TORONTO – The Quebec government is all set to stop allowing new temporary foreign workers to take low-wage jobs in the Montreal area.
In this regard, Premier François Legault and Immigration Minister Christine Fréchette are expected to announce this decision on Tuesday.
As far as the process is concerned, in Quebec, temporary foreign workers in low-wage jobs need approval from both the province and the federal government.
Latest media reports imply that due to Quebec’s plan, the federal government will soon pause processing applications for employers who want to hire temporary foreign workers at wages below $27.47 per hour. It is expected that the pause would stay in place for six months though official word is awaited on the matter.
It is to be mentioned that the pause will not apply to the construction, agriculture, food processing, education and social services sectors.
“Our government will closely monitor this policy change as it makes its own determinations about future changes to the TFWP,” Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault said in a statement on Tuesday.
The ‘Temporary Foreign Worker’ program has existed in different forms for many years. It was mainly used by employers in agriculture to meet seasonal labor needs. However, a part of the program called the low-wage stream has expanded quickly after the federal government relaxed the rules in 2022 in response to business groups who warned of severe labor shortages.
The government of Canada is making swift changes to the hiring of foreigners as well as to the entry of international students. A few weeks ago, the employment minister Randy Boissonnault met with business representatives and promised tougher oversight, particularly in “high-risk” industries.
At that time, the minister had hinted at the possibility of banning certain sectors from using the program for low-wage positions altogether.
Though the program favored aspiring immigrants, it came under fire due to multiple reasons including unemployment which has climbed to 6.4%, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
