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ARTICLE · 30 JUNE 2014

Major Reforms To Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program

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On June 20, 2014, the Government of Canada announced extensive changes to its Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which are effective immediately.

CanadaImmigration
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On June 20, 2014, the Government of Canada announced extensive changes to its Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which are effective immediately. The changes are in direct response to a period of heavy public backlash over widespread program abuse and are designed to ensure that employers look to Canadians first for employment opportunities. Employers seeking to hire temporary foreign workers, particularly for lower-wage jobs will face increasingly restrictive barriers and the government is backing up these new initiatives with steep penalties for non-compliance. 

TFWP streamlined into two main categories

Historically, most job offers required an employer to apply for a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) as a first step before the foreign worker could apply for a work permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Certain foreign workers such as NAFTA professionals, intra-company transferees and specialized

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