Immigration Minister Marc Miller and Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault recently held a news conference where they announced major changes to Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). When it comes to handling the country’s job market as the economy changes, these changes are a big step forward.
“We are now in a different economic picture,” Minister Boissonnault said to explain why these changes were made. As the labor market gets tighter and the gap between unemployed people and open jobs closes, some of these steps are no longer necessary.
One big change affects the length of time that Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) are effective. LMIAs are an important part of the TFWP application process. The validity time was raised to 12 months during the pandemic, but it will go back to 6 months on May 1, 2024. It’s important to note, though, that this change won’t affect businesses who are part of the Recognized Employer Pilot program.
There will also be changes to the types of low-wage workers that Canadian companies hire in the near future. Because of the pandemic, some industries were briefly able to have a 30% cap. However, as of May 1, 2024, only the construction and healthcare industries will still be able to use this cap. Other industries will go back to the original 20% limit, with the only exceptions being farmland and seasonal jobs, which will stay the same.
These changes are part of Canada’s larger plan to strengthen the integrity of its immigration system, which is very important for the business of the country. This was emphasized by Minister Marc Miller, who said, “Recently, Canada’s temporary resident volume has increased significantly…” Over the next three years, we want the number of temporary residents to drop to 5%.
Canada’s dedication to a well-run and long-lasting immigration system shows that it wants newcomers to be able to easily receive basic services and fit in. As the country deals with changes in the economy and problems around the world, these changes to the TFWP show that it is still trying to make immigration policies fit changing needs. Stay tuned for more news as Canada continues to improve how it handles immigrants and the job market.
