Employers and temporary workers to benefit from family work permits to address labour shortages

As the Canadian economy recovers, employers, including tourism industry employees, have had difficulty finding workers. However, an announcement stated that temporary workers would now be eligible to obtain work permits for their families

On Friday, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser announced that family members of temporary foreign workers will be eligible to apply for work permits.

Canada is expanding work permits for family members! Starting in 2023, spouses and children of a principal applicant will be eligible to work in Canada. https://t.co/einP1Op4RC

— Sean Fraser (@SeanFraserMP) December 3, 2022

“Expanding the eligibility for work permits to family members accompanying the principal applicant to Canada will help address labour shortages by assisting employers in finding the workers they need,” he said in a press statement.

Before this announcement, spouses were only eligible for a work permit if the principal applicant worked in a high-skill occupation. However, temporary workers will benefit from family work permits starting in 2023.

Families will be kept together as part of this temporary measure. By that, workers’ emotional well-being, physical health, and financial security will improve. Ultimately, the goal is to provide the worker with a better integration into their work environment and community.

According to the official website of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the temporary measure will be implemented in three phases to ensure its success:

• 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.

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.

What do you think about this? Would you like a professional to handle the work permit for your family? Feel free to contact us! Talk to an adviser today.

Check out the latest changes to the National Occupational Classification (NOC-21) here.

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