By Mata Press Service

 

Canada will open a pilot program to streamline the recruitment of foreign workers from the Philippines in sectors such as health care, construction and agri-food.

The pilot will streamline work permit processing for eligible Canadian employers and allow employers to schedule group appointments for medical examinations and biometrics for potential employees, so that skilled workers in the Philippines can come to Canada.

“Every year, thousands of temporary foreign workers from around the world bring their skills to Canada, helping to grow our economy and fill labour market shortages. This includes a substantial number of newcomers from the Philippines,” said Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

“The CAN Work Philippines pilot will give Canada an important advantage in the global race for talent and support our industries in addressing labour market shortages,” he said.

The Philippines has long been an important source country of immigration for Canada. According to the 2021 Census, 960,000 people of Philippine origin live in Canada.

Filipino nationals are also one of the top recipients of work permits. For the first 6 months of 2023, 1 in 10 Temporary Foreign Worker Program work permits were issued to Filipino nationals.

Additionally, IRCC is providing $200,000 to the IOM to support the adoption of fair and ethical recruitment standards in the Philippines. The funding will help the IOM work closely with the Government of the Philippines, conduct training sessions and promote the IOM’s Fair and Ethical Recruitment Due Diligence Toolkit to organizations that are either involved or have an interest in recruiting talent in the country.

“I am heartened by the launch of the CAN Work Philippines program, marking a significant step in the long-standing partnership between the Philippines and Canada,” said Undersecretary Patricia Yvonne M. Caunan, Department of Migrant Workers of the Philippines

“Protecting the rights and welfare of our overseas Filipino workers remains paramount. We welcome initiatives that ensure transparency, fairness and adherence to global standards,” she said.

Earlier this year, Canada announced the opening of a new immigration operation centre in the Philippines to get ahead in the global race for foreign workers.

Similar centres are also being planned in India and Turkey.

The Philippines is among the top three countries for immigrants to Canada after India and China and is the leading exporter of nurses and health care workers to foreign countries. On average, 13,000 nurses leave the Philippines every year, according to reports from the Philippines News Agency (PNA).

The opening of the new application processing centre in Manila is a strategic investment that will benefit Filipinos by providing more efficient processing of visas and support Canada’s planned increases to immigration levels, said Rechie Valdez, Member of Parliament for Mississauga—Streetsville, who made the announcement on behalf of Fraser.

“By expanding our presence overseas, we are committed to facilitating the immigration process for those who want to visit, study, work, or immigrate permanently to Canada,” she said, adding that the new Manila processing centre is part of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.

Under this strategy, new immigration processing centres are also being planned in New Delhi, Chandigarh and Islamabad, as Canada aims to attract 465,000 permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024, and 500,000 in 2025.

The Philippine Embassy in Canada said that as of April 2018, there are around 901,218 Filipinos working and staying in Canada, which comprises almost 2.6 percent of the Philippines’ national population.

Canadian provinces with the greatest number of Filipino-Canadian residents include Ontario, Alberta, and Manitoba. Toronto remains the Canadian metropolitan area with the greatest number of Filipinos, followed by Vancouver and Winnipeg, according to data published by PNA.

 Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire, officer-in-charge of the Philippines Department of Health, said in a recent interview with the CBC, that the Philippines has a shortage of more than 350,000 nurses.

Among commonly cited reasons for the resignation and migration of Filipino nurses are low wages and benefits, according to a report in the Journal of Global Health.

An entry-level nurse working in a public hospital starts with an annual salary of less than $12,000. Comparatively in Canada, entry-level nursing positions start at $58,498 per year, while most experienced workers make up to $87,750 per year.

“Countries that hire immigrant health professionals are realizing that they need to do a better job attracting and retaining them because now there is a greater global competition for health workers,” said Margaret Walton-Roberts, a professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University in a recent Q & A published on University’s website.

“The quick fix has been, we’ll just import some more healthcare workers, or we’ll just work short-handed, and I think we’ve pushed it too far.”

“We need to have better bilateral agreements that manage the global migration of health workers and provide partner countries with some benefit from these movements so that these countries do not send workers to Canada at the expense of their own healthcare systems,” said Walton-Roberts.

She currently leads the Global Nurse Migration Pathways project, which seeks to contrast three geographically and policy-distinct nurse migration pathways: India to Canada, Vietnam to Germany, and the Philippines to Singapore.

“We have been contrasting these different pathways to get a handle on which one seems to work most effectively for migrants, as well as source and destination countries,” said Walton-Roberts.

 

Quick Facts

 Immigration accounts for almost all of Canada’s labour force growth. Roughly 75% of Canada’s population growth comes from immigration. By 2036, immigrants will represent up to 30% of Canada’s population, compared to 20.7% in 2011.

 As part of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, the Government of Canada is investing $74.6 million over 5 years, and $15.7 million ongoing, to boost the department’s application processing capacity both domestically and in the Indo-Pacific region.

 The Philippines has long been an important source country of immigration for Canada. According to the 2021 Census, 960,000 people of Philippine origin live in Canada. Filipino nationals are also one of the top recipients of work permits. For the first 6 months of 2023, 1 in 10 Temporary Foreign Worker Program work permits were issued to Filipino nationals.

 On June 6, 2023, Canada announced expanded access to its Electronic Travel Authorization Program to include the Philippines, giving more Filipinos access to visa-free travel by air.

 Jointly organized by the Department of Migrant Workers of the Philippines and IRCC’s visa office in Manila, the Philippines–Canada Friendship Week will celebrate the strong social ties between the two countries and promote Canada as a destination of choice for workers from the Philippines. It will take place the week of October 23 in Manila and include information sessions on working in Canada, testimonials from Filipino workers, photo exhibits, a film screening and a tasting booth to sample Canadian cuisine. - with Agencies