Government of Canada Extends Temporary Measures Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program

This week, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced that the Government of Canada is extending temporary measures introduced during the COVID-19 Pandemic and through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) Workforce Solutions Road Map.

The continued measures, include:

Permitting employers in seven sectors with demonstrated labour shortages (such as accommodation and food services, construction, and food manufacturing) to hire up to 30 percent of their workforce through the TFWP for low-wage positions;

Keeping the Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) validity period at up to 18 months; and,

Maintaining the maximum duration of employment for low-wage positions at up to two years.

These measures will remain in place until October 30, 2023. Additionally, the Minister announced that, effective April 3, 2023, the TFWP begins transitioning to the LMIA Online Portal as the primary method to submit LMIAs.