News Release - Government expands temporary foreign worker services in Ontario and Atlantic Canada to help employers meet labour market needs

Ottawa, February 11, 2008 — The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced an expansion of services to help employers in Ontario and Atlantic Canada meet their labour market needs with temporary foreign workers.

Two units are being established in Toronto and Moncton to serve as main points of contact for companies wishing to hire foreign workers in the two regions. These are in addition to three already established in Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal.

“The addition of these two new temporary foreign worker units means that employers across Canada now have a dedicated point of service where they can get help getting the workers they need,” said Minister Finley. “The units will help make the process easier for employers, and will help strengthen local and regional economies.”

Like the units in Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal, the units in Toronto and Moncton will, among other things:

• provide advice to employers who plan to hire temporary foreign workers;
• facilitate the entry of workers in certain professions who do not require a visa and verification that there are no Canadians available;
• make the entry process smoother and more efficient by providing employers with accurate and up-to-date information;
• pre-screen supporting documents from employers to streamline the application process for such workers; and
• work with provinces to better meet regional needs.

Requests for temporary foreign workers for whom visas are required or who are in other professions would still be directed to Service Canada.

“Temporary foreign workers help support Canada’s economic growth and prosperity, and I’m pleased that all regions of Canada will benefit from the exceptional service the units provide,” added Minister Finley.

The units are one aspect of the Government of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which allows employers to hire foreign workers to meet their human resources needs when sufficient numbers of Canadian workers are not readily available. Recently, the government has taken a number of steps to improve the program. The 2007 budget provided $50.5 million toward measures to further reduce processing delays and to establish mechanisms to monitor employer compliance with the terms and conditions of the program and address non-compliance.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Tim Vail
Press Secretary
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064

Karen Shadd-Evelyn
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650

Backgrounder

• Temporary foreign worker units