Canadian Immigration News

Quebec’s Expanding the Eligible Occupations Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)

1.7 minute read
"Recently, Quebec expanded the list of occupations eligible for facilitated processing under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). 30 occupations were added to the list after consulting with the labor market partners."
Written by My Visa Source Team
Published on:  Nov 29, 2021
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Recently, Quebec expanded the list of occupations eligible for facilitated processing under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). 30 occupations were added to the list after consulting with the labor market partners. The Minister of Labour and Acting Minister of Immigration, Jean Boulet, made this list publicly available on November 2. The newly added occupations are in the sector of retail trade, accommodation, and food services, and processing.

How Were the New Occupations Decided?

The Quebec government consulted with the business community to provide the federal government with the list of occupations that need to be added to the list of eligible occupations for the TFWP. This process took place as a part of a new agreement between Quebec and the federal government last August. As a part of the agreement, Quebec identified various low-skilled occupations to be included in the list. These new occupations were added to ensure that the TFWP is flexible enough to meet the local labor market needs in Quebec. This was a part of the process of simplifying the hiring of temporary foreign workers by Quebec businesses. 

What Other Measures Were Introduced Under the TFWP?

The Quebec government also announced that the employers of various low-skilled occupations such as cashiers, front counter servers, and housekeeping staff will be exempt from the advertising requirements. Quebec also increased the percentage of temporary foreign workers that can be hired by certain businesses from 10% to 20%.

The Quebec government has submitted the proposal to the federal government to implement these changes. An agreement, much awaited by the business community in Quebec is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The measures announced on November 2 will allow various employers to start the recruitment process as soon as possible and meet the labor shortages to keep the operations running smoothly. See Quebec Immigration.

Why Are These Measures Required?

Quebec was facing labor shortages even before the pandemic. However, these shortages worsened during the pandemic and adversely affected the operations of many sectors of the economy. Many stakeholders in the province have emphasized the need to increase immigration levels to meet these shortages. 

For the past months, Quebec has been advocating to increase the flexibility of hiring temporary foreign workers through the TFWP. Currently, the process of hiring low-skilled workers through the TFWP is complex and lengthy. Employers need to secure a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) by meeting the advertising requirements before the temporary foreign worker can get a temporary work permit. If these measures are approved by the federal government, they will remain valid until December 2023. 

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