The government has recently made some changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program, which impact how employers can bring foreign workers to Canada as well as the labour market opinion process. 
The changes come after several media reports that the Royal Bank of Canada was bringing in foreign workers, and rumours soon circulated that the workers would be replacing Canadian employees and that those very employees were the ones that were training them.
These new changes include changes to the requirements for foreign workers in Canada, new costs for Labour Market Opinions (LMOs) as well as changes to the Labour Market Opinion process itself.
What changes have been made to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program?
- Employers are now required to pay the prevailing wage to their foreign workers, and the existing wage flexibility has been removed.
- The Accelerated Labour Market Opinion process is now suspended, effective immediately.
- The government will now have more authority when it comes to suspending and revoking work permits.
- There will be higher fees for work permits, and new fees for employers applying for a Labour Market Opinion.
- Where languages spoken are used as a job requirement, these languages can only consist of English or French.
- Employers will need to demonstrate how they will transition to a Canadian workforce over time when applying for a Labour Market Opinion.
- There will be more questions added to Labour Market Opinions that will ensure Canadian jobs will not be outsourced.
These new stipulations will result in huge changes to how foreign workers are brought to Canada and make it much more difficult for both employees and employers. If you need assistance in obtaining a temporary work permit in Canada, or you are a business that wants to bring foreign workers to Canada, please call us and we can help you. Don’t hesitate!
President & CEO
Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
