Service Canada “Refusal to Process” in Certain Economic Regions

Meurrens LawLabour Market Impact Assessments

On June 23, we wrote about how on June 20, 2014, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”) and the Ministry of Economic and Social Development Canada (“ESDC”) announced significant reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (“TFWP”).  One of the changes was: Refusing Low-Skilled Applications in Areas of High Unemployment in Some Occupations ESDC will refuse to process certain LMIA applications in the Accommodation, Food Services and Retail Trade sectors. Specifically, ESDC will not process LMIA applications for employers if they meet all of the following criteria: the employer is applying for an LMIA in a Statistics Canada economic region with an annual unemployment rate over 6%; the employer is seeking an LMIA in a specific occupation identified under North American Industry Classification System as Accommodations & Food Service or Retail Sales; and the employer is seeking an LMIA in an occupation in one of the following occupations: Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Occupations ; Light Duty Cleaners ; Cashiers; Grocery Clerks and Store Shelf Stockers; Construction Trades Helpers and Labourers; Landscaping and Grounds Maintenance Labourers; Other Attendants in Accommodation and Travel; Janitors, Caretakers and Building Superintendents; Specialized Cleaners; and Security Guards and Related Occupations. In today’s post, I wish to … Read More