Temporary Foreign Worker Program | Macropus Immigration & Visa Services

Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW)

The Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program is a Canadian immigration option that allows individuals who are neither a Canadian citizen nor a permanent resident to work in Canada in positions that are facing labour shortages and are unfilled by Canadians.

To qualify for the Temporary Foreign Worker program, applicants must:

• Have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer. In most cases, the employer who has offered the temporary position will need to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment to get permission from the Canadian government to hire a foreign worker.
• Not be inadmissible to Canada for any reason. Individuals can be inadmissible to Canada for criminal, medical or financial reasons.

To work in Canada under this program, individuals must apply for a work permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada.  The work permit granted under this program will only be valid for a set period of time (maximum 1 year) and will be tied to a specific employer.  Because the work permit is tied to a specific employer, temporary foreign workers in Canada can only legally work for the employer named on their work permit and cannot switch employers once in Canada.

The application for the work permit should be made once you have a job contract or employment offer from a Canadian employer and the LMIA obtained by your employer unless your position is exempt from an LMIA.  If your employer is based in Quebec, you will also need to obtain an additional document from the Quebec government before applying for your work permit.

Interested applicants should note that a work permit through the TFW program does not entitle a person to permanent residency in Canada.  Although it is possible to become a Canadian permanent resident after temporary foreign worker status expires through other immigration programs (such as the Canadian Experience Class or a provincial nomination program), foreign workers are expected to return to their home country after the expiration of their work permit.

Advantages to Employers

For employers who have been unable to recruit Canadian citizens or permanent residents for job openings, the TFWP makes it possible to hire workers from abroad.

Employers might also find a qualified foreign worker already in Canada, such as a foreign worker who is about to complete a job contract with another employer or a foreign national holding an open work permit that allows the employee to work for any employer in Canada.

While most temporary foreign workers will be hired to address a specific, short-term labour need, some temporary foreign workers who initially came to fill a temporary vacancy can transition to permanent residence if they meet certain requirements.

For example, the Canadian Experience Class is open to foreign nationals who have been working full-time in Canada as tradespeople or in managerial or professional occupations and meet certain other requirements. Other foreign workers may qualify through the Provincial Nominee Program for permanent residence in Canada.

These routes exist to ensure that workers who have shown that their skills are in continuing demand and that they have already adapted well to life in Canada can build a future here.

Interested in applying for a Temporary Foreign Worker Program? Contact us today!