Say Goodbye to Temporary Foreign Workers in Alberta
On October 26, 2020, the Alberta Government announced changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program that will severely limit the number and types of jobs available to temporary foreign workers in the province.
On November 1, 2020, more than 500 occupations will be added to the “refusal to process list”. The refusal to process list was introduced in 2017 and currently contains 29 occupations.
After the November 1, 2020 update, Alberta employers will only be able to obtain Labour Market Impact Assessments to fill one of the 27 occupations not on the refusal to process list. We understand that these occupations are generally in the following sectors:
- First Responders;
- Information Technology;
- Agriculture and Farming;
- Medicine;
- Pilots; and
- Homecare.
Alberta employers seeking to hire foreign workers pursuant to a Labour Market Impact Assessment exemption will not be affected by these changes.
For more information about the changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program pleasecontact a member of our Immigration practice group.