Canada will allow all family members of temporary foreign workers to work starting next January.The federal government believes that the arrival of workers will help solve the labor shortage in the services, tourism and health sectors, among others. The measure is expected to last at least two years.
According to Ottawa, the families of some 200,000 foreign workers would be affected by this measure. The announcement was made on December 2nd in Edmonton by the federal Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser, and the Tourism Minister, Randy Boissonnault.
Temporary farm workers
According to Ottawa, there are approximately one million open jobs across the country.The news will give some relief to employers who need workers, said Randy Boissonnault, federal tourism minister.
For Sean Fraser, Immigration Minister, the reality is simple: Canada needs more people. We need more people for economic, demographic and social reasons, he said.
According to him, this will make the immigration system more compassionate, because it will prevent temporary foreign workers from having to separate from their families when they come to Canada to work temporarily.
Applied in three phases
Sean Fraser also assured that he was working closely with the provinces to try to alleviate the labor shortage.The new measure will be applied in three phases. Starting in January 2023, the spouses and working-age children of temporary foreign workers will also be able to obtain a work permit in Canada.The measure could also be extended to the families of temporary foreign workers in the agriculture sector.
