IRCC Deputy Minister Transition Binder 2026 - Temporary Workers

Context

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) authorizes foreign nationals to work temporarily in Canada, either with or without a work permit. According to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, “work” includes any activity for which wages are paid or commission is earned, or that is in direct competition with the activities of Canadian citizens or permanent residents in the Canadian labour market.

Background

• Certain foreign nationals can work in Canada without a work permit. This group includes business visitors, foreign diplomats, visiting military personnel, emergency service providers, performing artists, participants in sporting events, and transportation crew.
• Foreign nationals working in Canada with a work permit fall under one of two programs: the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) or the International Mobility Program (IMP).
• The TFWP includes the high-wage and low-wage streams, the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, the Primary Agriculture Stream, and the Global Talent Stream.
• The IMP offers options such as Post-Graduation Work Permits, youth mobility agreements, international agreements, reciprocal employment, intra-company transferees, and academic exchanges. Additionally, the IMP supports migration responses to global crises and asylum claimants in-Canada who are waiting for a decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board. Those eligible for the IMP also include spouses of high-skilled workers, some students as well as applicants for permanent residence.
• As of December 31, 2025, there were 1.46 million foreign nationals in Canada who held a work permit.

Work permits may be employer-specific or open:

• Employer-specific work permits authorize foreign nationals to only work for the employer, occupation, and location specified on their work permit. These work permits also place employers under a compliance regime designed to ensure safe and fair working conditions and to prevent misuse of the program. Employer-specific work permit holders must seek authorization from IRCC if they change employers, occupations, or locations.
  • Open work permits authorize foreign nationals to work for virtually any employer, in any occupation in Canada, without seeking additional authorization from IRCC. For example, this is issued to graduating international students (Post-Graduation Work Permit [PGWP]) to support retention of skilled talent in Canada. Employers of open work permit holders are not subject to the employer compliance regime.
• All work permits issued under the TFWP are employer-specific. Work permits issued under the IMP may be open, or employer-specific:
• From 2019 to 2025, the total number of work permit holders under the IMP increased by over 153%, rising from approximately 500,000 in 2019 to just over 1.23 million in 2025.
  • Much of this growth began in 2023 as facilitation measures were introduced as part of post-pandemic efforts to support labour market needs, and in response to global crises.
• As of December 31, 2025, 90% (1.1 million) of permits issued under the IMP were open work permits, and 10% (117,000) were employer-specific work permits. Of the 1.1 million open work about permit holders,
  • 40% (443,000) were under the PGWP;
  • 29% (323,000) received a work permit as part of whole-of-government responses to international crises (e.g., Ukraine);
  • 18% (195,000) are spouses of highly-skilled workers and select graduate students;
  • 8% (89,000) are comprised of International Experience Canada participants, working and travelling under reciprocal youth mobility agreements; and
  • 4% (45,000) are foreign nationals in Canada awaiting a decision on their permanent residence application.
• Open work permits are also issued to asylum claimants, protected persons, and other related groups to allow these cohorts to financially sustain themselves while they are in Canada.
  • As of December 31, 2025, these cohorts held an additional 363,000 open work permits, beyond the 1.1 million open work permits in IMP streams specified above.

2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan

• The Government of Canada has committed to reducing the number of non-permanent residents to less than 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027.
• In fall 2024, IRCC released, for the first time ever, an Immigration Levels Plan that was inclusive of temporary resident targets, specifically international students and temporary workers.
• Under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, temporary worker targets have been set at 230,000 for 2026, and notionally at 220,000 for 2027 and 2028. These targets are a combination of:
  • IMP: 170,000 for 2026, and 170,000 notionally for 2027 and 2028; and
  • TFWP: 60,000 for 2026, and 50,000 notionally for 2027 and 2028.
• Since 2024, both the TFWP and IMP have been strategically recalibrated to improve alignment with economic priorities and sustainable immigration objectives [Redacted].
  • As a result of these recalibration measures (detailed below), 47% fewer new workers arrived in 2025 compared to 2024; down 184,340.
  • There were approximately 146,000 fewer workers in IMP and 38,000 fewer workers in the TFWP.

Spotlight on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program

• The TFWP allows Canadian employers to hire temporary foreign workers to fill temporary jobs when qualified Canadians or permanent residents are not available. All work permits issued are employer-specific (closed) work permits.
• Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and IRCC co-manage the TFWP. ESDC renders decisions on Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications submitted by employers for positions that are hard to fill. If the LMIA is approved, IRCC renders decisions on the work permit applications associated with the approved positions.
• ESDC assesses the LMIA to determine the likely effect the worker(s) would have on the Canadian labour market. Factors to assess the impact include:
  • Available labour market information for the region and occupation;
  • Employer’s recruitment and advertisement efforts;
  • Wages and working conditions;
  • Labour shortages; and
  • Transfer of skills and knowledge to Canadians.

Recent announcements:

• Given evolving labour market conditions, and to further reduce the reliance of Canadian employers on the TFWP, ESDC has tightened program parameters to support the government’s volume reduction objectives, include:
  • Halving the validity of an LMIA from 12 months to six months;
  • Requiring employers to consider recruitment of underrepresented groups, including asylum claimants with valid work permits; and
  • Refusing to accept attestations from professional accountants or lawyers to prove employers’ business legitimacy.
• TFWP stream-specific changes include:
• Low-Wage stream:
  • Limiting the authorized period of work from two years to one year;
  • Capping an employer’s low-wage workforce to 10%; and
  • Refusing to process LMIAs in census metropolitan areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher.
  • Priority sectors—construction, healthcare, and food security/processing—are exempt from the 10% cap and LMIA refusal-to-process.
• High-Wage Stream:
  • Increasing the wage threshold for the high-wage stream by 20% ($5–$8) above the provincial/territorial median hourly wage.
• ESDC and IRCC were committed to develop a new foreign labour stream for agriculture and fish processing under the TFWP. ESDC conducted consultations throughout 2024–2025 on key design elements of this stream. Policy work is currently underway on possible reforms.

Spotlight on the International Mobility Program

• The IMP exempts Canadian employers from LMIA requirements in support of Canada’s broader economic, social, and cultural objectives.
• Five regulatory exemptions (found in s. 204 to 208 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations) translate into over 80 exemptions from the requirement to obtain an LMIA.
• Exemptions are based on broader Government of Canada objectives and the themes include:
  • Reciprocity;
  • Economic & Labour Market Growth;
  • Social & Cultural Contributions;
  • Permanent Resident Pathways; and
  • Humanitarian.

Recent announcements:

• Supporting Canada’s Construction Sector:
  • In March 2025, IRCC announced a measure to facilitate eligible apprentices in the construction sector to study without a study permit.
• Restricting Open Work Permits for Spouses:
  • In January 2025, IRCC implemented measures to tighten open work permit eligibility for family members of international students and temporary workers.
  • For spouses of international students, access is now limited to spouses of those enrolled in master’s programs of 16 months or more in duration, doctoral programs, certain professional programs, and select programs.
  • For family members of temporary workers, access is now limited to the spouse of a temporary worker employed in a management or professional occupation, or in sectors/jobs linked to government priorities such as in natural and applied sciences, construction, health care, natural resources, and education. In addition, the temporary worker must have at least 16 months remaining on their work authorization at the time of application.
• Recalibrating Post-Graduation Work Permit:
• In November 2024, IRCC implemented reforms to the PGWP to better align it with labour market needs and to support immigration goals.
  • PGWP applicants must now demonstrate a minimum level of language proficiency. Additionally, new study permit applicants intending to pursue studies in programs that don’t lead to bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees (e.g., certificates, college diplomas) must graduate in an eligible field of study linked to long-term labour shortages.
  • While PGWP account for the largest share of open work permit holders (40%), there was a 14% decrease in the number of new PGWP holders in 2025, compared to 2024. Further reductions are anticipated in 2026 and 2027 once the effects of PGWP reforms and student caps fully materialize.

Protection of Temporary Foreign Workers

• Foreign workers have the same rights to workplace protections under federal, provincial, and territorial employment standards and collective agreements as Canadians and permanent residents.
• To promote safe and fair working conditions for temporary foreign workers coming to Canada under employer-specific work permits, IRCC and ESDC operate Employer Compliance Regimes—for IMP and TFWP respectively—to strictly monitor employers’ adherence to program requirements and conditions through inspections and the administration of penalties for non-compliance.
• [Redacted].
• IRCC works closely with ESDC to ensure a consistent approach to Employer Compliance and worker protection across all programs that bring temporary foreign workers to Canada.

Quebec’s authorities for temporary workers

• Overall, under both the TFWP and IMP, Quebec has control over approximately half of the temporary workers in the province.

Quebec’s authorities under the TFWP:

• Under the Canada-Québec Accord, Quebec manages the TFWP in concert with ESDC, ESDC assesses the LMIA while the province assesses the candidate seeking employment and consents to the admission of TFWs through the issuance of a Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ).
• As a result, Quebec has direct control over all streams under the TFWP, as these foreign nationals all require a CAQ.

Quebec’s authorities under the IMP:

• IRCC retains full authority over the IMP. Foreign nationals destined to work in Quebec under the IMP do not require a LMIA and as such, do not require a CAQ.
• However, several IMP streams have been specifically implemented for individuals who have either been pre-selected or selected by Quebec for permanent residence
• As such Quebec has control over certain streams under the IMP, under which individuals require a Certificat de sélection du Québec or an Avis d’intention de selection.
• IMP streams for which Quebec does not have control include predominantly work permit holders under special measures (e.g., Canada–Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel) and work permits issued under free trade and youth mobility agreements (e.g., Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement, International Experience Canada).
• Quebec also does not have control over work permits issued to asylum claimants.

Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Negotiations

• IRCC co-leads with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) the negotiation of labour mobility provisions, known as Temporary Entry (TE) Chapters, in Canada’s free trade agreements. Together, the two departments develop Canada’s negotiating positions, and ensure outcomes are aligned with Canada’s immigration and trade policy goals. IRCC is also responsible for operationalizing TE commitments and ongoing administration, including establishing associated work permit pathways and immigration guidance.
• TE chapters are designed to support trade and investment by making it easier for highly skilled business persons—such as business visitors, investors, intra-company transferees, and professionals—to enter or work across borders. They reduce or remove the need for an LMIA and create predictable, binding pathways which give businesses greater certainty and help Canadian businesses access talent, expand into new markets, and deliver services abroad. To date, Canada has TE chapters in 10 FTAs, covering over 40 countries.
• In 2025, the Government of Canada announced the launch and/or resumption of several free trade agreements negotiations to support its ambitious trade diversification strategy, including with India, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Philippines, Mercosur, United Arab Emirates, Costa Rica, Uruguay, and Thailand. [Redacted].