Opportunity for Relatives of Temporary Foreign Workers to Canada

Opportunity for Relatives of Temporary Foreign Workers to Canada

Published in the Jamaican Gleaner,  May 28, 2014

Dear Ms. Powell,

What is an open work permit? My father is working at a hotel as a temporary foreign worker and heard that I can get an open work permit. I am very hardworking and just would like to be close to my father.  How can I do that?

MC

Dear MC,

When you are granted an open work permit to Canada that means that you have permission to work in Canada without first getting either a job offer or a positive labour market opinion (LMO) from the Employment and Social Development agency and you are not restricted to one particular employer.

Since your father is already in Canada as a temporary worker, you may be able to get an open work permit under various new programmes and pilot projects through a special arrangement between provinces and the federal government.

Some provinces are in desperate need of certain workers and they are currently granting open work permits to spouses and dependent children of the workers that they would like to attract. In short, they may want your father so much that they may grant his working-age children or spouse permission to be here in Canada; also provide them with an open work permit which authorizes them to work with any employer who is willing to employ them for the length of time of the permit.

Applicable Provinces

This program is available in British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta and the Yukon. The application deadline for British Columbia has passed and the program in the Yukon is slightly different. So, if your father is based in Alberta, Ontario you should apply immediately, if you are able to satisfy the following criteria.

Alberta Requirements:

·               You must be between 18 and 22 years old;

·          Your father must be employed in a managerial, skilled trades, or professional      position;

·         Deadline for application is July 31, 2014.

Ontario Requirements:

·                   You must be at least 14 years old;

·          Your father must be a temporary foreign worker employed in a managerial, skilled trades, or professional position;

·         Deadline for application July 31, 2014.

Yukon Requirements

The Yukon programme is slightly different in that this programme is not restricted to relatives of temporary foreign workers and the work permit granted is not an open work permit, but is tied to a particular employer.   Both the employer and employee will need to satisfy certain basic requirements in order for you to be granted a work permit.

This temporary foreign worker programme was implemented to deal specifically with Yukon’s short-term need for workers in the oil, gas, mineral exploration, mining tourism and hospitality industries. 

Kindly note that these programmes are very popular and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) may change their immigration programmes and deadlines without notice. So if you think you qualify based on the above or if you would like to know if you qualify, I would suggest that you consult with an immigration lawyer immediately, to guide you with your application.

DeidreS. Powell, is a lawyer, mediator, and notary public, who is a member of the Jamaican and Ontario, Canada, bars, with office located in Ottawa, Ontario. Her areas of practice are in immigration, real estate, personal injury, family, commercial, and administration of estates. Submit your questions and comments to Email: info@deidrepowell.com, Subjectline: Immigration. Tel: 613.695.8777. Facebook: jamaicanlawyer Twitter: deidrespowell