Question Period Note: TEMPORARY WORKER FACILITATION

Facilitation measures for temporary workers during the pandemic.

• In order to ensure labour market needs in key sectors continue to be met, the Government is facilitating the safe arrival of temporary workers to Canada.

• IRCC continues to process work permit applications and has prioritized resources towards in-demand occupations like health care, agriculture, food, and seafood production.

• We have put measures in place to address the needs of temporary workers who were already in Canada and who have been impacted by COVID-19, including extending timelines for submitting documents and restoring status.

• Under a new a process temporary workers who are in Canada with an employer-specific work permit will also be able to quickly change employers when they find a new job.

• In addition, to support the Canadian agricultural and agri-food sector, seasonal agricultural worker applicants will be able to give their biometrics on arrival at specific Canadian ports of entry.

If pressed:
• As of April 20, more than 32,000 work permits have been approved for occupations in agriculture for the 2020 season. This includes 17,800 workers who are already in Canada and about 14,500 whose application has been approved but who have not yet travelled to Canada. About 1,600 applications are currently being processed.

If pressed on how many TFWs will arrive:
• We are continuing to ensure that we have the people we need to fill the essential jobs that Canadians rely on.

• In 2019, IRCC issued approximately 405,000 work permits to temporary foreign workers. This is a 20% increase compared to 2018. Temporary workers play an important role in many sectors of the economy, including those related to food security. The arrival of temporary workers in March through June is critical for Canada’s growing and harvesting seasons.

• Approximately 56,000 workers enter Canada each year to support crop planting and harvesting. Key source countries are Mexico, Guatemala, Jamaica and ten other Caribbean countries. An additional 4,000 workers support food processing. Workers largely come from China (fish and seafood) and the Philippines (meat).

• While travel restrictions are currently imposed to limit the spread of COVID-19, there are exemptions to the travel ban for temporary workers coming for a non-optional purpose. This includes those coming to work in critical industries, including agriculture, food processing and health.

• While agriculture represents a small share of all work permits issued, a lack of workers in this sector will affect businesses and could compromise Canada’s food security, as industry is currently gearing up for the spring planting season and the start of fishing season.

• While COVID-19 has disrupted processing networks, applicants outside Canada can continue to submit work permit applications. Any person who is outside Canada at the time of application must apply online and applications are triaged to offices where there is processing capacity. Both Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada are prioritizing work permit applications for the agriculture sector.

• For temporary workers already in Canada, IRCC has introduced several measures to help clients affected by the disruption in services and travel due to the coronavirus outbreak.

• For example, IRCC has taken steps to encourage and support foreign nationals eligible to do so to apply for extensions (e.g., by providing more time to provide documentation or to complete biometrics). Foreign workers who submit an extension application benefit from “implied status”, which enables individuals to remain legally in Canada while awaiting a decision on their application. Moreover, many temporary workers may continue to work while on implied status.

• New regulations took effect on April 20, 2020 to ensure that arriving temporary foreign workers abide by their requirements to remain in quarantine upon arrival in Canada. The regulations also require employers of foreign workers to support the quarantine period of their workers, including through the payment of wages. Employers who do not support the quarantine of their employees can be subject to penalties under the employer compliance regimes of Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs.

• IRCC has also established a process that will allow temporary workers who are in Canada with an employer-specific work permit to quickly change employers when they find a new job.

• In 2019, IRCC issued approximately 405,000 work permits to temporary foreign workers. This is a 20% increase compared to 2018. Temporary workers play an important role in many sectors of the economy, including those related to food security. The arrival of temporary workers in March through June is critical for Canada’s growing and harvesting seasons.

• Approximately 56,000 workers enter Canada each year to support crop planting and harvesting. Key source countries are Mexico, Guatemala, Jamaica and ten other Caribbean countries. An additional 4,000 workers support food processing. Workers largely come from China (fish and seafood) and the Philippines (meat).

• While travel restrictions are currently imposed to limit the spread of COVID-19, there are exemptions to the travel ban for temporary workers coming for a non-optional purpose. This includes those coming to work in critical industries, including agriculture, food processing and health.

• While agriculture represents a small share of all work permits issued, a lack of workers in this sector will affect businesses and could compromise Canada’s food security, as industry is currently gearing up for the spring planting season and the start of fishing season.

• While COVID-19 has disrupted processing networks, applicants outside Canada can continue to submit work permit applications. Any person who is outside Canada at the time of application must apply online and applications are triaged to offices where there is processing capacity. Both Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada are prioritizing work permit applications for the agriculture sector.

• For temporary workers already in Canada, IRCC has introduced several measures to help clients affected by the disruption in services and travel due to the coronavirus outbreak.

• For example, IRCC has taken steps to encourage and support foreign nationals eligible to do so to apply for extensions (e.g., by providing more time to provide documentation or to complete biometrics). Foreign workers who submit an extension application benefit from “implied status”, which enables individuals to remain legally in Canada while awaiting a decision on their application. Moreover, many temporary workers may continue to work while on implied status.

• New regulations took effect on April 20, 2020 to ensure that arriving temporary foreign workers abide by their requirements to remain in quarantine upon arrival in Canada. The regulations also require employers of foreign workers to support the quarantine period of their workers, including through the payment of wages. Employers who do not support the quarantine of their employees can be subject to penalties under the employer compliance regimes of Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs.

• IRCC has also established a process that will allow temporary workers who are in Canada with an employer-specific work permit to quickly change employers when they find a new job.

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