The Canadian government will allow more temporary foreign workers in some rural regions to address acute labour shortages, it said Friday.
At the request of provinces or territories, rural employers will be allowed to keep their current number of low-wage temporary foreign workers and will temporarily increase the allowable share of low-wage workers to 15 per cent of their workforce in eligible regions from 10 per cent, Employment and Social Development Canada said in a news release.
The measures could begin as early as April, depending on requests from provinces or territories, and will stay in place until March 31, 2027.
Read Also
Strong 2025 could mean complications for Canadian grain sector in 2026 says analyst
Carryover supply of many crops in Canada could complicate the market in 2026
Employers in health care, construction and food processing will remain subject to a 20 per cent cap on low-wage temporary foreign workers. Seasonal sectors, like seafood and tourism, will continue to be exempt from the cap.
The agriculture sector has its own dedicated stream to hire temporary foreign workers — the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), but may also hire workers through the low-wage stream. Meat packers have often relied on temporary workers.
Changes welcomed
The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses welcomed the announcement.
“Any measure that prevents businesses from losing experienced, trained workers is a positive one,” said federation president Dan Kelly in a statement.
The federation is looking for clarity on whether the new measures will allow employers to extend the stay of existing TFWs already in Canada.
Earlier this week the federation put out a statement saying that 1.3 million work permits were set to expire by the end of 2026. Some estimates put more than 300,000 permits set to expire by the end of March, according to the statement.
“The economic fallout could be massive,” the federation said.
In recent years, the Liberal government has made moves to clamp down on use of temporary foreign workers. These included refusing to process applications for low-wage positions in areas with unemployment rates of six per cent or higher; decreasing the cap on the percentage of total workforce an employer can hire to 10 per cent from 20 per cent, with some exemptions; and reduction of maximum work permit duration to one year.
