Temporary Foreign Worker Program Overhauled And Moratorium For Food Services Sector Lifted

On Friday, June 20, 2014, the Government of Canada announced a sweeping reform of its Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), which will result in major changes to the process of applying for a Labour Market Opinion. Some of the changes come into effect immediately (e.g., the processing fee is going up everywhere in Canada), while in Quebec, most of the changes will likely apply only after the negotiations between the federal and Quebec governments have been completed.

In addition, the moratorium on the food services sector's access to the TFWP, announced on April 24, 2014, has ended.

The highlights of the reform, which are in addition to the other significant changes introduced recently, are as follows: