April 29, 2013: Business Immigration Update Important changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program were announced on April 29, 2013. Changes included the immediate suspension of both the Accelerated Labour Market Opinion Program and the policy that allowed for a small deviation from the regional prevailing wage if the wage was already being paid to the employer’s Canadian workforce.

Employers of Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) should be aware of increased responsibilities under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR). As of April 1, 2011, several important amendments to the IRPR became effective. Highlights include: New criteria have been added to determine the genuineness of a job offer made to a TFW. Employers can be deemed ineligible to hire a TFW if, during the two years preceding a Labour Market Opinion application,