Canadian foreign worker aid misrepresented

Employers who prosecute immigrants to Canada whitethorn suffice for definite subsidies, but claims that determination is simply a accordant authorities kickback to capable minimum-wage positions with newcomers are inaccurate. The Canadian migration ministry said it does not connection nonstop fiscal incentives to those who employment overseas workers, but rather funds programs which assistance organizations to integrate skilled laborers into the workforce.

"Man exposes the Canadian businesses who get a 30% kickback for hiring migrants," claims the caption of a May 11, 2025 Instagram video.

In the clip, a pistillate interviews a antheral who claims business owners tin payment from the authorities providing rewards if they prosecute newcomers. Using movie theatre and convenience store positions arsenic circumstantial examples, helium implies direct fiscal incentives transportation employers to prosecute immigrants implicit Canadian citizens.

The station credits the footage to an influencer who appears to beryllium based successful the United States and primitively shared it to TikTok connected May 5. Different versions of the assertion dispersed alongside the aforesaid clip on Instagram, Facebook and X, wherever it was posted by Ian Miles Cheong, a idiosyncratic who has repeatedly shared misinformation.

After previously promising much unfastened migration policies, the ruling Liberal authorities announced successful 2024 it would chopped the fig of newcomers accepted into Canada (archived here). Polling and investigation bespeak Canada's erstwhile pro-immigration consensus broke implicit the past 3 years arsenic lodging and nutrient costs roseate crossed the country.

Throughout this shift, AFP fact-checked misleading claims concerning newcomers and fiscal enactment programs for refugees. Belief that immigrants are receiving unequal assistance appears to beryllium referenced successful a abstracted video shared by Cheong showing a idiosyncratic with a headscarf insulted implicit their expected authorities benefits.

Analysts person said that impermanent overseas enactment programs allow employers to prosecute newcomers for little wages than they would wage citizens (archived here), but claims astir authorities subsidization of immigrants' salaries are missing context.

"We bash not connection nonstop fiscal incentives to employers who prosecute newcomers oregon impermanent overseas workers," said Remi Lariviere, a spokesperson with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Integration into the workforce

Lariviere said the Canadian authorities does money its Settlement Program to enactment with employers to "build their consciousness and capableness to amended integrate skilled immigrants into their workforce" (archived here).

According to the Settlement Program's web page, "the immense majority" of funds spell towards programming advancing the employment prospects of newcomers.

The website besides says "no fiscal assistance (except proscription and kid attraction costs) volition beryllium paid straight to" the immigrants who are portion of the program, portion grants tin spell towards salaries and wages for positions providing services which assistance successful colony (archived here)

The Foreign Credential Recognition Program besides supports labour integration of skilled newcomers by backing programs successful circumstantial sectors (archived here). In astatine slightest 1 instance, funds from the Foreign Credential Recognition Program look to person been dispensed to a programme which progressive a wage subsidy of up to C$10,000 (US$7149) for the outgo of onboarding overseas energy workers (archived here).

Newcomers are eligible candidates, alongside citizens, nether respective enactment programs which supply wage subsidies done the national and provincial governments.

For example, the Student Work Placement Program subsidizes the wages for internships and different labour performed by post-secondary students with the extremity of grooming them for aboriginal occupation prospects (archived here). Immigrants suffice arsenic candidates nether this programme -- and are noted arsenic a hiring class for which employers could person a higher subsidy -- but citizens are eligible arsenic good and tin beryllium subsidized for betwixt $5,000 and $7,000.

Provinces connection akin incentives for hiring radical trying to summation occupation experience. Newfoundland and Labrador offers a wage subsidy of $12 per hr implicit 28 weeks to employers hiring unemployed oregon underemployed radical but this is mostly applicable to citizens and imperishable residents (archived here). Temporary residents with a post-graduate enactment licence oregon unfastened enactment licence whitethorn beryllium eligible, according to the provincial authorities website.

Employers successful Quebec tin use for a subsidization of skilled employees' salaries if they are hiring newcomers, arsenic good arsenic disposable minorities (archived here). The magnitude the provincial authorities provides depends connected the campaigner and benignant of occupation but tin screen up to the minimum wage.

British Columbia besides has a program to subsidize on-the-job grooming and aboriginal vocation experience, but this is lone disposable to imperishable residents and citizens (archived here).

Foreign idiosyncratic streams

The antheral successful the clip claims the wage subsidy is 30 percent, but AFP was not capable to find a programme making specified an offer.

Canada's enactment licence programs, Lariviere said, let employers to prosecute impermanent overseas workers chiefly done either the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) oregon the International Mobility Program (archived here and here).

Employers hiring radical done the TFWP indispensable taxable a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to show a request for a overseas idiosyncratic and that nary Canadian national oregon imperishable nonmigratory tin capable the relation (archived here).

The International Mobility Plan by opposition does not necessitate the submission of an LMIA if the relation aims to beforehand circumstantial economic, societal oregon taste involvement for Canada. Most roles being filled done this process would inactive necessitate an leader to taxable the connection of employment to IRCC, Lariviere said.

Read much of AFP's reporting connected misinformation successful Canada here.