Question Period Note: Temporary Worker Program

Measures and data for temporary workers

• The government is making the immigration system more responsive to Canada’s needs, while continuing to support key sectors like agriculture, construction, and health care.

• The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan reduces temporary resident arrivals and sets targets for temporary workers at 230,000 in 2026 and 220,000 in 2027 and 2028. Targets are focused on attracting top global talent to help build Canada’s economy.

• Between January and September 2025, Canada saw close to 160,000 fewer new workers arriving in the country, representing a decrease of 48% compared to the same period last year - a clear sign that the measures we’ve put in place are working.

• The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is jointly administered by Employment Social Development Canada (ESDC), which processes the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), and IRCC, which is responsible for work permit issuance.

• The International Mobility Program (IMP), administered solely by IRCC, exempts employers and temporary workers from the LMIA requirement in support of broader economic, social and cultural objectives, and reciprocal opportunities for Canadians.

• The programs support a well-managed and comprehensive approach that aligns with the needs of our labour market, housing supply, community capacity, and humanitarian commitments.

Temporary Resident Volumes

• Announced on November 5, 2025, as part of the 2026-2028 Levels Plan, the Government is implementing a one-time initiative over a two-year period to streamline transition of approximately 115,000 Protected Persons in Canada who are already on a pathway to permanent residence. These admissions are in addition to the PR admissions targets of 380,000 in 2026 and 2027.

• Additionally, this one-time initiative includes accelerating the transition of up to 33,000 temporary workers to permanent residency in 2026 and 2027, where targeted workers have established strong roots in their communities, are paying taxes and are helping build a strong Canadian economy.

• The 2026–2028 Levels Plan reduces overall immigration targets to support the economy, while easing pressure on services and housing. The Government has also committed to reducing temporary residents to 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027.

• We are achieving this target, in part, by strategically recalibrating the TFWP and IMP to be more responsive to economic priorities and emerging labour market needs. This includes more restrictive measures where necessary, but also supporting talent attraction though targeted facilitative measures.

• The new "Understanding student and temporary worker numbers in Canada" webpage offers Canadians an accessible, understandable view on data on our temporary immigration programs, and shows the progress of the government’s strategy to reduce the temporary population.

Reducing the Number of Temporary Workers

ESDC – Addressing Unsustainable growth in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program

• In September 2024, ESDC made the following changes to the Low-wage stream of the program:
o a 10% cap on the proportion of temporary foreign workers that can be hired;
o refusing to process Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications in census metropolitan areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or more; and,
o reducing the maximum employment duration from two years to one year.

• The healthcare, construction, and food security/processing sectors are exempt from the 10% cap and refusal to process.

• Since October 28, 2024, attestations from professional accountants or lawyers to prove employers’ business legitimacy are no longer accepted, to ensure that only genuine and legitimate job offers are approved.

• Effective November 8, 2024, ESDC took the additional measure of increasing the wage threshold for the High-wage stream by 20%, thereby increasing the number of positions that are subject to the stricter rules of the Low-wage stream.

IRCC – Addressing Unsustainable Growth in the International Mobility Program

• IRCC has taken steps to reduce the number of workers under the IMP, while also ensuring that Canada remains competitive in attracting top talent to benefit the economy.

• Specifically, IRCC has introduced restrictions for two of the largest IMP cohorts, spouses of workers and students, and PGWP holders:
o Spouses of students: As of January 21, 2025, access is limited to those enrolled in master’s programs of 16 months or more, doctoral programs, certain professional programs, and select eligible programs.
o Spouses of temporary workers: As of January 21, 2025, access is limited to spouses of temporary workers employed in management or professional occupations (e.g., C-suite executives, scientists), or in sectors or jobs linked to government priorities.

• Recent changes to spousal work permits are starting to show results, and expected to continue demonstrating a decline in volumes in late 2025. Between January and June 2024 and the same period in 2025, there was a 63% drop in new work permits issued to spouses of international students, and a 39% decline for spouses of low-skilled workers

• These decreases reflect the recent restrictions introduced for these streams, as well as related study permit limitations affecting spouses of students. Going forward, the Department expects to continue to see downward trends.

• IRCC has also updated the PGWP program to better align with economic objectives:
o As of May 15, 2024, eliminating eligibility for international students who started studies in programs delivered by private colleges as part of curriculum licensing agreements; and,
o As of November 1, 2024, implementing language proficiency requirements and limiting eligibility for students graduating from non-degree programs to fields of study linked to occupations in long-term shortage.

• In 2024, PGWP holders accounted for 27.1% of permit holders in the IMP. There has been a 16% decrease in PGWP issuance between January and August 2025 compared to January and August 2024, from approximately 129 00 to 108 000.

Facilitative Measures to support labour market priorities
• Though IRCC is decreasing the number of temporary workers overall, temporary work programs are important to labour mobility and attracting talent.
• Beyond prioritizing applications in essential sectors, targeted measures have also been introduced to more broadly attract specific skill sets and experiences, including:

New Innovation Stream under the International Mobility Program
• In March 2024, IRCC launched a tailored Innovation Stream under the IMP to enable Canadian employers selected by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada as part of the Global Hypergrowth Project (GHP) to hire individuals they need to expand and grow. The stream will be in place for 2 years, and facilitates LMIA-exempt work permit access for foreign nationals with a job offer in a TEER 0-3 occupation from a GHP company. It is an example of an initiative that supports high growth companies across the full spectrum of their needs.

Worker Protection and Compliance Under Temporary Foreign Worker Programs

Employer Compliance Regime
• Presently, ESDC is responsible for employer compliance under the TFWP while IRCC is responsible for employer compliance under the IMP. Each department conducts compliance inspections under their respective Program using similar tools and authorities.

• As stated in Budget 2025, IRCC will transfer responsibility for employer-focused compliance inspections under IMP to ESDC to streamline program delivery and oversight, reduce duplicative functions and simplify the compliance landscape for employers.

• A confidential tip line and online reporting tool is available to temporary foreign workers and other parties to anonymously report potential wrongdoing. All allegations are reviewed and appropriate action taken. If criminal activity is suspected, the information is forwarded to law enforcement agencies (e.g., RCMP and CBSA).

• To help strengthen employer compliance and advance the rights of temporary workers under these programs, the government has a number of initiatives in place, including:

o funding over 110 community organizations across Canada to provide in-community and upon-arrival services to help temporary workers learn about and exercise their rights through the Migrant Workers Support Program;
o the administration of employer compliance regimes to promote and enforce safe and fair working conditions for employer-specific work permit holders via employer regulatory conditions and associated inspections;
o a confidential tip line and online reporting tool permits temporary foreign workers and other parties to anonymously report situations of potential wrongdoing. All allegations are reviewed, and appropriate action is taken. If criminal activity is suspected, the information is forwarded to law enforcement agencies such as the RCMP and CBSA; and,
o the issuance of Open Work Permits for Vulnerable Workers for eligible employer-specific work permit holders who are experiencing, or are at risk of experiencing, abuse from their employers, allowing the affected worker to leave an abusive situation and find a new job.

• In September 2022, new regulations came into force to strengthen the Government’s ability to conduct inspections. The changes expanded the definition of abuse to include reprisals should the worker report instances of an employer’s non-compliance with program conditions.
• Consequences for employer non-compliance include warning letters, Administrative Monetary Penalties of $500-$100,000 per violation (up to $1M each year) and temporary or permanent program bans. All employers found non-compliant are listed on IRCC’s website.
• 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.

Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers

• Temporary foreign workers have the same employment standards, rights, and protections under federal, provincial and territorial law as do Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Mistreatment or abuse of temporary foreign workers – or any worker – is always unacceptable.

• The Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers was created to allow temporary foreign workers on an employer-specific work permit who are experiencing, or at risk, of abuse to quickly leave their situation and find other employment opportunities in Canada.

• If pressed: We recognize the recent increase in OWP-V applications, however, this rise does not necessarily indicate widespread abuse within temporary worker programs.

Employer-specific work permits
• The government maintains oversight of temporary workers and their impacts on our labour market by making certain work permits employer-specific.
• Employer-specific work permits enable the government to conduct inspections to ensure employers comply with regulatory conditions, such as providing a workplace free of abuse, respecting a worker’s job description, and not engaging in reprisals against workers who raise concerns.
• Employers who are found non-compliant can incur penalties including warning letters, administrative monetary penalties and temporary or permanent bans from hiring temporary foreign workers under both Programs.
• Temporary workers holding an employer-specific work permit can leave their employers and apply for a new work permit. The Changing Employers Public Policy is available to facilitate temporary foreign workers seeking to change jobs in Canada by providing quickly a work authorization to workers in advance of final decision on their work permit.

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