Print-Friendly Version    

Canada issued 192,519 visas to temporary foreign workers in 2008, up from 113,000 in 2004. Newly arrived migrants included 25,063 farm workers, up from 7,188 in 1980, and 12,864 nannies and home-care workers, up from 2,614 in 1980.

Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act of 2002 changed the philosophy of temporary foreign worker programs to admit them if they had positive overall effects on Canada instead of focusing on their potential adverse effects on Canadian workers. In November 2008, Human Resources Development Canada further liberalized employer access to temporary foreign workers by reducing required recruitment efforts in labor-short "occupations under pressure."

The Maytree Foundation reported in August 2009 that the surge in temporary workers was slowing the processing of skilled immigrants, thus reducing the inflow of skills to Canada. Many of those admitted under the temporary programs to fill low-skill jobs such as meatpacker hope to be nominated by their employers and provincial governments to become immigrants. Temporary foreign workers who are laid off can stay in Canada until their work permits run out, often two years, although they are generally not eligible for employment insurance.

In 2008, the number of temporary workers and foreign students admitted to Canada, 272,520, exceeded the number of immigrants admitted, 247,202. The leading country of origin of foreign students was Korea, 14,000, followed by China, 13,700.

Canada's unemployment rate was 8.7 percent in August 2009, the highest in a decade, as the economy added mostly part-time jobs.

Over 100,000 foreigners, mostly Filipino women, have become immigrants in Canada over the past 25 years by providing care for at least two years in a private home.

Visas. On July 15, 2009, Canada imposed visa requirements on Czechs and Mexicans in reaction to a wave of asylum applications. Canada lifted visa requirements for Czechs late in 2007, and 840 Czechs applied for asylum in 2008. About 40 percent of the Czech asylum applicants are recognized as refugees; most of the other applications are withdrawn or abandoned. The Canadian government justified the visa requirement by noting that Czechs can travel freely within the EU and apply for asylum in an EU country if necessary.

The number of Mexicans applying for asylum rose from 3,400 in 2005 to 9,400 in 2008; Mexicans filed a quarter of all asylum applications in Canada in 2008. Only 10 percent of the Mexican asylum applicants are recognized as refugees, while 60 percent of the applications are withdrawn or abandoned, leading to suspicions that middlemen are helping Mexicans to get to Canada to work illegally. Canada may create a list of safe third countries from which asylum applications will not generally be accepted in Canada.

Asylum. A white South African, Brandon Huntley, was granted asylum in Canada in August 2009 after being attacked six or seven times by Blacks between 1991 and 2003. According to the Immigration and Refugee Board, Huntley provided "clear and convincing proof of the state's inability or unwillingness to protect him."

South Africa's ruling African National Congress party condemned the Canadian decision as "racist," noting that Huntley did not report the attacks to police in a suburb near Cape Town and stayed illegally in Canada after his visa expired. The Canadian government will challenge the decision of the independent IRB. Canadian refugee policies have been attacked for encouraging frivolous applications.

Ian Austen, "South Africa Objects to a White Citizen's Refugee Status in Canada," New York Times, September 3, 2009. Alboim, Naomi. 2009. Adjusting the Balance: Fixing Canada's Economic Immigration Policies. Maytree Foundation. www.maytree.com/policy