CANADA (Commonwealth union)_The Canadian government has taken another move to alleviate the rising labour deficit. It will enhance job eligibility for wives and working-age children of all workers beginning in January 2023. This is a two-year interim solution that will be implemented gradually.
According to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship (IRCC), the government’s immigration department, it is predicted that family members of more than 200,000 foreign workers could begin working in Canada as a result of this new scheme. It demonstrates that this might encompass families of health care, trades, and hospitality professionals. The policy will be implemented gradually, beginning with the high-wage streams of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) and International Mobility Programs.
Between January and October 2022, Canada issued approximately 645,000 work permits, over four times the 163,000 given during the same period in 2021. There is no nation breakdown given, but India is a large source country.
According to Pavan Dhillon, a Canadian immigration attorney, at the moment, only wives of certain high-skilled professionals (who hold an acceptable work permit) are permitted to work. This limited group of spouses can then apply for an open work permit. This is set to change gradually, allowing Canadian firms to satisfy their workforce demands at all skill levels.
The interim solution, according to IRCC, would be implemented in three parts to ensure its success; however, the agency has not offered exact dates for the start of each step. Family members of workers arriving to Canada under the high-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program will be entitled to apply for an open work permit under Phase 1.
Following consultations, Phase 2 intends to extend the measure to family members of workers from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s low-wage stream. Finally, in Phase 3, agricultural partners and stakeholders will be consulted to examine the operational viability of expanding the measure to cover family members of agricultural employees.
“Everywhere I go, employers across the country continue to cite a lack of workers as their main hurdle,” said Immigration Minister Sean Fraser. “This initiative will assist employers find the people they need to fill labour gaps by extending work permits to family members of all skill levels, allowing over 200,000 foreign workers’ family members to work in Canada. Our government will continue to assist employers in overcoming labour shortages, while also promoting worker well-being and reuniting families.”
Temporary Foreign Workers contribute valuable expertise to Canadian companies. Despite a reduction in numbers during the course of the epidemic, the value of temporary foreign workers to Canada was underlined as many filled important service positions, particularly in the farm sector.
According to a report filed to the Canadian Parliament, there were 84,609 permit holders through the TFW Program in 2020, a 14% decline from the 98,062 permit holders in 2019. In 2020, there were 242,130 work visa holders under the International Mobility Program, a 21% decline from the previous year’s total of 305,807 work permit holders.
