A quick look at key changes to the temporary foreign workers program

OTTAWA – Highlights of the changes to the temporary foreign workers program announced Friday:

— Employers in the accommodation, food and retail sectors in areas where unemployment is above six per cent will not be allowed to bring in temporary foreign workers for low-skill jobs.

— Employers with 10 or more employees will face a cap on the number of low-wage foreigners they can hire at each of their worksites: 30 per cent of a worksite’s employees, falling to 10 per cent by July 2016.

— Employers seeking to hire a temporary foreign worker must detail how many Canadians applied for the job, how many were interviewed and why the Canadians were not hired.

— Employers will be required to re-apply every year for approval to hire low-wage temporary foreign workers, instead of every two years.

— Employers seeking to hire high-wage temporary foreign workers must show an increased effort to hire Canadians, including through higher wages, investments in training and more active recruitment within Canada.

— The government will post the number of temporary foreign workers approved every quarter, along with the names of companies that hire them.

— Enforcement will be increased so that one in four employers using temporary foreign workers will be inspected each year.

— The fee to bring in a temporary foreign worker increases to $1,000 from $275.

—Starting this fall, employers who break the program rules will face fines of up to $100,000.

— An end to the freeze on hiring temporary foreign workers in the food-services sector.