卑诗新规 外劳家人可申领开放工签 试行一年半年

联邦及卑诗省昨日(8月12日)联合推出一项试验计划，允许卑诗省大多数外国劳工 的伴侣及18至22岁子女可向加拿大申请“开放工作签”(Open Work Permit)，在卑诗省内从事任何职业。据明报消息，该计划在加国尚属首例，将于8月15日开始生效，为期18个月。政府将在实行期间及之后均检讨成效，以确定是 否续用或扩大该计划。

从事工种不限 年半1800个名额

联邦移民部长康尼(Jason Kenny)与卑诗工作、旅游及创新厅长毕贝尔(Pat Bell)昨日联合宣布此项计划。

新法例规定，除住家助理(Live-in Caregivers)、部分季节性的农业工人及“体验加拿大计划”(International Experience Canada)等不符合申请资格外，大部分外劳家人包括配偶或同居伴侣、达到务工年龄的受扶养人(dependant)，均可申请“开放工作签证”，入境加拿大在卑诗省从事任何职业。

试验计划最多签发1800份开放工作许可，从8月15日开始生效，至2013年2月15日告一段落。政府将在实行期间及之后，检讨评估计划成效，包括其对卑诗劳工市场及僱主的影响，是否确实有助于加国僱主聘用外国劳工。

康尼指出，自担任移民部长以来，一直有很多工人、僱主及劳工倡权组织提议放宽法例，让更多外国劳工家庭以临时居民身分来加；因此决定先推出试验计划，对于已获卑诗僱主聘用的外国劳工，允许其家庭成员申请开放工作签证来加。

毕贝尔表示，到2020年，卑诗将新创超过100万个工作职位，非常需要外国劳工填补本省即将面临的技术人才短缺，允许更多外劳人员的伴侣及务工年龄子女来卑诗工作，有助于本地及全省的经济发展。

根据原法例，僱主在无法找到加国公民或居民从事空缺职位的情况下，才能外聘海外劳工；同时只有从事管理、贸易等专业技能职业的外劳，其配偶或同居伴侣才能获得签发“开放工作签证”。

中国外劳少 仅占1%

资料显示，去年卑诗省共有近4.6万名外国劳工，佔全国约18.2万名外劳的逾1/4，不过来自中国者并不多，在2009年，加拿大全国仅有2,272名中国外劳，占总数约1%。

符合资格申请新推出的“开放工作签证”者包括：在卑诗省工作，持至少六个月有效、部分职业的工作签证的临时外国劳工之配偶、同居伴侣，或达务工年龄(18至22岁)的受扶养子女。

Aug. 12, 2011
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Pilot project to attract more working families to B.C.

VICTORIA — Family members of most temporary foreign workers in British Columbia will be able to work for any employer in the province, thanks to a pilot project launched today.

The announcement was made by Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney and British Columbia Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Pat Bell.

“Since I became Minister, I have heard from workers, employers, labour advocates and others who have asked me to make Canada more welcoming for working families coming to Canada as temporary residents,” said Minister Kenney. “With this pilot project, we will examine the benefits of allowing family members of temporary foreign workers to work while they are here with a principal applicant who has been hired because of his or her skills.”

In general, temporary foreign workers come to Canada to meet the needs of a specific employer who has been unable to find citizens or permanent residents for the available jobs. An open work permit, however, allows the holder to accept any job with any employer.

Previously, only spouses and common-law partners of temporary foreign workers employed in a managerial, professional or skilled trades job have been eligible to obtain an open work permit in British Columbia. Starting Aug. 15, spouses, common-law partners and working-age dependants of most temporary foreign workers will be eligible, including many workers in occupations that require lower levels of formal training.

“More than a million jobs will open up in B.C. by 2020, and we will need foreign workers to help meet the skills shortages our businesses are already beginning to face,” said Bell. “Giving more spouses and working-aged children of temporary foreign workers the chance to take jobs will support local businesses, while contributing to local, regional and provincial economic growth.”

Up to 1,800 open work permits will be available under the pilot project, which will end on Feb. 15, 2013.

“Nearly 32,000 temporary foreign workers made the transition to permanent status in 2010, and of those, almost 2,300 chose to immigrate permanently to B.C.,” Minister Kenney noted. “We understand the important role that foreign workers have in every region of the country and we will continue to look at ways to attract workers who have the skills we need now and into the future.”

British Columbia’s shared role in immigration was cemented in April 2010 with the signing of the Canada-British Columbia Immigration Agreement.

BACKGROUNDER
For Immediate Release
2011JTI0102-001002
Aug. 12, 2011
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Pilot project for families of temporary foreign workers

This pilot project allows spouses, common-law partners and dependent children of most temporary foreign workers to receive open work permits that would authorize them to accept any job with any employer in British Columbia. Currently, only spouses of higher-skilled temporary foreign workers are accorded this privilege.

This pilot is the first of its kind in Canada and will be reviewed both during and after the 18 months in which it is in effect. The reviews will consider the impact of the pilot on the B.C. labour market and employers, and whether it has assisted employers in the recruitment of temporary foreign workers to B.C.

To be eligible to participate in the pilot, applicants must:
Be a spouse, common-law partner or a working-age dependent child (18 to 22 years of age) of certain temporary foreign workers who have been issued a valid job-specific work permit of at least six months’ duration with a British Columbia work location.
· Meet all admissibility criteria to come to Canada as a temporary resident.

Categories of temporary foreign workers whose family members are ineligible for this pilot project include:
Live-in caregivers.
Seasonal agricultural worker program participants.
Seasonal agricultural workers employed through the pilot project for occupations requiring lower levels of formal training.
International Experience Canada participants.