MP Sarai’s motion on permanent residency for temporary foreign workers passed in House of Commons

Randeep Sarai, MP for Surrey Centre introduced a Private Members Motion, M-44, Permanent residency fir temporary foreign workers, was passed unanimously in the House of Commons on Wednesday following a second hour of debate.

Motion M-44 tackles long-standing issues with the immigration system, filling crucial labour market gaps by making permanent residency more accessible to temporary foreign employees (TFWs).Canada’s population is decreasing due to an ageing population and a low birth rate domestically. According to some estimates, by 2030, immigration would account for nearly 100% of Canada’s labour force growth and 75% of its population increase – largely in the economic category, said Sarai.

Despite Canada’s record low unemployment rate (5.2 percent in April 2022), industries such as agriculture continue to have significant job vacancy rates that they can’t fill with domestic workers. Temporary foreign workers contribute to Canada’s economic growth by filling regional labour shortages.

While there are pathways to permanent residency (PR) for lower-skilled workers, such as regional and industry-specific programmes, TFWs continue to experience difficulties obtaining PR status due to a lack of higher education and low language test scores. This motion encourages the Canadian government to continue working toward granting PR status to additional TFWs.