Canadian employers are now required to extend vacancies for low-wage jobs, prioritising their citizens, which is expected to create few opportunities for foreign workers.

These employers seeking to hire employees are now required to advertise low-wage vacancies for a minimum of eight continuous weeks before submitting a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application.

This update doubles the previous requirement of four weeks, ensuring a more exhaustive search for local candidates prior to creating opportunities for foreign workers through an LMIA.

The LMIA is a document Canadian employers must obtain from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) before hiring foreign workers. It verifies that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident is available to fill the position, ensuring that the foreign hire does not negatively impact the local labour market.

The job must be advertised for at least three months prior to the application, with the full eight-week recruitment drive completed before the LMIA can be lodged.

Employers must provide definitive proof that they have made an extensive effort to find local workers before looking abroad.

The major change in the policy is the mandatory requirement to target young job seekers aged 15 to 30. Employers must demonstrate genuine efforts to attract young applicants through specific actions, such as:

The Canadian government stated that the primary objective is to ensure that Canadian citizens and permanent residents, particularly young people entering the workforce, are given first priority for available roles.

For employers, the LMIA process will now be more time-consuming and will require a higher standard of evidence regarding their recruitment attempts.

For foreign workers, especially those targeting low-wage roles, these changes may result in: ?

Despite these stricter measures, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program remains a pathway for businesses that can prove a genuine inability to find staff within Canada.

Based on these changes, it is clear that Canada is clearly shifting its focus towards domestic hiring. For job seekers and travellers exploring opportunities, this update signals a more cautious and locally orientated approach to the national labour market. (BusinessDay)

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