The prevalence of temporary foreign workers has grown since the program was launched in the 1970s, with an estimated three in 10 agricultural businesses hiring foreign workers in 2023.  Photo: gomezdavid/iStock/Getty Images

Improvements to temporary foreign worker program recommended: CFIB

Temporary foreign workers (TFWs) may help alleviate persistent labour shortages in Canada’s agricultural sector, but adjustments to the system would increase efficiencies and create better alignment with the practical needs of agri-businesses, according to new research from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) that includes several recommendations for policy makers. “While government is reviewing […] Read more



Senate proposes third-party Commission to address systemic TFW issues

Senate proposes third-party Commission to address systemic TFW issues

An independent agency is needed to coordinate temporary and migrant labour policy, says a Senate committee report released today. The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology offers six recommendations to the federal government in its Act Now: Solutions for Temporary and Migrant Labour in Canada report. The committee set out to study […] Read more

Agriculture industry wary of federal immigration plan

Agriculture industry wary of federal immigration plan

Feds vow to reduce ‘temporary immigration,’ but group says temporary workers not the same as international students

The 2024 federal budget’s promise to reduce “temporary immigration” could reduce the number of temporary foreign workers available to Canadian agriculture and agricultural businesses. The document states the government “will reduce the share of temporary residents in Canada to five per cent of the total population over the next three years,” which it estimates will […] Read more


(IP Galanternik D.U./E+/Getty Images)

Canadian Meat Council decries TFW changes

Industry group says ending special measures for sector is 'premature'

Incoming changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program will add to the sector's already significant labour challenges, the Canadian Meat Council says.

The money will be aimed at improving living quarters for temporary foreign workers, the federal government said.  Photo: Getty Images

Agriculture workers not mentioned in TFW rule changes

Food processing sees foreign worker limit reduced by ten per cent; construction, healthcare exempted

The federal government announced Thursday that, effective May 1, some sectors would be allowed no more than 20 per cent of their workforces to be made up of temporary foreign workers (TWFs) brought in via the low wage stream—down from 30 per cent since 2022. 

File photo of seasonal agriculture workers from Jamaica at Suncrest Orchards near Simcoe, Ont. (Farmtario photo by Diana Martin)

UN rapporteur calls Canada’s TFW system ‘breeding ground for modern slavery’

Tomoya Obokata says government needs to better protect worker rights and provide better residency path

A United Nations special rapporteur on modern slavery has called out Canada’s temporary foreign worker (TFW) programs, including those in the agriculture sector. Tomoya Obokata, who was appointed by the UN’s Human Rights Council, spoke in Ottawa Sept. 6 following a 14-day visit to Canada. He called the programs “a breeding ground for contemporary forms […] Read more


File photo of an Ontario cherry orchard. (UpdogDesigns/iStock/Getty Images)

Pilot plan to cut red tape for reliable TFW employers

Farm employers can apply starting next month

Canada’s temporary foreign worker (TFW) program is set to give farms a head start in an express lane expected to cut the annual paperwork for that program’s most “trusted employers.” Federal Employment and Workforce Development Minister Randy Boissonault last week launched a three-year pilot meant to “help to address labour shortages and reduce the administrative […] Read more

The federal government recently announced a two-year extension to the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot program that aims to allow temporary foreign workers to achieve permanent residency.

Federal government extends Agri-Food Immigration Pilot program

Pathway to permanent residency program for TFWs given two more years

Temporary foreign workers and their families can apply to the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot until May 2025 to get permanent Canadian residency. Sean Fraser, federal minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, recently announced a two-year extension to the program. “Our farmers and food processors depend on the steady arrival of foreign workers so that planting, harvesting […] Read more