The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is the general term used to describe the Government of Canada’s various immigration programs under which Canadian employers hire foreign workers from different countries.
The TFWP is administered by three agencies: Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Changes coming to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
The Government of Canada will be making changes to its Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement during an address to the Liberal Party in Edmonton, Alberta on September 10, 2025.
Carney said that the TFWP “must have a focused approach that targets specific, strategic sectors, and needs in specific regions.”
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is the country’s immigration program that allows Canadian employers to hire foreign nationals to address their labour shortages.
Critics of the program has called it inherently exploitive, subjecting temporary foreign workers to abuse, exploitation and poor working conditions. Others have blamed the program for reducing job opportunities as well as suppressing wages for Canadians.
Conservatives call for the TFWP to be scrapped
Pierre Poilievre, leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, has called for the elimination of the program, saying that it has flooded the market with cheap foreign labour and made it hard for young Canadians to find work.
The Conservative Party wants the program scrapped, and said that they would create a new program specifically to address labour needs in Canada’s agricultural sector.
Carney has said that his government will be making changes to immigration policies, but responded to Poilievre’s suggestions of scrapping the program entirely “ridiculous”.
StatsCan – Population Growth Continues To Stall
Canada’s population growth has continued to stall, marking six consecutive quarters of slower growth.
In a report released in June, Statistics Canada said that the decline can be traced to steps taken by the Government of Canada to lower immigration numbers in 2024.
The first quarter of 2025 was the second slowest quarter for population growth since Canada began taking records in 1946.
Canada’s population now stands at 41,548,787.
History of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program
West Indian Domestic Scheme
A precursor of the modern TFWP was the West Indian Domestic Scheme, which allowed women from Caribbean countries to come to work as domestic workers from 1955 to 1967. During this time, foreign workers were given permanent residency after one year of work in Canada, as well as the chance to sponsor their family members.
Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP)
Canada next introduced the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) in 1966. Canada entered into bilateral agreements with different countries to recruit foreign workers under the program. Under the SAWP, Canadian employers can hire foreign workers for agricultural work. Only citizens of Mexico and select Caribbean countries (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines as well as Trinidad and Tobago) are allowed to participate under the SAWP.
In 1968, immigration policies changed, including ending the West Indian Domestic Scheme. Foreign workers coming to Canada as domestic helpers were no longer granted permanent residency after one year of work in Canada, instead they were given temporary employment visas.
In 1973, the TFWP was established to allow Canadian employers to hire high-skilled foreign workers.
Caregivers
In 1981, the Foreign Domestic Movement Program was established to help Canadian employers hire foreign workers to take care of their children, elderly or family members with disabilities. In 1992, the Foreign Domestic Movement Program became the Live-In Caregiver Program (LCP).
The LCP continued to allow Canadian employers to hire foreign workers for caregiver positions, similar to its predecessor, the Foreign Domestic Movement Program.
Under the LCP, foreign workers now had to live with their Canadian employers. When the LCP closed for new applications in 2014, an Interim Pathway for Caregivers Program became a limited time pathway for foreign workers under the LCP to apply for permanent residents. The interim program was closed for new applications in 2019.
The LCP was replaced by two pilot programs: Caring for Children Pilot and Caring for People with High Medical Needs Pilot. Those two pilot programs were closed for new applications in 2019, and was replaced by the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot. Those two pilots were closed for new applications in 2024.
New pilot programs for caregivers will start in the fall, with a target of 15,000 applications to be accepted. The new pilots will allow caregivers to be granted permanent residency upon arrival.
Temporary Foreign Worker Program Basics
Most Canadian employers will need to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) before they can hire a foreign worker.
Canadian employers who are not exempt from applying for an LMIA must submit an application to ESDC.
Once a positive LMIA has been issued, the Canadian employer must provide the foreign worker a copy of the confirmation letter as part of their application for a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV).
Canadian employers who are exempt from applying for an LMIA will instead go through the International Mobility Program (IMP).
Under the IMP, Canadian employers must pay a compliance fee and submit an offer of employment using the appropriate forms in the Employer Portal.
Canadian employers hiring Francophone or bilingual foreign workers outside the province of Quebec are exempt from applying for an LMIA under the Francophone Mobility stream.
Canadian employers from the province of Quebec hiring foreign workers under the TFWP must provide their foreign workers with an attestation of issuance of a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) from the Quebec ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) prior to a work permit being issued.
Canadian employers from the province of Quebec hiring foreign workers under the IMP are exempt from having to secure a CAQ from the MIFI.
Temporary Foreign Worker Program Streams
High and Low Wage Positions
This stream is for Canadian employers hiring foreign workers for a wide range of positions based on the provincial or territorial median wage.
Global Talent Stream
This stream is for Canadian employers hiring foreign workers with unique or in-demand skills that will help them grow their business.
Hiring In The Province Of Quebec
This stream is for Canadian employers hiring foreign workers for the employment in the province of Quebec.
Primary Agriculture Positions
This stream is for Canadian employers hiring foreign workers for employment in primary agriculture.
Caregiver Positions
This stream is for Canadian employers hiring foreign workers to care for children, seniors or persons with medical needs.
Recognized Employer Pilot
This stream is for Canadian employers hiring foreign workers using a simplified online application process.
Applications To Support Permanent Residency
This stream is for Canadian employers hiring foreign workers with the intention of supporting their application for permanent residency under a specific immigration program.
Foreign Academic Positions
This stream is for Canadian degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions hiring foreign workers for academic positions.
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