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.
Unlocking Opportunities: How Canada’s Immigration Policy Changes Affect International Students (The Argus)
Canada’s recent immigration policy changes streamline pathways for international students to gain permanent residency, particularly through the Express Entry system and Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP). Programs like the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) further enhance opportunities. However, rising housing costs, competitive job markets, and expiring work permits pose challenges, with over 70,000 graduates at risk of deportation in 2024. Protests have called for extended work permits and clearer residency pathways. Despite policy changes, students continue to face significant hurdles in housing, employment, and securing permanent residency.
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Quebec court authorizes temporary foreign worker class action on closed permits (Global News)
Quebec’s Superior Court has authorized a class-action lawsuit against the federal government over closed work permits in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). The lawsuit argues that these permits, which tie workers to specific employers, violate Charter rights, leading to abuses such as harassment and wage theft. Workers risk deportation if they lose their jobs, which discourages them from reporting mistreatment. The case, supported by labour unions, could challenge the constitutionality of closed permits. The federal government has defended its position, but the outcome could prompt significant changes to the TFWP.
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The Role of Immigrant Workers in the Green Transition (MPI)
Economies worldwide are making the transition towards sustainability, decarbonization, and delivering net-zero targets. Chronic labour shortages across global industries have contributed to stagnation in advancing equitable solutions that would support greener economic infrastructure. By 2030, global markets will face a green worker shortage of 7 million people; a bolstered workforce is needed to ensure success. Thus, decision makers in several high-income countries including Canada, France, Germany, and the United States have prioritized attracting and retaining skilled immigrants as a viable means to alleviate worker shortages in the green sector. Experts caution that additional planning will be needed to mitigate against complete reliance on temporary labour, as it may present barriers to long-term resiliency. Additional research is needed to assess the role of immigrants in green economies, methods to fast track their inclusion, and resources needed to ensure that domestic and skilled workers from abroad are able to excel and facilitate workforce planning and economic growth.
Immigration policy overhaul suggested as feds, provinces spar over asylum seeker resettlement (Global News)
Canadian provincial leaders are voicing concerns over the federal government's plan to resettle asylum seekers across the country. The plan includes a proposal to allocate 28,000 asylum seekers to Alberta, 32,500 to British Columbia, 5000 to Nova Scotia, and 4600 to New Brunswick. While Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reassures that responsibility is to be shared in proportion to the provinces’ populations, premiers from across the country each have cited the lack of consultation and the strain on already-stretched resources such as housing, healthcare, and social services. Manitoba’s Premier Wab Kinew emphasized the province’s housing shortages, while Alberta's Danielle Smith warned about the financial burden of providing necessary services. Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, called on additional federal support to handle the expected increase in demand for resources. The Quebec government recently received $750 million funding for resettlement and social services, however, Premier Francois Legault is urging the federal government to provide more support if Quebec is expected to play a larger role. British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and the Maritimes, are being requested by the federal government to "step up" as other provinces navigate overburdened resources. Collectively, the premiers are calling for more collaboration and federal funding to manage the distribution of asylum seekers and refugees.
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