Canada Temporary foreign workers risk losing work status, face imminent removal

Canada, 31st January: A large number of temporary foreign workers in Canada might be sent back home following refusal to renew their Canada work permits by Canada immigration officials.

This has been revealed by Cobus Kriek, an immigration consultant based in Toronto.

Thousands might lose right to work in Canada--Giving details about the issue, immigration adviser Kriek said many temporary foreign workers currently in Canada are working to get their Canada work permits restored. It may be mentioned that applications for renewal made by several temporary foreign workers were rejected.

Poor collaboration between federal departments lead to renewal rejections-- The onus for this goes to poor synchronization between two federal departments of Canada, claim legal experts in Canada. According to an immigration adviser based in Victoria, British Columbia, David Coombes, federal departments’ inability to work together is leading to delays or denials for getting a temporary Canada work permit.

So, temporary immigrant workers are left with no option but to lose their work status in Canada and move back to their respective nations, added Coombes.

Delays in issuing LMO by Service Canada—In order to work in Canada as per current Canada immigration rules, any temporary foreign worker needs two documents including LMO(Labor Market Opinion) and verification of job including criminal and medical checks.

While the first document is needed from Service Canada, second is needed from CIC-Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Such a chaotic situation is being faced by a large number of temporary foreign workers seeking renewal of their Canada work permits despite the fact that Canada has vowed to fast-track processing of Canada work permits and LMO simultaneously especially after a boom in the economy in 2006.

Although the average processing time taken by Service Canada ranges between 15 business days to 22 days, the agency is taking quite longer periods of duration for processing temporary foreign workers’ LMOs.

According to Kriek, the current average time taken by Service Canada is around 12 weeks for processing of LMO for temporary foreign workers. And this is spelling trouble for not just temporary foreign workers but employers as well, adds Kriek.

CIC, meanwhile, is processing applications for Canada work permit renewals in a record period of time, allege Canada immigration consultants and immigration advisers. Meanwhile, implied status enables temporary foreign workers to work legally in Canada provided they take care to apply for renewal of their Canada work permit before it expires.