The temporary foreign worker program is expanding rapidly in Quebec. Their number in low-wage jobs and agriculture has tripled since 2015.
Our analysis shows that in one year, between October 2021 and the end of September 2022, nearly 7,000 Quebec companies applied to hire this type of worker.
More than 20,000 applications for permits related to agricultural jobs. Most inquiries are still coming from this area, but more and more job offers are also coming from other areas: including food processing (2309) and landscape maintenance (989), but also cooking (579) and nurses, carers or carers for beneficiaries (508).
The dots on the map below represent positions approved with positive Labor Market Assessments (LMIAs) between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022. Their location is for illustrative purposes only, as does Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) public files do not contain specific addresses. Company names are entered manually into the Department’s databases and are therefore subject to minor errors.
Before applying for a work permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), companies must first obtain the right to hire through the temporary alien worker program, specifically by completing an LMIA. Each of these studies mentions a number of items that are subject to approval by the ESDC, which makes these data public.
This preliminary stage thus represents hiring intentions. The vast majority of these are converted into work permits and workers in the area. For example, the map shows that in one year more than 36,000 foreign temporary employment agencies were approved and for the same period – the four quarters spanning between late 2021 and 2022 – about 35,380 work permits were issued or renewed by IRCC.
More broadly, the expansion of this program is part of a major shift toward temporary immigration uncovered by Le Devoir. The size of the large group of temporary workers, which includes the special category of low-wage and agricultural jobs, has exploded in recent years. Their number was at least three times that of permanent residents in 2021 and 2022.