Temporary Foreign Worker Program: What employers need to know
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) enables Canadian employers to hire foreign workers on a temporary basis. This program is designed to help fill the labour shortages when Canadians and permanent residents are not available. Employers can recruit workers from any country as long as both the employer and the foreign worker meet the program requirements.
Employers must receive approval from the Federal government to employ a foreign worker. The company must be able to satisfy the Canadian government that they have made reasonable efforts to employ Canadians and/or permanent residents for the position offered. Employers must also agree to pay the prevailing wage for the position to the foreign worker. Upon receiving approval, the foreign worker may apply for a work permit.
Foreign workers must meet strict requirements including, proving their past experience, language proficiency, pass a criminal background check, and in some cases a medical examination. Foreign workers who are approved a work permit must only work for the company that “sponsored” them. Employers can be sure that if an employee leaves the company or gets laid off, their work permit is no longer valid. In cases such as this, it is the onus of the foreign worker to secure another job offer, otherwise they must leave Canada.
Temporary foreign workers employed in one location cannot work in another location without the employer applying for and receiving a new approval, and the worker receiving a new work permit. If an employer has received an approval in the past, they may be required to demonstrate that they have met the requirements of the program.
Processing times for the employer/company approval currently take 30-60 days, however, if an employer has been approved in the two (2) years proceeding the most recent application, they may have their applications expedited, in which case an approval can be issued within 10 business days from date of application.
For more detailed information on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or to speak with an immigration adviser regarding your company needs, call our office today at 1-416-665-3939 or toll-free at 1-888-808-7338.
Canada’s Population rapidly approaching 35 million due, in no small way, to the large number of immigrants
New information from Statistics Canada is showing a jump in Canada’s population, making it the G8’s fastest growing country.
This spike in population is, in part, a result of an increase in immigrants coming to Canada to work, study, etc. We are seeing a large number of people from all over the world coming to Canada and staying, even bringing along family members or starting families in Canada.
The population growth increased by 1% as of July 1st, resulting in a population of 34,880,550, and the majority of that growth is a direct result of immigration. Two provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, received the largest chunk of the population boom with a growth of over 2% in the last year. Manitoba also had a large increase at 1.2% which is just slightly higher than the 1% increase seen in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.
This increase in population is very beneficial for these provinces and for the country as the growing immigrant population allows for economic growth and provides promise to many families hoping to start a new life in Canada.
Applying for Citizenship? New Language Requirement as of November 1
As of November 1, 2012 Citizenship & Immigration Canada will require all citizenship applicants to submit proof of their language proficiency. Canada strongly believes that the ability to communicate in either one of Canada’s official languages is a key factor in the success and adaptability of new citizens in Canada.
Currently, Canada does not require applicants between the ages of 18 – 54 to submit proof of their language abilities. The new requirement will not change the level of ability that is required, but it will change the way that applicants demonstrate their language ability.
As of November 1, 2012 applicants will be required to submit proof such as;
– the results of a CIC-approved third-party test (ie. IELTS or TOFEL),
– the evidence of completion of secondary or post-secondary education in English and/or French,
– the evidence of achieving the appropriate language level in certain government-funded language training programs.
If you have submitted or will be submitting your citizenship application prior to November 1st, 2012 you do not have to meet the above requirements.
To submit your citizenship application you may contact our office to speak with an immigration adviser.
Canada to Cancel Your Skilled Worker PR Application?
The Canadian government has been battling the courts and applicants of skilled worker permanent resident applications for the last year. Their goal is to reduce the large backlog of applications in the pipeline by simply canceling each and every single one of them.
This will affect all those who submitted Skilled Worker applications prior to February 27, 2008, and that has not yet received a decision. In numbers, we are talking about roughly 280,000 applicants (including dependents).
If you submitted your application prior to February 27, 2008 you will receive a letter indicating that the file is closed, with a refund for the processing fees paid.
Join the law suit to fight the Federal Government!
There is a law suit going on right now and you may join if you are an applicant that submitted your application prior to the date above. There is limited time to join the law suit and the deadline is this coming week. If you would like to join the law suit, please send us an email to inquiry@theimmigrationteam.com with the following information:
*The name of the principle applicant*
*The country and city where the principle applicant is located now*
*The principle applicant*
*phone number and *
*email address*
*the visa office file number*
*the date the application was filed*
*the job category under which you applied*
*the location of the visa office currently responsible for your application*
Please be advised there is a $400 donation required to join this law suit. This fee is to help stop the Minister, but only temporarily, until the court case is finalized. Our office is not part of the law suit therefore do not send the fees to us. We will forward your information to the lawyer handling the case and they will contact you directly.
For more information you may contact our office directly to speak with a senior immigration adviser.