Work Permit Eligibility for families of foreign workers extended to Low wage foreign workers

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

On December 2, 2022, The Government of Canada announced that the eligibility for work permits will be extended to family members of low wage temporary foreign workers. This will help in overcoming Canada’s labour shortages by helping employers find the workers they need.

This program will start in January 2023 and will be in effect for the next 2 years. Canada will expand work permit eligibility to spouses and working-age children through a phased approach for workers at all skill levels. It is estimated that family members of more than 200,000 foreign workers could get a work permit and work in Canada. This will be a great opportunity for employers to address shortage of work force for tier businesses. It will also help in stabilizing Canadian economy in terms of the taxes these foreign workers will be paying and their transferable skills.

Previously, families of high wage workers were eligible to get a work permit as accompanying dependents. This move will ensure the wellbeing, financial stability and physical health of workers by keeping the families together.

Phases of this temporary measure:

The temporary measure will be implemented in 3 phases to ensure its successful implementation:

Phase 1 will enable family members of workers coming to Canada through the high-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program to apply for an open work permit.

Phase 2 aims to expand the measure to the family members of workers from the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, following consultations.

Phase 3 will include consultation with agricultural partners and stakeholders to assess operational feasibility for expanding the measure to family members of agricultural workers.

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There will be no changes to the TFW Program, these changes will only apply to spouses and working-age children of temporary foreign workers.

Quick Facts:

Canada has issued over 645,000 work permits between January and October 2022—nearly 4 times more than the 163,000 issued over the same period in 2021.

Are you a foreign worker in Canada or applying to come to Canada as a worker and want to submit a work permit for your spouse or children of working age? Please contact us for further information.

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