The federal government is rolling out a “trusted employer program” that is meant to reduce red tape and make it easier for Canadian employers to bring in temporary foreign workers to address labour and skills shortages.
In a news release Tuesday, officials said the Recognized Employer Pilot program will open for application as soon as September, first available to employers in agriculture and then to all others, starting in January.
It will provide employers that have “a history of complying with program requirements” with a permit to usher in foreign workers that’s good for three years, without the need to reapply within that period.
Employers currently must undergo what’s known as labour market impact assessment or LMIA every time they hire workers under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to ensure there’s a need to fill the job.
They must receive a positive assessment by Human Resources and Social Development Canada in order to hire the foreign workers.
“The Recognized Employer Pilot will cut red tape for eligible employers, who demonstrate the highest level of protection for workers, and make it easier for them to access the labour they need to fill jobs that are essential to Canada’s economy and food security,” Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault said in a statement.
Applications to the pilot program, which has a budget of $29.3 million over three years, will close next September.
To qualify, employers must have a minimum of three positive LMIAs for the same occupation over the past five years from a list of occupations that have been designated as in-shortage based on Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) data.
These employers will be subject to a more rigorous upfront assessment process based on their history and track record with the program, ensuring that it “targets employers with the best recruitment practices.”
“Canada is taking the opportunity to invest in our economic future by recruiting talent from around the world to help fill labour market gaps and skills shortages,” said Immigration Minister Marc Miller.
“Today’s announcement is a prime example of one of the many ways the Government of Canada is working towards an even more prosperous economy by making it easier for employers to recruit the talent they need.”
Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay said the new pilot will help secure Canada’s food supply chain.
“From Canada’s farm fields to our grocery stores, workers throughout the food supply chain provide an essential service,” he said. “It is vital that Canadian employers, including farmers and food processors, are able to hire workers who are critical to food production and food security in Canada.”
According to federal government data, the number of temporary foreign worker positions approved with an LMIA annually have skyrocketed from 89,416 in 2015 to 221,933 last year.
The number of foreign workers doesn’t include the hundreds of thousands of international students and graduates with open work permits, and those who arrive from more than two dozen countries that have shared mobility agreements with Canada.
Credit: Nicholas Keung, a Toronto-based reporter covering immigration for the Star.
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