Question Period Note: Unvaccinated Temporary Foreign Workers

Can unvaccinated Temporary Foreign Workers leave Canada on commercial flights?

• As the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved, so too have public health measures and advice. This includes vaccination requirements.

• Early in the pandemic, various measures were put in place to protect the health and safety of temporary foreign workers and communities.

• In June 2022, Transport Canada suspended the mandatory vaccination requirement for outbound travel, including for temporary foreign workers.

Approximately 62,000 foreign seasonal agricultural workers come to work on Canadian farms each year, which accounts for over 60% of all Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) entering Canada under the Program.

Mexico, Guatemala, Jamaica and ten other Caribbean countries are the main source countries and account for virtually all of the foreign agricultural workers that come to Canada each year.

Early in the pandemic, important initiatives were implemented to address the impact of COVID-19 on the TFW Program and enable timely participation of foreign workers in the Program, with a focus on agriculture and agri-food. Temporary foreign workers were exempt from some entry requirements into Canada.

In April 20, 2020, the Government put in place regulations that required employers to meet the conditions of the Quarantine Act, including requirements to pay workers during their quarantine period, and to ensure workers abide by provincial/territorial public health laws related to COVID-19.

Until June 19, 2022, vaccination was a requirement for all travelers to board a plane in Canada for domestic and outbound travel. However, an exception was in place for unvaccinated TFWs in agriculture or food-processing occupations. As of June 20, 2022, following an announcement from Transport Canada, vaccination requirements for domestic and outbound travel have been suspended.

All foreign nationals must be fully vaccinated to enter Canada, unless otherwise exempt. Exemptions include unvaccinated temporary foreign workers in agriculture or food-processing occupations. These workers must continue to meet all travel document requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) and those under the Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (quarantine, isolation and other obligations).

The majority of workers arriving in Canada are fully vaccinated. Between January 15 and September 4, 2022, approximately 95% of temporary foreign agricultural workers who arrived in Canada were fully vaccinated.

ESDC continues to work with provincial and territorial governments and other key stakeholders in the TFW Program to inform other potential policy and program changes designed to better protect the health and safety of Canadian and migrant farm workers.

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