Canada Changes Work Rules, Extends Employment Periods for Foreign Workers From Ghana, Others

• Canada's federal government announced it is doubling the maximum employment period for low-wage temporary foreign workers from one year to two
• Immigration Minister Lena Diab said Ottawa plans to work more closely with provinces and territories to tailor the programme to regional labour needs
• Additional reforms proposed for March 2027 would allow provinces to raise the share of low-wage temporary foreign workers in a workforce from 10% to 15%

Canada has announced changes to its Temporary Foreign Worker Programme that will extend the maximum period employers can hire low-wage foreign workers, a development with direct implications for Ghanaians and other African workers seeking employment in the country.

The federal government confirmed it is doubling the maximum duration of a low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from one year to two.

The LMIA is the document an employer must obtain before hiring a temporary foreign worker, and the extension means workers can remain in a placement for longer without requiring fresh approvals.

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Restrictions and exemptions

Existing rules that restrict hiring in cities where the unemployment rate exceeds six per cent will remain unchanged. However, Ottawa is expanding the list of professions exempt from those restrictions, adding early childhood educators alongside roles already exempted in health care, construction, and food processing.

Immigration Minister Lena Diab, speaking at a press conference in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, said the government had received consistent feedback on the need for the programme. "I have heard also loud and clear from many people across the country, no matter who they are, that there is a need for that program," she said.

Diab stressed that all jobs must first be made available to Canadian residents before foreign workers are considered.

She added, however, that certain regions face genuine labour shortages that cannot be filled locally. "There are regions in the country that do not have the Canadians applying," she said.

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Proposed reforms from 2027

The government is also proposing a broader set of changes to low-wage LMIA applications, scheduled to take effect on 1 March 2027, subject to provinces and territories opting in. Under those proposals, regional governments would gain the authority to add or remove occupations from the list of jobs exempt from the six-per-cent unemployment threshold.

Provinces and territories could also be granted the power to allow employers to increase the proportion of low-wage temporary foreign workers in their workforces to 15 per cent, up from the current cap of 10 per cent. Diab made clear that the decision would rest with individual provinces.

"The percentages that you raise will be up to the provinces and territories to say yes or no," she said.

Separately, Diab used the occasion to announce that the Rural Community Immigration Pilot, which has connected skilled foreign workers with more than 1,950 employers across 14 rural communities facing labour shortages, is being made permanent and will include a pathway to permanent residency. Approximately 5,500 permanent residency slots are allocated to the programme under the latest immigration levels plan, with the government signalling plans to expand it to additional communities.

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Canada's national unemployment rate stood at 6.7 per cent as of October, according to Statistics Canada, having fluctuated between roughly 6.5 per cent and seven per cent over the preceding two years.

Canada sets age requirement for foreigners seeking citizenship

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Canada had published a minimum age requirement for foreigners applying for citizenship.

Details published by the Canadian government state that applicants must be at least 18 years old to apply for citizenship independently.

Source: YEN.com.gh