Major Changes to Temporary Foreign Worker Program Announced

Employment Minister Jason Kenney and Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced major reforms to Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program this afternoon.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program will now be divided into two programs: the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), and the International Mobility Program (IMP). Employers hiring under the TFWP program will require proof that they need to hire from outside of Canada, whereas employers applying under the IMP will not.

The reformed program will bar employers from hiring Temporary Foreign Workers in areas with high unemployment rates. Furthermore, it will put a cap on the number of workers that employers can hire, and instate a more rigorous screening process for employers who hire workers from abroad.

Further reforms to the program include:

An immediate lift on the moratorium on the fast-food industry’s access to the program;
A 10 per cent cap on the number of low wage temporary foreign workers an employer can hire per work site by 2016;
A sharp increase in inspections; one of four employers will be inspected each year;
An increase in application fees; from $275 to $1000, effective immediately; and
Fines of up to $100,000 for employers who abuse the program

“We will better prevent and detect abuse by penalized employers who abuse the program,” said Minister Kenney. “We will severely sanction those who break the rules. We’ll better protect foreign workers, and we’ll also realize that Canada benefits from international mobility.”

Stay tuned to CIC News for a special edition news bulletin this Monday for further details.