ESDC that the work permit will not adversely effect Canadian workers. Until now, LMO’s for lower-skilled workers (skill level C and D under the NOC) would expire after 12 months. The announced change extends the temporary permits for workers in these categories to 24 months, doubling the length of time that foreign workers may stay in Canada.

The announcement also included changes to the application process and to the Live-In Caregiver Program. Beginning on April 1st of 2007, employers will be able to apply online for an LMO to allow them to hire workers from outside Canada. The changes also allow work permit applications to be processed concurrently with the LMO, reducing the total processing time.

The Live-In Caregiver program, a temporary work permit program which allows caregiver’s to apply for permanent resident status after its completion, also benefits from the changes. The LMO for caregivers is being extended from one year to three years and three months. Thanks to the changes, caregivers who remain with the same employer will no longer have to apply every year to have their work permits renewed.

The change is being welcomed by both workers and employers across Canada. "The changes will reduce the time that employers have to wait to get the workers they need," said Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, the Honourable Diane Finley. "As well, extending the time that workers can stay in Canada provides more security and stability to the workers and to the employers".