World News | Family members of temporary foreign workers in Canada will soon be eligible for work permits

ottawa [Canada], Dec. 3 (ANI): The Government of Canada announced that starting January 2021, family members of all temporary foreign workers will be offered work permits. The two-year interim measure will be rolled out in stages.

“Beginning in January 2023, through a two-year interim measure, Canada will expand eligibility to work in Canada to spouses and working-age children through a phased approach for workers of all skill levels. This will include families, trade and hospitality of healthcare workers,” Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said in a statement.

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“As a result of this new approach, an estimated more than 200,000 family members of foreign workers can begin working in Canada, providing additional opportunities for foreign workers seeking to work in Canada and for employers who meet their labor needs,” the department added.

The statement cited Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser and Tourism Minister Randy Bovasonno.

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“Expanding work permit eligibility for family members accompanying the principal applicant to Canada will help address labor shortages by helping employers find the workers they need,” said a statement from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

The temporary measure is intended to improve workers’ emotional health, physical health and financial stability by keeping families together. “As a result, employees are expected to be better integrated into their overall work environment and community,” the statement said.

The interim measure will be implemented in three phases to ensure its success: The first phase will make it possible for family members of workers who came to Canada through the high-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program to apply for open work permits.

The second phase aims to expand the measure to family members of low-wage workers in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program following consultations.

Phase 3 will include consultations with agricultural partners and stakeholders to assess the operational feasibility of extending the measure to agricultural worker household members.

“Immigration will continue to play an important role in addressing Canada’s labor shortage, and the Government of Canada will continue to implement policies designed to help employers meet the needs of people at all skill levels,” the statement added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)