Over the last several years, the Canadian government has increased scrutiny on the activities of employers and foreign workers to ensure compliance with Canadian local and federal agreements regarding the hiring of temporary foreign workers. Instructions and amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations were announced recently by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and Service Canada. These regulations further the goals of compliance requiring employers of foreign workers to provide evidence that they have complied with the terms and conditions of the positions offered to the foreign workers. These terms and conditions include abiding by the information provided regarding job title, job responsibilities, wages, job locations and working conditions.

The increased scrutiny and protectionist stance on the part of the Canadian government is similar to practices employed by both the United States and the United Kingdom, among others. Indeed, with increased activity involving companies transferring employees to the country under the improper visa classifications and/or without proper work authorization, it is no surprise that more countries are increasing scrutiny and enforcement to ensure compliance with local immigration laws. In particular, Canada has faced increased scrutiny within the restaurant industry. (For examples of recent immigration enforcement see the following: U.S., UK.)Continue Reading Global Immigration Series – Canada/U.S.: The World’s Longest Border is Creating Challenges for Business Travel