Exodus of temporary foreign workers could force many 'underground'
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Exodus of temporary foreign workers could force many 'underground'
Groups who offer services to refugees are bracing for an influx of “underground” migrants following the April 1 deadline for thousands of temporary foreign workers to leave the country. Many of those workers don’t want to leave, says Loly Rico, president of the Canadian Council for Refugees. Already, agencies that serve refugees and undocumented migrants have seen an influx, she says. “We see cases of people coming and looking for options,” says Rico, who works at FCJ Refugee Centre in Toronto. There are few options, however, and some, if not many, of those people will stay without, she says.
Not everybody will have access to services because most services are provided through the provinces and not all provinces provide services to people without status
Loly Rico, president of the Canadian Council for Refugees
Under a 2011 change to the temporary foreign worker program, low-skilled workers whose work permits have expired and who have been in Canada for more than four years must leave the country. They cannot apply for the program again for four years. The federal government has not released the figure for how many workers are affected. Hassan Yussuff, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, says nobody knows how many undocumented workers are already in Canada. Estimates range from 100,000 to 500,000. For comparison, the total national workforce in Canada is 19 million. That’s likely to grow as the new TFW rule takes effect, he tells Yahoo Canada News.
We believe a lot will remain in the country and will remain undocumented for the most part.
Hassan Yussuff, president of the Canadian Labour Congress
