Temporary Foreign Worker pilot project in Alberta expanded
by Canadian Manufacturing Daily Staff
Program sees workers issued permit, allowed to move freely between Alberta employers
Ottawa—The federal government has expanded a Temporary Foreign Worker pilot project for Alberta employers looking to hire highly skilled foreign workers in certain in-demand occupations.
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney and Alberta Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education Stephen Khan announced the expanded project that allows eligible foreign workers to seek temporary employment in certain skilled trades and occupations.
“Alberta is facing some of the most acute labour shortages in the country,” Kenney said in a statement. “The expansion of this pilot project will enable more employers in Alberta to hire foreign workers on a temporary basis to fill short-term skills and labour needs when Canadians or permanent residents are unavailable.”
The project is expanding beyond the steamfitter/pipefitter occupation to include welders, heavy duty mechanics, ironworkers, millwrights and industrial mechanics, carpenters and estimators, the government announced.
“Our consultations with Alberta employers and our own labour forecasts show there is a need to expand the pilot to include these high-demand occupations,” Khan said in a statement. “We appreciate the cooperation and support of our federal colleagues in working with us to help employers get the workers they need sooner.”
Originally launched June 1, 2011, under the Temporary Foreign Worker Annex to the Agreement for Canada-Alberta Cooperation on Immigration, the pilot project allows eligible foreign nationals to come to Alberta to work temporarily in a specific occupation.
This program enables them to be issued a work permit that allows them to move freely between Alberta employers, without requiring authorization from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada/Service Canada in the form of a Labour Market Opinion (LMO).
