Author: Jane Stinson, Adjunct Research Professor in Work and Labour, Carleton University

The federal government recently announced important changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program, a program that allows Canadian employers to hire foreign nationals to fill labour shortages at low wages. As of Sept. 26, 2024, the federal government will stop processing employer requests for temporary foreign workers in cities with an unemployment rate of six per cent or higher, with limited exceptions. The government will also limit employers’ hiring of temporary foreign workers to no more than 10 per cent of their total workforce, a limit that was in place before the COVID-19 pandemic. The maximum duration of employment for…