Which countries do foreign workers in Canada belong to?

The federal department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released new data, offering us information that from which countries the maximum temporary foreign workers (TFWs) are arriving in Canada since the beginning of the year 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected Canada’s immigration levels; however, there are still higher immigration levels of TWFs compared to that of permanent residents. The statistics have shown that the eligible TWFs who qualify under either of the two programs, Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) or International Mobility Program (IMP), have obtained new work permits in Canada. Also Read: 9 Easiest Ways to Immigrate to Canada Between these two programs, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is smaller that welcomes foreign workers in Canada. The purpose of the TFWP is to meet the immediate Canadian labour-market shortages, that is, job positions for which Canadian employers are not able to find eligible candidates among the Canadian residents and citizens. Over the past years, the primary function of this stream has been to welcome seasonal agricultural workers in the country. The TFWP is also used by Canadian employers to fill job positions in other sectors and occupations. On the other hand, the International Mobility Program works on a broader level to meet Canada’s economic and social requirements. As a result, the majority of the temporary foreign workers are issued a work permit under an IMP stream:

International Experience Canada, with the aim to secure the economic and social relations of Canada with its peer countries, and
Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), with the objective to offer Canadian work experience to the international students to become eligible for Canadian permanent residency.

These streams differ from the Global Talent Stream (GTS), as the purpose of the GTS is to welcome tech workers to Canada.

Immigration levels under TFWP reduced by 18% in 2020 against the year 2019

For the first four months of the year 2020, Canada issued more than 33,000 work permits under the TFWP. The top five countries which contributed to these immigration levels were:

Mexico
Jamaica
India
Guatemala
Philippines

Mexicans contributed 41 percent of TFWs of all, welcomed under this program. Around 66 percent of these 33,000 work permits were obtained by workers in the agricultural sector. Also Read: How to apply for Canadian Express Entry without a Job Offer. However, the total TFWs have decreased by 18 percent as compared to the same period for the last year. The primary reason which led to the declined immigration level is the coronavirus pandemic.

Immigration levels under IMP declined by 16% in 2020

Under the IMP, more than 76,000 work permits were issued, which is 16 percent less in the first four months of 2020 compared to the last year. The top five countries which contributed to these immigration levels were:

India
France
China
US
UK

Indian nationals accounted for 36 percent of total TFWs, welcomed under this program. Brazil and South Korea are just behind the UK on the list, contributing to the immigration levels under IMP. Among all the streams of IMP, the PGWP issued the maximum number of the work permits. In the first months of 2020, PGWP accounted for 35 percent of the total work permits issued under the IMP. If we add the number of work permits issued to the spouses or common-law partners of the PGWP holders, then this figure will become even more significant. The Post-Graduation Work Permit stream is well-known among international students. Under this stream, they enjoy the benefit of acquiring professional Canadian work experience, which later on, they can use to make their immigration applications more competitive. Indians account for the maximum number of Canada’s international students, considering this fact, we may calculate that they also account for the maximum number of work permit holders under the International Mobility Program.

Previewing the rest of 2020

Considering the current situation, we may conclude that the COVID-19 will continue to impact the immigration levels of permanent and temporary residents in Canada over the remaining year. However, the number of temporary foreign workers will be less affected than the number of permanent workers due to this pandemic. The reasons for this are:

The temporary foreign workers are exempt from travel restrictions in Canada, and
Many individuals who will obtain new work permits in 2020 are pre-residing in Canada.

The federal department of IRCC has stated that they are committed to processing new work permit applications submitted by the temporary foreign workers and Canadian employers. Temporary foreign workers residing outside of Canada are exempt from Canadian travel restrictions if they are traveling for non-optional reasons. These foreign nationals include:

Foreign nationals who have a valid work permit in Canada.
Foreign nationals to whom the federal department of IRCC has issued a letter of introduction on a work permit and the work permit will be issued to them shortly.