Jobs in Canada for families of open work permit holders amid labor crisis

Toronto:

In a major move that will benefit thousands of Indian professionals and other foreigners in Canada, the North American country will extend work permit eligibility to the family members of open work permit (OWP) holders starting next year to address acute labor shortages. to grab.

The OWP allows foreigners to work in Canada for any employer and any job.

Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Secretary Sean Fraser announced on Friday that his department will issue work permits to relatives of temporary foreign workers.

“Canada Expands Work Permits for Family Members! Beginning in 2023, spouses and children of a lead applicant will be eligible to work in Canada,” Fraser tweeted.

“Expanding work permit eligibility for family members accompanying the main applicant to Canada will help address labor shortages by helping employers find the employees they need,” he said in a press statement.

Employers across the country continue to view a 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 employment gaps by extending work permits to family members at all skill levels, enabling family members of more than 200,000 foreign workers to work in Canada.

Prior to this announcement, spouses were only eligible for a work permit if the main applicant was employed in a highly skilled occupation.

The new measure aims to improve employees’ emotional well-being, physical health and financial stability by keeping families together. As a result, the employee is expected to better integrate into their overall work environment and community, Fraser said.

Beginning in January 2023, Canada will extend eligibility to work in the country to spouses and children of working age through a phased approach for workers at all skill levels through a two-year temporary measure, the statement said.

“As a result of this new approach, it is estimated that family members of more than 200,000 foreign workers could go to work in Canada, providing greater opportunity for both foreign workers seeking to work in Canada and employers meeting their labor needs.” said.

The measure will be implemented in 3 phases to ensure successful implementation.

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