Working in Canada must be a dream for many. This pandemic caused by corona might have stopped them from trying for a job in Canada
Despite the COVID pandemic which affected the majority of the countries across the world, few countries still hire immigrant workers. Canada is considered one of them. To restrict the spread of coronavirus, the country has imposed a travel ban temporarily. Canada continues immigration programs that help its employers for hiring foreign workers for jobs that are in high demand across Canadian industries.
Keeping this in mind, Canada has accelerated the process of hiring foreign workers for working in agriculture, trucking fields, and food processing.
Employees of food manufacturing, farming, and trucking jobs who are looking for hiring the foreign workers will now be free from the process of work permit which is time-consuming.
Advertising of LMIA in some occupations that are high priority has been waived by the Canadian Government.
In most of the cases, employers should be sure that no one from Canada is willing to take up the position that is vacant before offering the foreign worker to get an LMIA. This is done through an advertisement describing the role of a job for about three months across various fields.
The requirement of minimum recruitment in LMIA applications has been waived for now and for the future from the Canadian Government on the ten occupations mentioned below:
- Transport Truck Drivers (NOC 7511)
- Meat cutters, Butchers and fishmongers-wholesale, and retail. (NOC 6331)
- Farm supervisors, contractors of agricultural service, and livestock workers, who are specialized. (NOC 8252)
- Greenhouse and Nursery Workers (NOC 8432)
- General Workers who work on a farm. (NOC 8431)
- Harvesting Labors (NOC 8611)
- Laborer in beverage and related products processing, and food (NOC 9617)
- Fish and Seafood Plant Workers (NOC 9463)
- Laborer in the sector of processing fish and seafood (NOC 9618)
- meat cutters, Industrial Butchers and poultry preparers and workers related to this sector (NOC 9462)
Most of these jobs belong to agriculture, agri-food, food processing fields. This is in support to the farms and businesses related to food during this pandemic.
As per ESDC, where LMIA applications are handled under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, priority is given to farming and agri-food occupations.
The other steps taken by ESDC include waiving the minimum standards for recruitment at least until 31 October 2020.
The validity of LMIAs has been increased from 6 to 9 months. 3-year pilot doubled the employment period of low wage sector employees from one to two years.
Usually foreign workers for such jobs come on a temporary Foreign Worker Permit. As per the Canadian Government they are free from the traveling restrictions due to the uncertainty caused by corona. However, clearing the Coronavirus tests before the departure is a must. As soon as they land Canada, the compulsorily should be self-isolated for 14 days.
These are some of the measures taken by the Canadian Government to help the agricultural and agri-food sectors, as the jobs which are selected for fast track processing belongs to these fields.