Temporary foreign worker program in Canada

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The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (French: Programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires, TFWP) is a program of the Government of Canada that allows employers in Canada to hire foreign nationals.^[1] Workers brought in under the program are referred to as Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) and are allowed to work in positions that are not filled by Canadians. The aim was to address skill shortages and promote economic growth. Initially, the program was aimed at nurses and farm workers, but today it gives highly skilled and less skilled workers the opportunity to work in Canada.^[2][3]

As of 2021, there are over 775,000 temporary foreign workers in Canada, with them representing 4% of the workforce. The majority of temporary foreign workers are employed in low-prestige jobs, such as fast food workers.^[4] Several economists have said temporary foreign workers and international students increasingly form the backbone of low-wage labour. Mike Moffatt, an economist and professor at Western University, said that “What we’re basically bringing in a lot of is, essentially, temporary foreign workers under student permits to work fast-food jobs and things like that.”^[4]