Quebec Eases Overseas Workers Hiring via Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Alisha Khan
[Published 25 Feb, 2022 | 02:13 PM]
About Author - 11 min read
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Quebec Province will be making it easier for employers to recruit overseas workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in a range of in-demand occupations. It has announced lists of occupations submitted with the Government of Canada that will be eligible for:

• Simplified processing of Canada Work Permit
• Exemptions from recruitment and posting efforts
• 20% to 10% hike in the ceiling of Temporary Foreign Workers for every workplace

The changes will greatly influence Canada immigration of several overseas workers to the Quebec province. They have been declared by the Social Solidarity, Employment and Labor Ministry for addressing the critical scarcity of workers in the province.

Major sectors that have been included for implementation of the new policy include Catering, Food Processing, Accommodation, and Retail Trade. These industries are facing maximum shortages of labor.

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Speedy processing of Work Permits under Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Deputy Minister of Immigration and Minister of Labor Jean Boulet has said that the negotiated exemptions will permit many companies to recruit essential workers with respect for their rights. He also called upon the Government of Canada to endorse the changes as every effort counts in the present scenario of the scarcity of labor.

The Quebec Government is making all efforts to ensure that the Temporary Foreign Worker Program fulfills the requirement of businesses in the province, added the Minster.

Jean Boulet said that the Quebec province has highlighted the sectors of economic activity and also the occupations that will benefit from the exemptions. We look forward to speedy approval from the federal government so that workers can obtain Work Permit under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program at the earliest, he added.

The new policy for Canada immigration has been announced after a pact concluded between the Governments of Quebec and Canada on 4th August 2021. The agreement highlighted the need for action on the International Mobility Program and Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

The following lists were shared with the Federal Government on 1st November 2021. The provisional policies are likely to remain effective till the conclusion of 2023.

List of Level C Occupations selected for easy processing

List of Level D professions free from the process of external posting

Sectors and professions in the low-wage component targeted by the 10% to 20% increase in the TFWs limit per workplace

List of NOC B, A, and 0 Level Occupations selected for easy processing

Canada PR Visa pathway through Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Statistics reveal that there is a major increase in the number of new Canada PR Visa holders in Canada through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. It also includes IMP - International Mobility Program and Canada Study Visa holders.

In the last one and a half years, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada have focused on immigrants already residing in Canada for Permanent Residency. It is due to the impact of the pandemic as well as the closing of international borders.

Immigration Levels Plan for 2021-2023 outlined by Canada aims at roughly 1% of the population of Canada for immigration intake in these 3 years. This implies 401,000 Permanent Residents in 2021, 411,000 Permanent Residents in 2022, and 421,000 Permanent Residents in 2023.

The result of the ambitious immigration targets is that overseas nationals who are already residing in Canada under TFWP or IMP or as Study Visa holders are already one step ahead when it comes to obtaining Permanent Resident status. It has assisted them in obtaining Canada PR Visa at an exceptional rate.

Before the pandemic, in 2019, the immigrants who had held Study Visa or work experience through IMP or TFWP accounted for just 21.9% of the total 341, 175 fresh Permanent Residents in Canada. In 2020, this category was the major source of fresh Permanent Residents that accounted for 27.6% of the total 184,585 Permanent Residents in Canada.

Canada is now prioritizing skilled and highly educated overseas nationals for immigration to boost its economic recovery from the pandemic. In the first 8 months of 2021, the % of fresh Permanent Residents who had previous work experience through IMP or TFWP or Study Permit authorizing work increased to 45.7% of the 222, 275 fresh Permanent Residents in Canada.

The Temporary Foreign Workers Program accounted for roughly 2.6% or 5, 765 of the total fresh Permanent Residents to Canada in 2020. It is thus evident that more overseas nationals are now immigrating to Canada through the TFWP and successfully obtaining PR status.

Obtaining Canada Permanent Resident status through the Temporary Foreign Workers Program is a two-stage method of Canada immigration. First, candidates have to arrive in Canada as provisional workers through the Work Visa pathways. In the second stage, they must submit an application for Permanent Resident status by utilizing their work experience in Canada for boosting their application’s impact.

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