Family Sponsorship
Canadian Work Permits Are Now Available to The Families of Temporary Foreign Workers
From now onwards, Family members of some temporary foreign workers (TFWs) will be qualified for work permits. In a statement, Immigration Minister announced Fraser announced that family members of primary applicants would be temporarily granted work permits under the temporary foreign worker program (TFWP) or the international mobility program (IMP). This action will aid Canada in addressing its ongoing labour shortfall. According to the new regulations, everyone who satisfies the requirements listed below is qualified to receive a work permit.
They include spouse, common-law partner, or dependent child of a work permit holder who:
- Employed in a job of Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) category (0 to 5), or is the main applicant and has an open work permit;
- belongs to an economic class permanent resident who has a work permit.
Currently, spouses, common-law partners, and dependents of TEER 4 or 5 employees cannot apply for the low-wage stream of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program or the Agricultural Stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
New Permits Will Simplify The Integration Process
Work permits were exclusively accessible to the wives and family members of primary applicants in high-skilled occupations before the law went into force today. With the temporary grant of work licenses to TFWs’ spouses, dependent children, and common-law partners, the Canadian government aims to relieve some of the pressure on workers by improving financial stability. Moreover, the government intends to make the process of integration of families into communities easier.
It was estimated that more than 645,000 work permits were granted in Canada between January and October 2022. Compared to the 163,000 issued during the same time period in 2021, this is almost four times as many. The policy covers children of principal applicants of all skill levels for the next two years. This consists of families of workers in healthcare, trades, and hospitality. In addition, the program aims to welcome over 200,000 foreign workers to Canada’s workforce.
Three Phases Will Be Implemented As Part of the Measure
The three-phases process is mentioned below;
- In phase 1, family members of workers coming to Canada through the high-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program are eligible to apply for open work permits.
- Phase 2 aims to increase the measure to the family members of workers from the low-wage stream of the TFWP.
- In phase 3, family members of agricultural workers will get a consultation to assess the operational feasibility of the measure.
