New changes announced on October 21, 2024, to Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirements under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFW Program).

Wage threshold for high and low-wage streams

Under the TFW Program, when employers apply for an LMIA in either the high or low-wage streams, the hourly wage offered by the employer for the requested position determines which stream applies.

Starting November 8, 2024, the provincial and territorial wage threshold used to determine the applicable stream will be increased by 20% over the current level.

As of November 8, employers, before submitting an LMIA application, will be able to consult the updated reference table available on the TFW Program website to find out the new applicable thresholds. This change does not apply to LMIA applications received before November 8 that are currently being processed, or those for which decisions have already been made.

The Government of Canada is continuing to strengthen the integrity and quality of our temporary resident programs while supporting the country’s economic goals and labour market needs.

As part of the broader measures announced in September 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is changing open work permit (OWP) eligibility for family members of international students and foreign workers.

Effective January 21, 2025, only spouses of certain international students and foreign workers will be able to apply for a family OWP.

Family OWPs will be limited to spouses of international students who are enrolled in

• master’s programs that are 16 months or longer
• doctoral programs, or
• select professional and eligible programs

Family OWPs will also be limited to spouses of foreign workers who are employed in

Since September 26, 2024, and until further notice, LMIA applications are not processed if all the conditions below are met: 

• The wage offered for the position(s) requested is below the provincial or territorial wage threshold; and
• The work location is in a census metropolitan area (CMA); and
• The unemployment rate of the CMA where the work is located is 6% or higher, at the time the LMIA application is submitted.

Please note that on January 10, 2025, the unemployment rates by CMA were updated on the TFW Program website. 

Data on the unemployment rate by CMA used in this measure will be updated on a quarterly basis and in accordance with Statistics Canada's publication dates. Upcoming updates will take place in April, July, and October. 

As a reminder, certain low-wage positions are exempt from this refusal to process measure. More information can be found on the TFW Program website under Refusal to process a Labour Market Impact Assessment application. 

Important update from Employment and Social Development Canada

1. Temporary Foreign Worker Program Policies

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFW Program) recently published some of its policies on the Open Government information portal.

Effective October 9, 2024, the following seven policies are now available on the Open Government portal:

The Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) hosted its third annual Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) Assembly on October 5, 2024, at the Kerby Centre in downtown Calgary. This year’s theme, Empowerment through Education, resonated deeply with the 195 migrant workers in attendance, who left feeling more knowledgeable and empowered about their rights and responsibilities in Canada.

Hasmik Asmaryan, the director of Business, Employment, and Training (BETS) at CCIS, kicked off the event with a heartfelt welcome, acknowledging the contributions of attendees, speakers, guests, and community partners in making newcomers feel at home in Canada. The day was packed with informative sessions and one-on-one consultations that kept everyone engaged and informed.

The first session, Pathways to Permanent Residency, was led by immigration law expert Jatin Shory from Shory Law. He shared insights on recent changes to the TFW program and their impact on foreign workers. Rowan Fisher from Osuji and Smith Law discussed the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program and raised awareness about common scams targeting newcomers. Jessica Juen, Program Manager of the TFW program at CCIS, moderated the sessions, ensuring all questions were addressed and highlighting the wide range of services available to support foreign workers.

Attendees then chose from a variety of breakout sessions tailored to their needs. Brian Krueger and Simonette Pili from the Temporary Foreign Workers Advisory Office discussed workers’ rights and responsibilities, while Barry Mulaney from Employment Standards covered employment-related compliances. Steve Holzer from Occupational Health & Safety provided best practices and safety guidelines. The breakout sessions concluded with Rowan Fisher addressing challenges faced by vulnerable workers seeking open work permits. Simultaneously, Aneta Popa from the BETS team offered practical job search advice, including resume writing and navigating the Canadian job market.

The morning sessions were followed by one-on-one consultations with four lawyers—Jatin Shory, Rowan Fisher, Laura Ann Goulding, and Russ Weninger—who provided free legal advice to 50 TFWs. The BETS team, including Kerry Han, Aneta Popa, Mahyar Alinejad, Smriti Arora, and Hasmik Asmaryan, offered employment consultations to 52 TFWs, sharing tips on resumes and cover letters.

In response to the current employment environment, the following changes will be implemented, effective by September 26, 2024:

• The Government of Canada will refuse to process Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) in the Low-Wage stream, applicable in census metropolitan areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher. Exceptions will be granted for seasonal and non-seasonal jobs in food security sectors (primary agriculture, food processing and fish processing), as well as construction and healthcare;
• Employers will be allowed to hire no more than 10% of their total workforce through the TFW Program. This maximum employment percentage will be applied to the Low-Wage stream and is a further reduction from the March 2024 reduction. Exceptions will be granted for seasonal and non-seasonal jobs in food security sectors (primary agriculture, food processing and fish processing), as well as healthcare and construction; and
• The maximum duration of employment for workers hired through the Low-Wage stream will be reduced to one year (from two years).

 To know more, click here

Important update for Temporary Foreign Workers Evacuating from Jasper wildfire:

Click here to find support available for Temporary Foreign Workers affected by Jasper Wildfire. You may also scan the QR code from the poster below and register yourself to get support.

Don't wait in line and apply for immigration services online

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFW) organized its annual Holiday Party 2023 for its TFW clients and their families last Saturday, December 9, 2023, at Kerby Centre downtown Calgary. All the 247 participants who attended the party were treated to delicious food, exciting performances in the TFW Got Talent show, games, and raffle draws, dance & music put together by our dedicated TFW team.

Our community partners and guests from the Government of Alberta, Cargill, SAIT, IRERI – Mexican, Latino & Cross-Cultural Society, Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers joined the holiday party to celebrate this festive season with our TFW families and cheered out loud for them during talent show performances. Representatives from Remitly held their booth during the event and talked about their online services for the foreign workers who wish to send money back home during the holiday season.

Thanks to the generous contributions by the donors and the team members, every family had a gift to take back home! We can’t thank enough to our dedicated team of volunteers for their unwavering support and commitment to organizing this party successfully. A special shout out to our volunteer Jyotirmoy Gupta, a photographer and filmmaker by profession who specially joined us last minute to capture some beautiful memories through the day for all of us to cherish.

Once again, this event truly represented the spirit of belonging among migrant workers from diverse backgrounds who came together to celebrate winter holiday season and making it a memorable festive season for all of us. Our hearts are still filled with all the love and laughter witnessed during the Holiday Party and we are already looking forward to our Holiday Party next year!

Until then, on behalf of the TFW team, we wish each one of you a happy and warm holiday season.

The Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) commissioned Pivotal Research Inc. (Pivotal Research) to conduct policy research focused on Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) in the Prairie provinces—encompassing the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan—building on the TFW Prairie Region Project to provide insights and opportunities to strengthen the TFW-serving ecosystem across the Prairie region.

With this goal in mind, three studies were conducted by Pivotal Research with insights gathered from frontline workers, community partners, employers & temporary foreign workers to share their first hand experience.

• Voice of the Foreign Worker in the Prairie Region: Temporary Foreign Worker Program Reform Considerations

Introduction

Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) has commissioned Pivotal Research Inc. (Pivotal Research) in 2023 to conduct immersive research with Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) in the Prairie Region (Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan) focused on gathering their experiences and perceptions of reform considerations for the TFW Program. This is especially so because in 2022, the federal government of Canada announced several amendments to the TFW Program, which were aimed at addressing the challenges TFWs might be facing while they are working temporarily in Canada.

Background

The Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Assembly 2023 attracted a record number of 286 participants including temporary foreign workers from various cities in Alberta, such as Calgary, Edmonton, Brooks, and Medicine Hat organized at The Kerby Centre in downtown Calgary. The event truly celebrated diversity and empowerment while there was a rich tapestry of nationalities, including Mexico, the Philippines, India, and more. The TFW Assembly, which started last year, was a full-day event that brought together TFWs from all over Alberta in collaboration with Consulates, Alberta Government, and community partners. The main focus of the event was to raise awareness and advocate for the rights and welfare of workers in Canada, especially TFWs.

This year, it was an honor to witness the attendance of Consul General of El Salvador - Juan Antonio Salamanca, Vice-Consul General of the Philippine Consulate – Vic Dimagiba and Mexican Consular representative – Monica Flores who offered their unwavering support and assistance to all temporary foreign workers. Moreover, government representatives from various organizations provided insights and guidance on pathways to permanent residency, TFW’s rights and responsibilities, the challenges & realities faced by TFW’s and how they can be addressed. Our community partners from Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA), Korean Social Services Centre (KSSC), IRERI-Mexican, Latino & Cross-Cultural Society, Cargill, Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters & Allied Workers and Ambrose University also graced the occasion to support TFW’s.

  CCIS' TFW program staff with consular representatives, guest speakers & partner organizations

The Assembly commenced with an inspiring opening address by Hasmik Asmaryan, Director of Business Employment and Training Services (BETS) at CCIS. She warmed the stage for an enlightening and empowering experience followed by the first session that kick started with TFW Rights and Responsibilities and government support for TFWs in Alberta. Steve Holzer from Occupations Health & Safety (OHS), Raymond Ivanzus from Service Canada, Simonette Pili & Doris Segura from Temporary Foreign Worker Advisory Office (TFWAO) promoted best practices for foreign workers to safeguard their rights and elaborated a range of government support & services available to them. The second session explored options of pathways to Permanent Residency led by Jatin Shory – a reputed Immigration & Refugee Lawyer and Nataly Ore from Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP). Lastly, the third session highlighted the realities of Serving and Advocating for TFW’s through a round table discussion where the speakers Zoe Lambert from the Worker Resource Centre, Marco Luciano from Migrante Alberta and Harry Dominguez Barbosa from CCIS talked about labor rights violations, limited resources available to TFW’s and advocated for measures to fill gaps in policies for TFW’s.

Study authorization extended for work permit holders.

To learn more visit: New measure to benefit foreign workers looking to improve their skills - Canada.ca

As of April 2023, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is moving to online LMIA applications. Consult the LMIA Online Portal Resources page frequently for details and updates.

Get a head start and use the LMIA Online Portal today!

To read more, please click here

Starting January 30, 2023, family members of most foreign workers can apply for an open work permit. A few exceptions may apply to family members of low-skilled workers.

To learn more click here

The Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program allows students who have graduated from eligible Canadian designated learning institutions (DLIs) to obtain an open work permit to gain valuable Canadian work experience.

To know more cleck here

Please read this press release from Government of Canada extending work permit application for Canadian visitors for 2 years.

If you’re applying for a work permit, and your family members want to come to Canada, they must also apply to visit, or to work or study in Canada. They can apply at the same time as you.. Click here to know more

Temporary Foreign Workers from Guatemala received a total amount of  $32,025.13This total includes missing refund cheques dated back as far as 2013. 

The problem all have faced is not having a permanent Canadian mailing address where their tax refunds are lost or "returned to sender" once these people return to Guatemala, since the employer chose not to hold on to their mail until their back on the following year.

CCIS staff with the help of community volunteers helped in educating the workers and assisted in connecting with Canada Revenue Agency to do the paper works and coordination.

The Government of Canada announced on December 2, 2022  the extension of work permits to family members of temporary foreign workers. Expanding the eligibility for work permits to family members accompanying the principal applicant to Canada will help address labour shortages by assisting employers in finding the workers they need.

Starting in January 2023, through a temporary 2-year measure, Canada will expand eligibility to work in Canada to spouses and working-age children through a phased approach for workers at all skill levels.

The temporary measure will be implemented in 3 phases to ensure its successful implementation:

• Phase 1 will enable family members of workers coming to Canada through the high-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program or the International Mobility Program to apply for an open work permit.
• Phase 2 aims to expand the measure to the family members of workers from the low-wage stream of the TFW Program, following consultations.
• Phase 3 will include consultation with agricultural partners and stakeholders to assess operational feasibility for expanding the measure to family members of agricultural workers.

There will be no changes to the TFW Program, these changes will only apply to spouses and working-age children of temporary foreign workers.

Read More >>

On September 26, 2022, The Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Carla Qualtrough and Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) Sean Fraser announced that new amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (Temporary Foreign Workers) are now in force. These 13 new regulatory amendments include measures to strengthen protections for TFWs and will enhance the integrity of the TFW Program and the International Mobility Program (IMP) to read more:

Government of Canada strengthens protections for temporary foreign workers as new regulations come into force – Canada.ca