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April 1st marks the expiration of the four-year temporary work permits in Canada, which limits how much time foreign workers can spend in the country.
Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and Employment and Social Development Minister Pierre Poilievre issued the following statement today on the expiration of the work permits:
“Employers and foreign workers have known about the four-year time limit since 2011, when this policy was announced. Employers have had four years to find alternative employees. Similarly, temporary foreign workers have had four years to pursue pathways to permanent residence. The purpose of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is exactly that – to be temporary. Canadians rightly expect to get first crack at available jobs. But let there be no mistake: We will not tolerate people going ‘underground.’ Flouting our immigration laws is not an option, and we will deal with offenders swiftly and fairly. Canadians are welcoming and generous but we need to ensure that we’re putting Canadians first and standing up against potential abuse of our immigration system.”
Workers in low-skilled jobs will now have to either leave the country or become permanent residents if they wish to stay in Canada. Old rules stipulated that workers just had to re-apply for the program, but now they must leave the country for at least four years before re-applying.
On Wednesday the B.C. government put a three month freeze on the provincial program that is used by prospective immigrants wanting to come to B.C. for work.
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