Expanded Alberta program could help temporary foreign workers stay in Canada
By Brent Wittmeier, Edmonton Journal
EDMONTON - Temporary foreign workers will now be able to nominate themselves for permanent residency, the province announced Thursday morning.
Deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk announced the changes to the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) at Spruceland Millworks, a Spruce Grove lumber mill. The change will allow eligible foreign workers with at least two years experience apply to nominate themselves. Potential applicants must still meet other provincial and federal requirements, and the change doesn’t affect quotas or scrutiny of applicants.
Up until now, workers have needed a nomination from their employers. Companies were put in the difficult position of choosing between workers. And those who want to stay weren’t always able to.
“They want to become Canadians, they don’t want to be sending remittances back home,” Lukaszuk said. “They have made friends over here, they have proven themselves as great employees. they have become volunteers over here.”
Alberta has about 70,000 temporary foreign workers, a small dip from the peak of 75,000 in 2007. With unemployment rates under the five per cent marker and a projected labour shortfall of 114,000 workers by 2021, the province believes the shortages will remain chronic.
The change will help alleviate a “revolving door” labour force, in which workers who aren’t nominated are forced to return home after four years, then are replaced by another temporary worker.
“That will give us more permanency, more stability, fewer social issues, lower costs for employers, and some glimmer of ultimate hope for thousands of workers who inevitably want to stay in the country,” Lukaszuk said.
The program emulates a similar federal program, the Canadian Experience Class. Lukaszuk said federal counterparts were given a heads up about the changes and that a conversation about raising quotas will likely take place in the future.
Spruceland Millworks CEO Ben Sawatzky spoke of coming to Canada from Paraguay with his parents and 14 siblings after his father became a foreign worker in the early 1970s. Sawatzky opened his own lumber mill in late 1982.
“We’ve been working with the government on this file for a couple of years and we’re very pleased,” Sawatzky said.
Applications under the new category will be accepted until November 28, 2013, when the government will assess the number of applicants.
Deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk
Photograph by: Leah Hennel , Calgary Herald