Introduction:
In general, temporary foreign workers in Canada on an
employer-specific Work Permit are only authorized to work for the
employer named on their Work Permit. In order for temporary foreign
workers to change jobs, they need to obtain a new Work Permit,
which could be challenging and time consuming. Given this,
temporary foreign workers at risk of abuse in the workplace may be
afraid to report the abuse to Immigration Canada ("IRCC")
and may endure situations of misconduct, abuse or other forms of
employer retribution. To respond to these challenges, the
Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations
("IRPR") was recently amended. As of June 4,
2019, section 207.1 of the IRPR gives IRCC the authority
to issue Open Work Permits to temporary foreign workers holding an
employer-specific Work Permit, who are experiencing abuse or who
are at risk of experiencing abuse in the context of their
employment. This bulletin will outline what employers need to
