CIMM – Labour Market Action Plan: Part 1 – Temporary Residents – November 29, 2022
Key Messages
A robust workforce is vital to Canada's economic recovery and growth, and temporary foreign workers and international students bring much needed skills to support employers and fill critical labour market gaps.
Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs are driven by employer demand; there are no caps, limits or quotas, which allows employers flexibility to meet their labour/skill needs.
Supplementary Messages
Temporary Foreign Workers
Global Skills Strategy
IRCC launched the Global Skills Strategy (GSS) in June 2017 to provide companies access to top talent by getting highly skilled workers into Canada faster.
Between its launch and the end of October 2022, over 87,100 work permits have been approved for highly skilled workers to work in occupations such as computer programming, information system analysis and software engineering, the majority of whom have come to Canada through the IMP.
More workers are deciding to stay in Canada, with over 14,800 permanent residence admissions being made by former workers by the end of October 2022.
Public Policy on Changing Employment
On May 12, 2020, IRCC put in place a public policy to allow temporary workers in Canada to more quickly transition to new occupations or employers. These work permit applications are generally processed within 10 business days; otherwise, eligible workers may be provided with interim work authorization while their application is being finalized.
This measure enables temporary foreign workers already in Canada to continue to work and to fill critical shortages faster.
This public policy does not have an expiry date.
Public Policy to allow Visitors to Apply for a Work Permit within Canada
From August 2020 until the end of February 2023, visitors in Canada with a valid job offer are allowed to apply for a work permit without having to leave Canada. In addition, former work permit holders may begin working before their application is fully processed.
Allowing visitors to apply for work permits associated with a job offer while in Canada would give foreign nationals with visitor status the ability to support themselves during their time in Canada while also addressing employer needs.
IRCC is currently reviewing this public policy in advance of its expiry to determine whether it should be extended.
Hong Kong Open Work Permit Pathway
On February 8, 2021, IRCC launched a new 3-year open work permit for Hong Kong youth who recently completed post-secondary, graduate and post-graduate studies in the last 5 years. This measure extends to eligible family members, and provides employers with skilled individuals to fill labour needs.
From its launch to September 30, 2022, approximately 17,560 work permit applications have been approved under this public policy.
The Open Work Permit public policy is set to expire on February 7, 2023. IRCC is currently reviewing it in advance of its expiry to determine whether it should be extended.
In addition, two new pathways to permanent residence came into effect on June 1, 2021 and are set to expire on August 31, 2026. These represent a significant expansion of the opportunities for Hong Kong residents to come to Canada.
The first pathway is for those who have graduated from a post-secondary designated learning institution in Canada in the past 3 years with a degree, diploma, graduate or post-graduate credential.
The second pathway targets former Hong Kong residents who have gained a minimum of 1 year of full-time authorized work experience in Canada and graduated in or outside Canada in the past 5 years with a degree, diploma, graduate or post-graduate credential.
Canada-Ukraine Authorization For Emergency Travel (CUAET)
On March 17, 2022, the Department implemented a variety of measures to support Ukrainians outside and inside Canada, including the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET), which enables Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members to stay in Canada as temporary residents for up to three years.
Ukrainians and their family members coming to Canada receive 3-year open work permits, allowing them to work in any province and for any employer in Canada (excluding health care and agriculture occupations unless the foreign nationals has submitted results of a medical examination once in Canada) as long as the work permit is valid.
IRCC has approved nearly 420,200 Ukrainian nationals under this initiative between March 17 and November 15, 2022, the majority of whom are well positioned to enter Canada’s workforce and fill existing labour market shortages immediately upon arrival. Over 117,600 Ukrainian nationals have already arrived in Canada.
The CUAET public policy is set to expire on March 31, 2023. IRCC is currently reviewing it in advance of its expiry to determine whether it should be extended.
We recognize that many Ukrainians may want to return home, when possible. For those that have a desire to stay, they may be eligible for existing permanent residence pathways if they have family in Canada, or, as a result of their work permit and experience gained during their time in Canada, may soon become eligible for certain economic programs. As recently announced, our levels plan is historic and Ukrainians are encouraged to use these pathways to settle in Canada permanently.
We are also continuing to examine options to provide permanent residence to certain Ukrainians, including implementing a potential special pathway.
Quebec Flexibility Under The TFWP
The Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec have provided Quebec with more flexibility under the IMP and the TFWP. Measures include:
Implementing an expansion to the Simplified Process for accessing a Labour Market Impact Assessment to National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill-level C occupations. This allows for additional flexibility for Quebec employers under the TFWP to address their labour needs akin to what is currently in place for NOC A and B occupations.
IRCC introduced ministerial instructions for a new capped, work permit pathway under the International Mobility Program Plus (IMP+), allowing eligible foreign nationals, who have received a letter of invitation from the province, to work for nearly any employer in the province before or after submitting their application for permanent residence to IRCC.
Work Permit Processing
Budget 2022 committed $385.7 million over five years and $86.5 million ongoing for IRCC and federal partners to ensure the timely and efficient entry of temporary workers to meet employer needs and fill critical vacancies in the labour market.
As a result of these investments, by the end of Fall 2022, IRCC will have hired up to 1,250 new employees to increase processing capacity and tackle the backlogs. The department continues to work towards achieving the two-month processing standard for clients abroad and the four-month processing standards for applications submitted from within Canada.
IRCC continues to prioritize processing of work permit applications for in-demand sectors like health care, agriculture, and transportation.
International Students
Temporary Lift Of Restrictions On Off-Campus Work Hours
To help address Canada’s broad-based labour shortage, from November 15, 2022 until December 31, 2023, international students who are in Canada and who have off-campus work authorization will be permitted to work an unlimited number of hours, if they submitted a study permit application by October 7.
New Measures For Those With Expired Or Expiring Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP)
All foreign nationals whose post-graduation work permit expired or will expire from September 20, 2021 through December 31, 2022, will have the opportunity to get an additional 18 months to work in Canada, either through a facilitative measure to change the length of their current work permit or to apply for a new one.
These measures will also benefit those who have fallen out-of-status, enabling them to restore their status, even if it expired more than 90 days prior. These measures will also benefit those who have left Canada.
