Canada: The Recognized Employer Pilot (REP) to simplify the hiring process for repeat Temporary Foreign Workerslabour (TFW)

The Canadian government announced the launch of the new Recognised Employer Pilot (REP) programme in September 2023 to ease administrative burdens for Canadian companies to hire foreign workers for specific roles.
It will provide employers with simpler and more predictable access to labour and more flexibility for the labour market.

The REP, part of the broader Temporary Foreign Worker Programme (TFWP), is a 3-year pilot project with 2 phases:

- in the first phase, starting in September 2023, only employers in the agricultural sector will be able to access the scheme, applying for the 2024 season;

- from January 2024, however, the project will be open to all industry sectors until September 2024.

The programme will allow recognised employers certain benefits for the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) required to hire a temporary foreign worker.

This assessment certifies that no Canadian workers or permanent residents are available to perform that specific job and, therefore, the need for a temporary foreign worker.

Employers with at least three positive LMIAs for the same occupation in the past five years from a list of occupations designated as deficient and supported by Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) data can be eligible for the programme.

They will have access to LMIA validity periods of up to 36 months and, if necessary, simplified LMIA applications to hire additional workers.

The pilot was presented by Canada’s minister of employment, Randy Boissonnault, in response to the challenges many Canadian employers are encountering in filling essential job positions. “The Recognized Employer Pilot will cut red tape for eligible employers—those who demonstrate the highest level of protection for workers—and make it easier for them to access the labour they need to fill jobs essential to Canada’s economy and food security,” he said.