IRCC Minister Transition Binder 2025-05

Temporary Workers

Context

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) authorizes foreign nationals to work temporarily in Canada, either with or without a work permit.

According to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, “work” includes any activity for which wages are paid or commission is earned, or that is in direct competition with the activities of Canadian citizens or permanent residents in the Canadian labour market.

Background

• Certain foreign nationals can work in Canada without a work permit. This group includes business visitors, foreign diplomats, visiting military personnel, emergency service providers, performing artists, participants in sporting events, and transportation crew.
• Foreign nationals working in Canada with a work permit fall under one of two programs: the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) or the International Mobility Program (IMP).
• The TFWP includes the high-wage and low-wage streams, the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, the Primary Agriculture Stream, and the Global Talent Stream.
• The IMP offers options such as Post-Graduation Work Permits, youth mobility agreements, international agreements, reciprocal employment, intra-company transferees, and academic exchanges. Additionally, the IMP supports migration responses to global crises. Those eligible for the IMP also include spouses of high-skilled workers, some students as well as applicants for permanent residence.
• In 2024, 80% of work permits were issued under the IMP and 20% under the TFWP.
• Work permits may be employer-specific or open:
  • Employer-specific work permits authorize foreign nationals to work only for the employer, occupation and location specified on their work permit, and also subject the employer to a compliance regime aimed at promoting safe and fair working conditions while preventing program misuse. Employer-specific work permit holders must seek authorization from IRCC if they change employers, occupations, or locations.
  • Open work permits authorize foreign nationals to work for virtually any employer, in any occupation in Canada, without seeking additional authorization from IRCC. Employers of open work permit holders are not subject to the employer compliance regime.
• All work permits issued under the TFWP are employer-specific.
• Work permits issued under the IMP may be open, or employer-specific. In 2024, 88% of permits issued were open work permits, and 12% were employer-specific work permits.

2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan

• In March 2024, IRCC announced that the government will aim to reduce the number of temporary residents to 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2026. The government has since released for the first time ever, an Immigration Levels Plan that is inclusive of temporary resident targets, specifically international students and temporary workers, and announced several policy measures to meet this objective.
• In the IMP space, this has included changes to the eligibility requirements for Post-Graduation Work Permits and for open work permits issued to spouses of temporary workers and international students. This is complemented by the tightening requirements made under the TFWP by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), particularly to better manage volumes in low-wage categories.

Spotlight on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program

• The TFWP allows Canadian employers to hire temporary foreign workers to fill temporary jobs when qualified Canadians or permanent residents are not available. All work permits issued are employer-specific (closed) work permits.
• ESDC and IRCC co-manage the TFWP. ESDC renders decisions on Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications submitted by employers for positions that are hard to fill. If the LMIA is approved, IRCC renders decisions on the work permit applications associated with the approved positions.
• ESDC assesses the LMIA to determine the likely effect the worker(s) would have on the Canadian labour market. Factors to assess the impact include:
  • Available labour market information for the region and occupation;
  • Employer’s recruitment and advertisement efforts;
  • Wages and working conditions;
  • Labour shortages;
  • Transfer of skills and knowledge to Canadians.

Recent Announcements

• In the last five years, the TFWP (like the IMP), has become more facilitative largely in response to labour market conditions across the country. More recently, it has begun to pull back facilitations given public concerns regarding housing and ability of communities to absorb a high-level of migrants, etc.
• Program parameters have tightened in recent months to support the government’s volume reduction objectives and to better align with the labour market context, including:
  • Halving the validity of an LMIA from 12 months to six months;
  • Limiting the authorized period of work for low-wage workers from two years to one year;
  • Reducing employer-use of lower-wage temporary workers by lowering the cap from 20% of workforce to 10%, with exemption for priority sectors (construction, healthcare and food security/processing);
  • Implementing a refusal to process on LMIAs for low-wage positions in census metropolitan areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher;
  • Increasing the wage threshold for the high-wage stream by 20% ($5–$8) above the provincial/territorial median hourly wage.

Spotlight on the International Mobility Program

• The IMP exempts Canadian employers from LMIA requirements in support of Canada’s broader economic, social, and cultural objectives.
• Five regulatory exemptions (found in s. 204 to 208 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations) translate into over 80 exemptions from the requirement to obtain a labour market impact assessment.
• Exemptions are based on broader Government of Canada objectives and the themes include:
  • International Agreements;
  • Economic Benefit and Competitiveness;
  • Competitiveness of Academic Institutions;
  • Provincial and Territorial Commitments;
  • Social and Cultural Interests;
  • Humanitarian and Compassionate Reasons/Public Policies;
  • Sector-specific solutions;
  • Transitions to Permanent Residence.

Recent growth in the IMP

• From 2014 to 2024, the total number of work permit holders^{Footnote 1} under the IMP increased by over 356%, rising from 287,921 in 2014 to 1,312,667 in 2024.
• Growth has been primarily in open work permit categories, including:
  • Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWP), which supports Canada’s International Education Strategy and the competitiveness of Canada’s academic institutions accounts for 33% of all IMP work permits;
  • Spouses of temporary workers and international students reunification priorities accounts for 11% and 6%, respectively, and;
  • Immigration measures that were part of a whole-of-government response to international crises (e.g., COVID, Ukraine), and other government priorities (e.g., talent attraction) accounts for 28%.

Recent Announcements

• Supporting Canada’s Construction Sector: In March 2025, IRCC announced several measures to support the construction sector. This includes facilitation for apprentices in Canada to study without a study permit that launched in March 2025, and a commitment to establish an advisory council to advise the Minister on parameters for work permit pathways for select construction occupations (including for undocumented individuals already in Canada in these occupations).
• Restricting Open Work Permits for Spouses: In January 2025, IRCC implemented measures to tighten open work permit eligibility for family members of international students and temporary workers. For spouses of international students, access is now limited to spouses of those enrolled in master’s programs of 16 months or more in duration, doctoral programs, certain professional programs, and select programs. For family members of temporary workers, access is now limited to the spouse of a temporary worker employed in a management or professional occupation, or in sectors/jobs linked to government priorities such as in natural and applied sciences, construction, health care, natural resources, and education. In addition, the temporary worker must have at least 16 months remaining on their work authorization at the time of application.
• Recalibrating Post-Graduation Work Permit: In November 2024, IRCC implemented reforms to the PGWP to better align it with labour market needs and to support immigration goals. PGWP applicants must now demonstrate a minimum level of language proficiency that depends on their institution and program of study. Additionally, new study permit applicants intending to pursue studies in non-degree programs (e.g. certificates, college diplomas) must graduate in a field of study linked to a labour market need.

Protection of Temporary Foreign Workers

• Foreign workers have the same rights to workplace protections under federal, provincial, and territorial employment standards and collective agreements as Canadians and permanent residents.
• To promote safe and fair working conditions for temporary foreign workers coming to Canada under employer-specific work permits, IRCC and ESDC operate Employer Compliance Regimes—for IMP and TFWP respectively—to strictly monitor employers’ adherence to program requirements and conditions through inspections and the administration of penalties for non-compliance.
• IRCC works closely with ESDC to ensure a consistent approach to Employer Compliance and worker protection across all programs that bring temporary foreign workers to Canada.

Quebec’s Authorities for Temporary Workers

• Quebec has direct control over all temporary foreign workers destined for the province under the TFWP as well as under several IMP streams implemented for foreign nationals who have either been pre-selected or selected for permanent residence by Quebec.
• Quebec has indirect control over temporary foreign workers under certain streams, where the province previously consented to their admission and those accompanying them. This includes international student graduates (i.e., PGWP holders) as well as over certain spouses and family members of foreign nationals destined to Quebec.
• In 2024:
  • TFWP (direct control): In 2024, there were 72,300 TFWP permit holders, representing 20% of all foreign nationals holding a valid work permit in Quebec.
  • IMP (direct control): In 2024, there were 20,800 IMP permit holders who were pre-selected or selected by Quebec for permanent residence, representing 6% of all foreign nationals holding a valid work permit in Quebec.
  • IMP (indirect control): In 2024, there were 93,200 IMP permit holders for which Quebec has partial selection authority, representing 25% of all foreign nationals holding a valid work permit in Quebec.
• Quebec has indirect and direct control over approximately 51% of all temporary workers within its province, excluding students. If students are included, that rises to 58%.
• Streams for which Quebec does not have control include predominantly asylum seekers, work permit holders under special measures (e.g., Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel) and work permits issued under free trade and youth mobility agreements (e.g., Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, International Experience Canada).

Key Service Delivery Statistics

Temporary Resident: Work Permits – Data up to 2025 (Jan to Feb)

Processing Times (in days):

Application processing times by line of business are reflected on their own scale and are shown by quarter for comparative purposes.

Arrival Targets