World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to helping international students, immigrants, and refugees achieve their educational and career goals in the United States and Canada. The weekly roundup includes research, stories, and events of interest to the Canadian immigration and settlement community. This content has been created by WES and is reproduced here with their permission, in partnership.
Temporary Foreign Worker Program takes center stage as Ministers considers further reforms (CIC News)
Canada is planning reforms to its Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) in response to concerns about employer abuses, especially in the low-wage stream, which has been linked to wage suppression. Proposed measures include enforcing a 20 percent cap on temporary foreign workers, increasing oversight in high-risk areas, and introducing a new stream for Agriculture and Seafood processing. There are discussions about raising Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) fees and tightening employer eligibility criteria. The amendments are partly driven by a UN report that highlights significant abuses within the TFWP, prompting both Canada’s Immigration and Employment Ministers to agree on the need for careful review. Temporary foreign workers in Canada have specific rights to fair treatment and safe working conditions, and they can report abuses through various channels. Employers who violate TFWP standards face significant penalties, including fines and bans from the program. The government's focus on high-risk areas and the alignment between the ministers suggest a strategic and coordinated effort to improve the program.
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Quebec announces six-month freeze on some temporary foreign workers in Montreal (CTV News)
The federal government has approved Quebec’s request to impose a six-month freeze on new applications to through certain streams of the temporary foreign worker program (TFWP) in Montreal. In a move to restrict the explosive growth of "low-wage" workers arriving in the province, Quebec (QC) Premier, Francois Legault, announced the new regulations. Instead, according to QC government officials, the province will seek to prioritize “higher-skilled” professionals and students that will be able to alleviate acute shortages in specific industries including education, healthcare, trades, agriculture, and food processing. The updated policy applies to TFW applications for occupations in the Montreal area that make wages below CAD 27.47, which is the median hourly wage in QC. The measure is expected to reduce the number of temporary residents by 3,500 over the next six months, as the federal government will suspend the processing of labour market impact assessments (LMIA) for Quebec. QC government officials cite that the province is continuing to press the federal government for additional autonomy over immigration, highlighting concerns over strains facing social and economic services. Quebec is currently hosting 600,000 non-permanent residents, a figure that has doubled since 2021.
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Ontario colleges banned from new international activities (The Pie)
The Ontario government has issued a directive banning the province’s colleges from engaging in new international education activities, such as establishing branch campuses or entering curriculum licensing agreements abroad. This directive, sent by former Colleges and Universities Minister Jill Dunlop before her reassignment, does not affect the recruitment of international students to Ontario. The move has been met with shock and concern within the sector, as it follows the federal government's earlier cap on study permits, further limiting colleges' opportunities to generate revenue through internationalization. The directive emphasized that colleges should focus on their core mandate of serving Ontarians, prioritizing local educational and economic needs. Experts and stakeholders have expressed frustration, noting that this decision reverses previous encouragement for colleges to be entrepreneurial and could have significant financial impacts on Ontario’s public colleges.
Labour market resilience in the face of an aging population (LMIC)
Canada’s workforce continues to evolve, with a generation of workers preparing to exit the labour market. Research documents that as the Canadian population continues to age, the economy is at risk of an even greater labour and skills shortage. Since 2000, the number of mature workers (aged 55 an older) has increased by 184 percent, while other age cohorts have not seen the same level of growth. Although this increase can be attributed to the share of ‘baby boomers’ within the workforce, but also due to factors including increased life expectancy, declining birth rates, higher levels of educational attainment, later entry into employment, and longer careers. Currently, industries facing the greatest risk based on share of workers nearing retirement and the size of the occupation are finance, administration, skilled trades, transportation, and equipment operations. Canada will need to reduce its reliance on mature workers to ensure the longevity and sustainability of the workforce and mitigate shortages. Experts are suggesting that adaptive approaches should include shifting the focus to increased productivity, incentivizing upskilling, extending careers, immigration policy reform and increased labour participation by all Canadians.
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