By Susana Mas, CBC News | Link to Article
By Susana Mas, CBC News | Link to Article
A coalition of food, retail and tourism industry groups is calling on the government to give entry-level temporary foreign workers the same quick access that skilled immigrants will get under a new system known as express entry.
Starting Jan. 1, the Canadian government will fast track permanent residency for skilled immigrants who will be matched with jobs that can’t be filled by Canadians.
“Give all employers — including employers of lower-skilled occupations — access to the new express entry system for permanent immigration,” four groups say in a joint letter to Employment Minister Jason Kenney and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander made public earlier this week.
The four groups — The Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Restaurants Canada, The Retail Council of Canada, and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada — said this would be one way to address labour shortages in rural or remote parts of the country where employers can’t find Canadians workers.
While employers, lawyers and groups representing immigrants have raised many questions about the new system, MPs had some questions of their own for senior officials who appeared before a Commons committee last week.