May 19, 2020

New Public Policy Helps Workers Transition to New Employers

Posted by Legal Team - Bellissimo Law Group PC

You are in need of new workers urgently, and have found excellent candidates ready to begin anytime. However, they are only authorized to work for one employer that has laid them off since the pandemic started. Processing slowdowns means it will take longer than usual to get new Work Permits, and you cannot operate your business in the meantime. What do you do?

On 12 May 2020, IRCC released a new public policy to help temporary foreign workers transition to new employers more quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic. As parts of the economy have slowed down during the pandemic, Canada’s critical sectors – such as agriculture, food chain management, and healthcare – have often found themselves under increased pressure and in urgent need of new employees. The new policy seeks to minimize bureaucratic hurdles to filling workplace shortfalls.

The target groups are temporary foreign workers who:

1. Are inside Canada;

2. Can work in Canada, but for a specific occupation or employer;

3. Need a new Work Permit to transition to a new occupation or employer.

Once the worker applies for a new Work Permit, they can request and obtain early authorization to work for their new employer even before the application processing is complete.

Note that business visitors and foreign nationals who are Work Permit-exempt under the Global Skills Strategy are not eligible for this public policy.

For more general information, please consult the links below. To determine whether the public policy presents new options for you, your employer, or your employees, please contact our firm and schedule a consultation with one of our licensed immigration lawyers. Links: