Vancouver, BC -- (ReleaseWire) -- 01/16/2023 --The Vancouver Immigration Lawyers at Sas and Ing Immigration Law Centre have exciting news for workers hoping to live and work in Canada with their families potentially.
Last December, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Sean Fraser, and Tourism Minister and Associate Minister of Finance, Randy Boissonnault, introduced a significant expansion of employment opportunities for the spouses and working-age children of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) already in Canada. For more, go to https://canadian-visa-lawyer.com/canadas-white-hot-labour-market-leads-immigration-and-tourism-ministers-to-dramatically-expand-employment-opportunities-for-spouses-and-working-age-children-of-canadian-foreign-workers/
The move is a response to the white-hot labour market. Recognizing the significant challenges employers face in the current Canadian labour market, the changes introduced will now provide employment opportunities for the spouses of lower and low-skilled workers and their working-age children. This new measure is set to be implemented in January 2023 and will last for two years.
Canada's unemployment rate sits at near-historic lows of 5.2%. Employers across Canada have struggled to find workers across all strata of the economy, particularly in the tourism and hospitality sectors that traditionally employ entry-level workers. To enhance employers' opportunities to fill these positions and get Canada's post-pandemic economy on track, this announcement dramatically widens the net of potential Canadian employees who have historically been denied the opportunity to work in Canada.
While spouses of TFWs and international students have been able to work in Canada for many years, this opportunity has only been afforded to the spouses of highly skilled workers (employed in NOC level O, A or B occupations) or the spouses of international students who are engaged in employment in these higher skilled occupations. (For more information about the NOC levels, please refer to "Canada's Changing Occupation Landscape: How the New NOC 2021 System Will Impact Our Immigration Program").
For the children of TFWs in Canada, this opportunity has rarely existed. For a brief period in 2009/2010, Canada's immigration department at the time, CIC, introduced a pilot program in Ontario and Alberta allowing the teenage children of skilled TFWs to seek employment in Canada on a limited basis. This pilot program was short-lived and never applied across Canada. For TFW parents anxious for their children in Canada to gain the benefit of obtaining work experience at an early age, these announcements come as welcome news.
According to the Ministers' announcement, this unprecedented expansion of worker eligibility will be launched in 2023 in three phases. The phased approach will commence in January with the families of high-wage stream workers in the Temporary Foreign Worker or International Mobility Programs. Subsequently, the second phase will extend the measure to include family members of TFWs in low-wage stream occupations. The final stage will deal specifically with seasonal agricultural workers and their families, following consultations with agricultural stakeholders to determine the operational feasibility of the measure.
Recognizing the post-pandemic challenges of Canada's economy and the struggles that Canadian employers are facing with unprecedented labour shortages, Ministers Fraser and Boissonnault's announcement is welcome news. It is also a further recognition of the talent immigrants at all levels of society can bring to contribute to Canada's ultimate economic and cultural success.
To learn more about opportunities for immigrating to Canada, contact the Vancouver immigration lawyers at Sas and Ing Immigration Law Centre. Call 1-604-689-5444 to get started.
About Sas and Ing Immigration Law Centre
Sas and Ing Immigration Law Centre has over 30 years of continued in-depth and comprehensive expertise in most aspects of Canadian Immigration practice. Sas and Ing have facilitated applications to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), Service Canada and Canada Border Services Agency. Catherine & Victor work closely with other lawyers specializing in Business, Employment, Tax, and Real Estate to provide comprehensive legal advice to companies and individuals as they navigate the regulatory requirements necessary for temporary or permanent establishment in Canada.
For additional information, please visit canadian-visa-lawyer.com or call (604) 689-5444
Sas and Ing Immigration Law Centre
Catherine Sas
(604) 689-5444
Company website: canadian-visa-lawyer.com
Vancouver Immigration Lawyers Discuss Share How Labour Demand Is Fuelling Opportunities
Recognizing the challenges employers are facing, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has expanded opportunities for the spouses of lower workers and working-age children