Canadian government is extending work permits to family members of TFWS

Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has announced to extend work permits to family members of temporary foreign workers. As per Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), expanding work permit eligibility to family members of the primary applicant will help improve the emotional well-being, physical health and financial stability of workers by uniting the families. It will also cater to the issue of labour shortages by helping employers in selecting the workers they need.

Expanding eligibility to work in Canada to spouses & children

Through this temporary two-year regulation, starting with effect from January 2023, IRCC will expand eligibility to work in Canada to spouses and working-age children through a three-phased approach for workers at all skill levels. With this change, government ambitions that the worker will better adapt into their complete work environment and community. 

While making this announcement, Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said, “Everywhere I go, employers across the country continue to identify a lack of workers as their biggest obstacle. Today’s announcement will help employers find the workers they need to fill their labour gaps by expanding work permits to family members at all skill levels, resulting in family members of over 200,000 foreign workers being able to work in Canada. Our government is going to continue helping employers overcome labour shortages, while also supporting the well-being of workers and uniting their families.”

3 phases of Work Permit Eligibility

The provisional ruling will be employed in 3 phases to ensure its successful accomplishment:

• Phase 1 will permit family members of workers coming to Canada through the high-wage stream of the TFWP (Temporary Foreign Worker Program) or the IMP (International Mobility Program) to apply for an open work permit.
• Phase 2 aims to expand the this rule to the family members of workers from the low-wage stream of the TFWP, following consultations.
• Phase 3 will include consultation with agricultural partners and stakeholders to estimate operational viability for expanding the measure to family members of agricultural workers.

The government of Canada in last few years, constantly employing policies to make the process of overseas immigration to Canada smooth for the interested aspirants.