By Jatinder Rosha 

Jatinder Rosha - CopyThe Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) allows Canadian employers to hire foreign nationals to fill temporary labour and skill shortages when qualified Canadian citizens or permanent residents are not available. This program recently came under lot of criticism and became a source of great embarrassment for the government .Government has introduced far reaching changes in the TFW program including:

-Barring employers from hiring low-wage temporary foreign workers in regions where the unemployment rate is above six per cent. In BC only   regions that will be able to use it are Greater Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Sunshine Coast & Squamish -Lillooet.
-A cap of 10 per cent on the number of low-wage temporary foreign workers employers can hire per work site by 2016.
The cap will be gradually phased in starting at 30 per cent effective immediately, then reduced to 20 per cent on July 1, 2015, and 10 per cent a year later in 2016.
The new caps will not apply to employers with fewer than 10 employees or short term position that is less than 120 days.

-An increase from $275 to $1,000 in the LMO application fee employers must pay per worker requested, effective immediately.
-Fines of up to $100,000 for employers who abuse the program, starting in fall.
-An increase in the number and scope of inspections: one in four employers will be inspected each year.
-The government will publicly post number of  TFW approved every quarter.

–  Temporary Foreign Workers will only be able to stay in Canada for 2 yrs against the current cumulative duration of 4 yrs.

The govt has split TFW program into 2 separate programs. Programs that do not require labour market impact assessment will now be called International Mobility Program. Jobs requiring LMO will continue to fall under the TFW Program.
Live in care giver and seasonal agricultural program will be exempt from above sais changes. Jason  Kenney dubbed these changes to be neither tinkering nor cosmetic but profound , comprehensive , fundamental reforms to the program.

Jatinder Rosha  is Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant  and can be reached at ameximmigration@gmail.com or Cell-604-725-9091.

Government of Canada overhauls Temporary Foreign Worker Program. From now Canadians are first in line for available jobs

Last week Ottawa announced landmark changed to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). The changes are intended, as a last and limited resort to fill acute labour shortages on a temporary basis when qualified Canadians are not available.

By limiting access to the program, tightening the labour market assessment and implementing stronger enforcement with tougher penalties for employers who break the rules, businesses will have to make greater efforts to recruit and train Canadians for available jobs, including increasing wages.

To offer greater clarity and transparency, the current TFWP is being reorganized and new International Mobility Programs (IMPs) are being created. The TFWP will now refer to those streams under which foreign workers enter Canada at the request of employers following approval through a new Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). The new IMPs will incorporate those streams in which foreign nationals are not subject to an LMIA, and whose primary objective is to advance Canada’s broad economic and cultural national interest, rather than filling particular jobs. These reorganized programs will improve accountability, with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) being the lead department for the TFWP, and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) the lead department for the IMPs. In addition, ESDC will publicly post data on the number of positions for temporary foreign workers approved through the TFWP on a quarterly basis, and will post the names of corporations that receive permission to hire temporary foreign workers through LMIAs.