Ottawa- The Canadian government has announced sweeping reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program, aimed at bolstering the domestic labor market while curbing misuse of the system. These changes are set to take effect on November 8, 2024, and will introduce a 20% increase in the starting hourly wage for workers in the high-wage stream. As a result, more jobs will now be classified under the low-wage stream, which has stricter requirements for employers, including provisions for housing, transportation, and recruitment of Canadian workers.
The reforms are designed to push employers to prioritize hiring Canadian workers, with a particular emphasis on underrepresented groups such as youth, Indigenous people, women, and individuals with disabilities. Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault, underscored the importance of tapping into Canada’s untapped domestic talent to meet labor demands.
Additional measures to prevent fraud and abuse in the TFW Program are also being introduced. Employers will no longer be able to rely on attestations from lawyers or accountants to prove business legitimacy. Instead, the government will increase information sharing with provincial and territorial authorities to ensure that only genuine job offers are approved.
These changes are expected to affect 34,000 positions and could result in a 20,000 reduction in the number of approved roles through the TFW Program. The government has reiterated its commitment to continuously monitoring the program to prevent any further misuse and abuse. Additional adjustments may be introduced as needed.