Reduction of Temporary Immigration in Canada

Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller has announced his intention to reduce the proportion of temporary residents in the Canadian population from 6.2% to 5% by 2027.

Based on the information available at the time, the impact on employers will be as follows:

• As of May 1, 2024, the limit on the number of temporary foreign workers in low-wage positions (less than $26.00/hr) in a given workplace will be reduced from 30% to 20% for all sectors. The 30% limit will be maintained for the construction and healthcare sectors.
• Those exceeding this threshold will no longer be able to hire new temporary foreign workers for low-wage positions in a given workplace through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
• Until further notice, positions eligible for simplified processing remain exempt from the requirement to meet the limit for low-wage positions in a given workplace.
• No announcement has been made regarding temporary foreign workers currently working in Canada on a valid work permit. We believe they will be able to continue working in Canada under the conditions of their work permits.
• Companies will have to consider refugee claimants with valid work permits in Canada before using the TFWP.
• The new Labour Market Impact Assessments will be valid for six months (as opposed to twelve months) to ensure accurate representation of labour market measures.

For your information, asylum seekers generally have very interesting profiles and any trade. Their open work permits give companies in need more flexibility than foreign workers with closed permits.

The AURAY Group, specialized in recruitment and immigration, can help you develop a strategy if this new measure has an impact on your operations. In particular, we offer a process outsourcing service enabling you to hire qualified resources to work outside the country in various fields such as information technology, administrative services, and anything that can be done through telecommuting. This option will enable you to significantly reduce your costs in a world where revenues are increasingly difficult to grow.

In addition, we have a large pool of resources with open work permits available for immediate employment.
Finally, if you’re thinking of hiring only locally (permanent resident), we can also help you with your job postings (regardless of the number of positions), to increase your chances of success and efficiency, at no extra cost, via our job posting assistance service on the various job boards.

Contact our team of professionals to discuss the various alternatives available to support your company’s growth and profitability.