The province is opting into the federal government’s time-limited policy changes to the temporary foreign worker program to help address immediate labour shortages in rural B.C. communities.
B.C. will be opting into the proposed variance that allows rural employers to retain existing low-wage temporary foreign workers beyond the currently 10 per cent cap, the Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Ministry announced in a news release Monday (April 20).
That means rural employers would be able to retain their existing workers for an additional year, if all other requirements of the temporary foreign worker program are met.
However, the release added that the province doesn’t support a broader expansion of the program. As a result, B.C. will not be opting into the proposed increase of the low-wage stream cap to 15 per cent, which would allow employers to bring in larger numbers of new temporary foreign workers.
The federal government announced on March 13 that it would implementing time-limited measures to help rural employers address workforce challenges while maintaining strong safeguards to ensure Canadians remain first in line for available jobs.
The measures are set to remain in place until March 31, 2027.
Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Minister Jessie Sunner said the policy changes are intended as a short-term response to immediate labour pressures.
”B.C. is calling on the federal immigration minister to focus on long-term workforce solutions, not stopgaps, that reflect provincial needs and help communities, especially in rural and remote areas, recruit and retain skilled workers for the long term.”
The ministry adds that seasonal, short-term and primary agriculture positions will stay exempt from caps.
The province says it also plans to continue to work with the federal government on workforce development focused on long-term solutions that: reduce youth unemployment, strengthen skills development and support employers in transitioning away from ongoing reliance on temporary labour.