January 17, 2012

What is the Purpose of Temporary Foreign Worker Units?

Citizenship & Immigration Canada’s response to questions regarding the functionality of Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWU’s) andtheir effectiveness:

“Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs) serve as an optional first point of contact for Canadian employers and the business community to help facilitate the entry of temporary foreign workers into Canada. They provide “opinions” on labour market opinion (LMO) exempt cases in order to facilitate the entry of temporary foreign workers from visa-exempt countries and to offer guidance to employers, their representatives and service delivery partners on the process of hiring a temporary foreign worker. They also coordinate and conduct outreach sessions with clients, partners and stakeholders regarding the TFW program, policies and programs. All other requests for temporary foreign workers are directed to Service Canada for labour market opinions. This CIC service is offered free of charge which reinforces CIC’s commitment to helping Canadian employers meet their labour market needs where the entry of labour market opinion exempt foreign workers is an appropriate solution.

The TFWUs assess requests for LMO exemptions on a case bycase basis. This involves pre-screening supporting documents from employers and foreign workers to streamline the application process. Where supporting documentation and information may not be adequate to meet the eligibilityrequirements of a specific exemption, additional documentation and information may be requested to help facilitate a positive decision. All new submissions are taken into consideration; however where subsequent documentation is not sufficient to make a decision or does not meet exemption requirements, a negative opinion may result. If clients wish to re-submit new information, the officer may reconsider the application. In some cases, clients may re-submit their application for consideration by another officer. Temporary foreign workers who are visa exempt also have the option to apply for a labour market opinion exemption directly at the Port of Entry. Temporary Foreign Workers requiring visas will have the labour market opinion exemption assessed by the officer at the mission abroad at the time their application is assessed. If there are concerns or issues with TFWU services or staff, clients are directed to contact the appropriate TFWU manager located in the respective region. (Vancouver, Calgary,Toronto, Montreal, or Moncton).”