Canadian immigration rethinks rights of temporary workers
May 07 2009 by Gareth McConnell
90,000 temporary Canadian visas per year
Temporary foreign workers on Canadian visas should be given more protection from employers and given more time to earn Canadian citizenship, says a new report.
The recommendations were published by the parliamentary foreign affair committee on non-status and temporary foreign workers yesterday.
"No one should feel that they have to tolerate mistreatment in the short term for the long-term gain of permanent residency," it states.
The report also recommends temporary Canadian visa holders shouldn’t be tied to one employer, which campaigners argue promotes worker exploitation, and protecting workers from unscrupulous recruitment agencies.
Alykhan Velshi, a spokesperson for Canadian immigration said he expected many of the recommendations be implemented soon.
"The minister is currently consulting with cultural communities and employers on how to improve the temporary foreign worker program as well as the live-in caregiver program to better protect foreign workers, with a view to implementing tougher regulations in the upcoming months,” he said.
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