Toronto, Dec 3 (PTI) In a major move that will benefit thousands of Indian and other foreign professionals in Canada, the US country will extend its work permit eligibility to family members of Open Work Permit (OWP) holders. from next year to address acute labor shortages.
The OWP allows foreign nationals to work in Canada for any company and any job.
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser announced Friday that his department is extending work permits to family members of temporary foreign workers.
“Canada is expanding work permits for family members! Starting in 2023, spouses and children of a primary applicant will be eligible to work in Canada,” Fraser tweeted.
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“Expanding work permit eligibility to family members accompanying the principal applicant to Canada will help address labor shortages by helping employers find the workers they need,” he said in a statement of press
Employers across the country continue to identify the lack of workers as their biggest obstacle, Fraser said.
The new measure, he said, will help employers find the workers they need to fill their labor shortages by extending work permits to family members at all skill levels, allowing family members of more than 200,000 foreign workers can work in Canada.
Prior to this announcement, spouses were only eligible for a work permit if the primary applicant worked in a highly skilled occupation.
The new measure aims to improve the emotional well-being, physical health and economic stability of workers while keeping families together. As a result, the worker is expected to better integrate into their overall work environment and community, Fraser said.
Starting in January 2023, through a two-year temporary measure, Canada will expand eligibility to work in the country to working-age spouses and children through a phased approach for workers of all skill levels , according to the statement.
“As a result of this new approach, it is estimated that the family members of more than 200,000 foreign workers could begin working in Canada, providing greater opportunity for both foreign workers seeking to work in Canada and employers who attend to their labor needs”. said
The measure will be implemented in 3 phases to ensure its successful implementation.
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