Immigration news update for all regions
Americas
Canada: Extension to the Road Map of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program along with new wage requirements
The Ministry of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages has announced an extension to the Road Map of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. This is in reaction to the current labour market conditions and economy predictions.
Originally, the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program Road Map was introduced in April 2022, to help employers hire foreign workers, in places with labour shortage in particular sectors or industries. Its focus is to respond to labour shortages while prioritizing Canadian jobs and wages.
The situation of low workforce in Canada is slowly improving, but despite this, there is still a shortage in some sectors, particularly hospitals, food manufacturing, construction, accommodation and food services.
The introduced extension to the TFW Road Map is to take place before August 30, 2024, and includes:
- Employers in seven sectors, that are experiencing labour shortages, may hire up to 30% of workers through the TFW Program for positions that are under the provincial or territorial median hourly wage (the seven sectors are: Hospitals, Nursing and Residential Care Facilities, Accommodation and Food Services, Food Manufacturing, Construction, Wood Product Manufacturing, Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing.
- The maximum employment duration for positions under the provincial or territorial median hourly wage will be 2 years.
- The Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) validity period has changed from the original maximum of 18 months to 12 months, in order respond to the labour market in a more flexible way.
In addition to this, from January 1, 2024, employers will now be required to annually review the wages of temporary foreign workers. This is to ensure the wages follow the increasing of wage rates for the given occupation and region.
This summary was prepared using information obtained from the Government of Canada
Disclaimer: The above information is provided for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have any further inquiries regarding the applicability of this information, please contact Roberta Carnaccini (Global Director of Immigration) and Rafael Pavanelli (Regional Immigration Manager, AMER).
Asia-Pacific
China: Scheduling of VISA Appointments for visiting Chinese Consular not necessary in many countries
As the Chinese Government continues with its standardization, digitalization and streamlining of immigration services, it is now possible to submit visa application documents in some locations without pre-scheduling an appointment at the Chinese consulate. Currently, this option is only possible in some countries so far. As high traffic is expected following the date of effect – October 23, 2023, travellers are advised to consider this while planning their trips. Furthermore, it is advised that checks are made with the relevant visa application centre before attending without an appointment.
No source at time of writing.
Disclaimer: The above information is provided for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have any further inquiries regarding the applicability of this information, please contact Roberta Carnaccini (Global Director of Immigration) and Debra Beynon (Regional Immigration Manager, APAC).
Europe, Middle East and Africa
Italy: Approval of quota for admission spots for foreign workers
Based on the publication on the Official Gazzette from October 3, 2023, that has now come into effect, the Italian government has approved approximately 450,000 admission spots for foreign workers meant for the three-year period of 2023-2025.
For seasonal and nonseasonal employment and self-employment of foreign workers, the quotas distributed over this three-year period are the following:
- 136,000 spots for 2023;
- 151,000 spots for 2024;
- 165,000 spots for 2025.
Some of these spots are meant for workers of specific nationalities. This includes, among others, jobs such as: builders, hospitality and tourism workers, mechanics, ship builders, bus drivers, fishermen, electricians and plumbers.
For the current year applications can be submitted starting from December 2, 2023, for non-seasonal subordinate workers from countries with cooperation agreements with Italy; from December 4, 2023, for other non-seasonal subordinate workers; and from December 12,2023, for seasonal workers. The deadline for all is December 31,2023. It is advised to send in applications as soon as possible, as the admissions will be closed as soon as the quotas are filled, this often being not much longer than the first day of the submission start date.
This summary was prepared using information obtained from documenti.it (available in Italian language)
Disclaimer: The above information is provided for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have any further inquiries regarding the applicability of this information, please contact Roberta Carnaccini (Global Director of Immigration) and Sabrina Crespo (Team Leader, EMEA).
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