Last week was marked by two news that have a significant impact on the recruitment of your Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs).

First on February 24, the list of the simplified process under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) was modified. Thanks to the thirty-day transition period, you can continue to apply for a profession found on the old list if it is no longer on the new one. You will notice that several professions are no longer on it and we are referring here, for example, to the food service and hospital professions or to administrative assistants. And yes, again this year, personal care attendants are not on the list and if you are considering recruiting in this profession, you must make all efforts regarding posting required by the TFWP.

We also remind you that the salary guide was revised in December 2020 and that it is mandatory to follow the procedure to determine the salary in order for your request to be admissible.

Then, the federal government decided to open the 2021-2022 season of International Experience Canada (IEC). The pools for some countries will open on March 1. It is important to remember that candidate registration is annual and once the program closes, potential candidates must register again in order to participate in the next season. Therefore, if your applicants were unsuccessful in obtaining an invitation in the previous season, they must remember that re-registration is required in order to get an invitation.

It is also time to remember that requirements differ from one country to another and you should check these requirements depending on the country of citizenship of your applicants.

This year’ special feature is aimed at participants in the Working Holiday Program (WHV). In order to receive an invitation, applicants must provide a valid job offer. This requirement should not be mistaken with the validation of the job offer via the Employer Portal. Rather, your applicants will need to contact IRCC via a specific email address by providing some information that allows the department to conclude that the immigration candidate will have a job in Canada upon arrival. This measure is in line with the requirements to ban non-essential travel, already in force for a year. In addition, during the past year, IRCC required applicants to submit an offer of employment upon arrival in order to have their work permit granted.

Probably that despite the current challenges affecting international mobility, EIC will once again prove to be the best tool for recruiting TFWs quickly and at a lower cost. It remains to be seen whether IRCC will decide to increase the number of places once quotas are reached, as in previous years.