Operational Bulletin 433 – June 13, 2012

Centralisation of Temporary Foreign Worker Units in Toronto, Ontario and Montréal, Québec

Summary

This Operational Bulletin (OB) provides information about the centralisation of the services provided by:

• The Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs) from:
• Vancouver
• Calgary and,
• Moncton
• To the Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs) in:
• Toronto and,
• Montreal

The Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs) in Toronto and Montreal will continue to entertain opinions and enquiries related to exemptions from:

• The Labour Market Opinion (LMO) and / or,
• The Work Permit (WP)

However, the Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs) will no longer provide outreaches. This change comes into effect from July 01, 2012.

The Changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs)

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has come up with a modernisation strategy. It plans to centralise services across the Department for:

• Reducing costs and,
• Improving efficiency levels

As a result of this strategy, the Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs) in Toronto and Montreal will become the sole points of contact for:

• Canadian employers and / or,
• Their representatives

The Toronto Temporary Foreign Worker Unit (TFWU) will be responsible for providing services to the employers in:

• Ontario
• British Columbia
• Alberta
• Saskatchewan
• Manitoba
• Yukon
• Northwest Territories and,
• Nunavut

Similarly, the Montreal Temporary Foreign Worker Unit (TFWU) will be responsible for providing services to the employers in:

• Quebec
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and,
• Labrador

The Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs) in Toronto and Montreal will continue to entertain opinions and enquiries related to exemptions from:

• The Labour Market Opinion (LMO) and / or,
• The Work Permit (WP)

However, the Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs) will no longer provide outreaches. This change comes into effect from July 01, 2012. The CIC aims to begin the process of transition from June 15, 2012.

The Transition Period – The Vancouver, Calgary and the Moncton Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs)

The Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs) in Vancouver and Calgary will continue to accept opinions and enquiries related to exemptions from:

• The Labour Market Opinion (LMO) and / or,
• The Work Permit (WP)

They will do so until June 15, 2012. Thereafter, these offices would then need to focus on finalising the work, which is already in process.

Situations could arise where these offices receive opinion requests and enquiries after June 15, 2012. In this scenario, these offices would need to direct such opinion requests and enquiries to the Temporary Foreign Worker Unit (TFWU) in Toronto.

Similarly, the Temporary Foreign Worker Unit (TFWU) in Moncton would be receiving opinions and enquiries related to exemptions from:

• The Labour Market Opinion (LMO) and / or,
• The Work Permit (WP)

However, this office would need to direct such opinion requests and enquiries to the Temporary Foreign Worker Unit (TFWU) in Montreal. This change is applicable with immediate effect.

Admissibility

The Temporary Foreign Worker Unit (TFWU) opinion would need to remain confined to adjudicating whether the case presented meets an exemption from:

• The Labour Market Opinion (LMO) and / or,
• The Work Permit (WP)

Foreign worker admissibility does not fall within the jurisdiction of the Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs).

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer at the port of entry to Canada bears the responsibility for taking the final decision on:

• Issuing an Labour Market Opinion (LMO) exemption and / or,
• Issuing a Work Permit (WP) exemption and,
• Admissibility

Situations could arise where applicants:

• Believe that they might be inadmissible to Canada and,
• Wish to have an assessment conducted prior to their arrival in Canada

Such applicants would need to contact the appropriate Canadian Visa post. They could also refer to the CIC website for obtaining further information on inadmissibility.

The People who Could Request an Exemption Opinion

The Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs) only provide opinions for:

• Canadian employers and / or,
• Their representatives

This is especially so in case these Canadian employers and / or their representatives are keen to hire visa-exempt temporary foreign workers. That too, visa-exempt temporary foreign workers, who are outside of Canada.

Enquiries

The authorities have provided a dedicated e-mail box in the Toronto and Montreal Temporary Foreign Worker Unit (TFWU) locations. This would enable officers to respond to enquiries from:

• Canadian employers and / or,
• Their representatives

However, they would only consider responding to queries related to exemptions from:

• The Labour Market Opinion (LMO) and / or,
• The Work Permit (WP)

These Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs) would not respond to any other enquiries.

Note:

• Officers would need to direct queries on the following subjects to Service Canada:
• LMO-related applications and,
• LMO-related enquiries

For All Other Enquiries

Applicants currently outside Canada would need to contact one of the following for any other enquiries:

• The Canadian embassy
• The Canadian high commission or,
• The Canadian consulate

They would need to refer to the information given on the CIC website for finding the addresses, phone numbers and website addresses of the visa offices.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Unit (TFWU) Points of Contact and Areas of Responsibility

• For Toronto
• Toronto would service Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut
• The point of contact would be the Toronto Temporary Foreign Worker Unit
• Their e-mail address is: TFWU-Toronto-UTET@cic.gc.ca
• For Montreal
• Montreal would service Quebec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador
• The point of contact would be the Montreal Temporary Foreign Worker Unit
• Their e-mail address is: CIC-QUE-SRTE@cic.gc.ca 

Readers could also visit the CIC website for finding the contact information for the other Temporary Foreign Worker Units (TFWUs).

Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)