Will Essential Migrant Workers be Allowed to Apply for Bridging Work Permits? And How Many Caregiver Applications Have Been Processed?

On June 28, 2021 Senator Omidvar asked Senator Gold, the Government Representative in the Senate, about bridging work permits and caregiver applications.

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Senator Gold, I think we all understand how class shapes and limits opportunities for people, and our immigration system is no exception to this. The Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship recently announced new permanent residency spots for 90,000 foreign workers: health care and essential occupations, such as farm workers and international students. But now we are finding out that only the elites — in this context, skilled workers and international students — can apply for bridging work permits that enable them to work while their applications are being processed. This route is not open to so-called “low-skilled” foreign workers, many of whom we now know are essential. The result is that poor people are impoverished even further.

Senator Gold, I provided your office with advance notice of this question. I hope you can tell me that the government has decided to reverse course and provide bridging permits to migrant workers so they can continue to work while waiting for their applications to be processed.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, senator, for your question and for the advance notice.

As the Government Representative in the Senate, I have made inquiries but have not yet received an answer. The government is aware, of course, of the extraordinary contribution of newcomers to our country, regardless of their skills and the areas in which they work. The pandemic has thrown into sharp relief those contributions, whether it’s in our agricultural sector, hospitals or old age homes. As soon as I have an answer, I would be happy to report back.

Senator Omidvar: Senator Gold, I would like to focus on caregivers. There are various streams for processing applications for caregivers, but they have been bedeviled by delay upon delay. In April of this year, the ministry decided to prioritize the processing of caregivers for 6,000 spots. That was in April, and now we are in June. My social media feed is somewhat overwhelmed by questions from foreign caregivers. Could you tell me how many applications have been processed to date?

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question, senator. The government is well aware that caregivers have been particularly affected by the international travel restrictions that were put in place during this pandemic. I’ve been advised that this year Canada has already welcomed over 100,000 new permanent residents. However, I do not have a specific number for caregivers. That said, the government does plan to make at least 1,500 first-stage decisions on applications for the Home-Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot by the end of this month, June 2021.