Harvesting the crop, a job that is sometimes done by temporary migrant workers in Canada. (Stock Photo)
Canada’s federal government says it would like to give migrant workers more mobility and freedom by allowing them to work for any Canadian business approved to hire temporary foreign workers, within a specific sector such as agriculture, instead of being tied to just one employer. The sector-specific open work permits would be available to farm workers and migrants employed in other low-wage jobs, which the government says would make them less susceptible to abuse.
The move, announced formally in The Canada Gazette, comes after a Globe and Mail investigation revealed how foreign nationals are exploited by recruiters and immigration consultants, whom many rely on to find a job.
When temporary foreign workers are exploited in those jobs, or lose them, they can’t go elsewhere. Their work permits limit them to one employer, so if they leave their jobs, they face possible expulsion from Canada for being here illegally.
The Globe’s investigation found that, out of desperation to stay in Canada, some temporary foreign workers go back to recruiters or immigration consultants, who charge exorbitant fees to get them another employer and a new work permit. Others simply go underground and work illegally at precarious jobs. “People are often at their most vulnerable when they arrive in Canada,” said Mathieu Genest, spokesperson for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, who added they are “at particular risk of being exploited by unscrupulous consultants or employers.”
The government said it will take submissions from interested parties for 30 days before moving ahead. The United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW), one of several organizations that has been calling on the government for years to bring in open work permits, says it’s a big step in the right direction. The UFCW calls the proposed change a partial victory, since workers will still be limited to one sector. Plus, workers would need to find another employer who has successfully completed the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) required in order to hire foreign workers. This could be challenging for some migrant workers.
The UFCW and other organizations said their ultimate goal is for the government to level the playing field completely, by giving permanent resident status upon arrival to anyone approved to work in Canada.
Another issue raised by both workers and employers is the lengthy processing time required for LMIA approvals, work permit approvals, and permit extensions. At the same time, demand is increasing. Applications from employers who want to hire temporary foreign workers are up 25 per cent over last year because of increased demand. Those trying to employ people in the low-wage stream – the same workers who would be eligible for the new open-work permits – are now waiting 100 days for their applications to be processed.
Immigration lawyer Ravi Jain would like to see closer government scrutiny of another abuse revealed in the Globe and Mail article: recruiters or immigration consultants who charge illegal fees to workers to find them a job and who sometimes share those fees with employers. Workers who are no longer tied to abusive employers would be able to give evidence to prosecute employers/consultants who are linked to human trafficking or who are getting kickbacks.