?? Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program Changes ??

On August 26th, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) announced a temporary suspension of processing Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) under the Low-Wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). This suspension affects employers in Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) with unemployment rates equal to or higher than 6%.

A CMA is a region with at least 100,000 people, 50,000 of whom reside in the core. This change aims to reduce misuse of the TFWP and minimize reliance on temporary foreign workers. No specific CMAs have been named, but here are some with unemployment rates over 6%:

?? CMA Unemployment Rates:

• Abbotsford-Mission, BC: 6.7%
• Barrie, ON: 6.2%
• Calgary, AB: 7.6%
• Edmonton, AB: 8.5%
• Hamilton, ON: 7.4%
• Toronto, ON: 8.6%
• Windsor, ON: 9.8%
• And many more...

Additional TFWP Updates:

• LMIA Processing Restrictions: Canada will not process LMIA applications in the low-wage stream in metro areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher. However, exceptions will be made for certain sectors. These include seasonal and non-seasonal jobs in food security industries (such as primary agriculture, food processing, and fish processing), as well as roles in construction and healthcare.
• Workforce Limits: Employers are limited to hiring no more than 10% of their total workforce through the TFW Program.
• Duration Reduction: The maximum employment duration for low-wage stream workers has been reduced from two years to one year.

These changes reflect Canada’s ongoing effort to address domestic concerns, such as housing and affordability, by reducing reliance on temporary foreign workers.

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