VANCOUVER, BC, September 22, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ — The Vancouver Immigration attorneys at Sas & Ing just lately mentioned how Canada is lowering the variety of international employees in Canada. On August 6, 2024, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Improvement and Official Languages, issued an announcement by which he mused about lowering the variety of international employees in Canada by prohibiting employers from sure elements of Canada from hiring low-wage employees by the Short-term International Employee Program (TFWP). For extra, go to https://canadian-visa-lawyer.com/temporary-foreign-worker-program-under-fire-government-moving-full-speed-ahead-to-reduce-number-of-foreign-workers-in-canada/

On August 20, 2024, Minister Boissonnault took the primary such step by approving a short lived pause prohibiting employers within the Montreal financial area from using employees incomes lower than $27.47 per hour by the TFWP. Solely six days later, on August 26, he introduced one other sequence of coverage adjustments that can make it tougher for Canadian employers to rent low-wage short-term international employees throughout Canada.

2024 has seen a dramatic rise of a rising anti-immigration sentiment based mostly on a broadly held view that Canada is permitting too many individuals into the nation amidst a housing and cost-of-living disaster. This comes on the heels of a interval of unchecked immigration development following the top of the worldwide pandemic, in addition to an surprising struggle in Ukraine, which has considerably elevated immigration ranges general.

The federal government is taking a public and aggressive stance in opposition to rising immigration ranges, and the Minister’s newest announcement is meant to roll again COVID-era insurance policies that had been launched to stimulate the financial system after the top of the pandemic.

Efficient September 26, 2024, the Authorities of Canada will reintroduce three insurance policies proscribing the flexibility of Canadian employers to rent low-wage short-term international employees, as follows:

Low-Wage Cap

Employers will not be capable to have greater than 10% of their present workforce made up of low-wage short-term international employees. Through the pandemic, all employers had been allowed to rent as much as 20% of their workforce by the TFWP, and a few employers had been even topic to a better 30% threshold in the event that they operated in high-priority sectors reminiscent of development and well being care.

The definition of a low-wage employee adjustments relying on the province. In British Columbia, the present excessive wage cut-off is $28.85, which means that these new guidelines will have an effect on any employee incomes lower than the wage fee. These adjustments will have an effect on many employers and short-term international employees working in several fields, not merely these serving espresso or performing handbook labour.

Shortened Work Permits

Canadian employers hiring low-wage short-term international employees will quickly solely be capable to hold them on one-year work permits at a time. Put one other manner, newly accredited low-wage Labour Market Influence Assessments (LMIAs) will now solely result in granting a one-year work allow to a international employee. Successfully, which means that any employer that wishes to repeatedly rent these employees to fill labour shortages will should be ready to use for brand new LMIAs each eight months or so since it could actually simply take 3-4 months for the federal government to approve one.

The message from the federal government is loud and clear: Canadian employers should discover a option to rent from the Canadian labour market, together with upskilling or re-training present employees within the labour market to fill job vacancies, slightly than counting on the TFWP.

Refusal to Course of

The Authorities of Canada will refuse to course of low-wage LMIAs made by employers positioned in metropolitan areas with an unemployment fee of 6% or larger, with exceptions being granted to employers working in high-priority sectors reminiscent of agriculture, meals and fish processing, development, and well being care. Related guidelines had been beforehand in place however had been revoked in 2022 through the post-pandemic restoration interval.

As you possibly can see, adjustments to Canada’s TFWP are occurring quickly and with little discover. In August alone, the federal government made three bulletins that had far-reaching penalties that might have an effect on many hundreds of employers and short-term international employees alike. All this varieties a part of the bigger coverage objective of lowering general immigration ranges in Canada, which represents a drastic reversal of earlier authorities coverage. Leaders at the moment are publicly teasing additional adjustments like amending guidelines surrounding the hiring of high-wage employees and probably even lowering general ranges of everlasting immigration to Canada.

These adjustments and rhetoric are acquainted to immigration attorneys and others who’ve labored for a very long time on this business, however it seems like a tipping level has been reached. With solely a month of warning, employers should regulate to this new actuality and reassess their operations. What’s their present degree of reliance on low-wage short-term international employees? What’s their urge for food and skill to use for LMIAs 12 months after 12 months? Equally, low-wage short-term international employees should additionally reassess their circumstances, particularly if their present permits will quickly expire and employers will now have to use for LMIAs underneath the brand new guidelines.

As skilled immigration attorneys in Vancouver, paring again on the TFWP will doubtless be short-lived, given longstanding demographic and financial forecasting. Nevertheless, with an election looming sooner or later, such steps are unsurprising, and employers and employees want to have the ability to adapt to the present swing of the pendulum of adjustments to the TFWP.

To study extra about immigrating to Canada or to hunt illustration, contact the Vancouver immigration attorneys at Sas and Ing at 1-604-689-5444.

Concerning the Firm

Sas and Ing Immigration Regulation Centre has over 30 years of continued in-depth and complete experience in most features of Canadian Immigration apply. Sas and Ing have facilitated purposes to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), Service Canada and Canada Border Providers Company. Catherine & Victor work carefully with different attorneys specializing in Enterprise, Employment, Tax, and Actual Property to supply complete authorized recommendation to corporations and people as they navigate the regulatory necessities vital for short-term or everlasting institution in Canada.

For added info, please go to canadian-visa-lawyer.com or name (604) 689-5444

Sas and Ing Immigration Regulation Centre
Catherine Sas
(604) 689-5444
Firm web site: canadian-visa-lawyer.com

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