Canada: TFWs can get back to work in 10 days

As per a May 12 News Release – “Process launched today allows temporary workers to get back to work quickly” – the government of Canada has come to the assistance of temporary foreign workers and their employers that are “facing new challenges in a rapidly changing job market”.

Canada has drastically reduced the time taken – from 10 weeks to 10 days – for a temporary foreign worker to begin a new job. Now, as per the new policy, a temporary worker can begin working in 10 days after having applied for a work permit.

Temporary foreign workers that already have a job offer in Canada can begin working while their application is under processing.

The new process allows temporary foreign workers to get back to work quickly.

This is a temporary change and forms a part of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada [IRCC’s] response to meet the Canadian labour market needs during COVID-19 pandemic.

Many temporary foreign workers in Canada that had employer-specific work permits lost their jobs due to COVID-19. While some of the TFWs had left Canada, there were others that could not leave due to travel restrictions or reduction in flight availability.

Until May 12, in order to be able to change their jobs, TFWs had to apply and wait for a new work permit to be issued before they could begin working on their new job.

Moreover, there is an urgent need for additional employees in the critical goods and services sector in Canada – such as, health care, agriculture, and agri-foods.

Effective May 12, the new measure by Canada has been announced for addressing the urgent labour requirement in the critical goods and services sector as well as facilitating TFWs to switch employers and get back to work sooner.

As per the News Release, “While this policy is in place, a worker who is already in Canada and has secured a new job offer, typically backed by a labour market test, can get approval to start working in their new job, even while their work permit application is being fully processed. This will cut what can often take 10 weeks or more, down to 10 days or less.”

According to Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marco Mendicino, “Immigrants, temporary foreign workers and international students are making considerable contributions to Canada’s response to the unprecedented challenge that COVID-19 poses….. The new policy we are announcing will allow Canadian businesses to recruit the workers they need and help unemployed workers contribute to the Canadian economy during this pandemic.”

Canada has a pressing requirement for temporary foreign workers to fill job vacancies in critical sectors. There is high demand for temporary foreign workers in sectors such as food processing, health care and agriculture.

In order to be eligible, workers must –

-        Be in Canada and have a valid status in the country

-        Have either an employer-specific work permit or have been working under a work permit exemption

-        Have submitted an application for a new work permit with a valid job offer. The application must have been submitted under either the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program.

Eligible TFWs will have to submit a request to IRCC which will be reviewed within 10 days.

If the application is approved by IRCC, the authorization to start working in their new job will be sent to the worker by email.

In 2019, around 190,000 employer-specific work permits were issued by Canada to foreign nationals.

If you are looking to Work, Study, Invest, Visit, or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No. 1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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