We can’t lose our people. Abu won his case on December 31, just hours before he was set to be deported. But he doesn’t have permanent resident status yet. Let’s continue the fight for Abu, and the 1.7 million migrant farmworkers, careworkers, current and former international students, refugees and undocumented people in the country who are denied equal rights. Sign the petition for PR status for all: https://migrantrights.ca/take-action/permanent-resident-status/
Please scroll below the first paragraph and wait a moment for the petition to load.
My name is Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal. I’m a former international student and I am facing deportation on January 1st because I couldn’t pay my high tuition fees. Please support me by sending a message to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino. You can read more of my story below.
Abu’s story
I came to Canada when I was 19 years old from Bangladesh, as a migrant student to study in Thunder Bay, Ontario. I was not able to renew my study permit because of high international tuition fees. Tuition fees have increased over the pandemic, and when migrant students like me can’t pay, we get punished.
As a migrant student, I had to take jobs with bad working conditions, but couldn’t speak up because of my status. Employers didn’t pay me my wages and I got unfairly treated at work. I feel like we’re on a leash, like we are disposable human beings with an expired date.
I applied for permanent residency 18 months ago, but it still has not been processed. Immigration Canada approved me for temporary status, but I am still facing deportation.
Because of this crisis, I had to rely on a local church and I wasn’t sure where my next meal was coming from. I am now 23 years old, it feels like my life is on hold.
But I have not been quiet. On November 14, 2022, I drove 15 hours to go to Ottawa from Thunder Bay to meet with Immigration Minister Sean Fraser. I reminded the Minister that Prime Minister Trudeau promised to give status to all undocumented people. Prime Minister Trudeau must deliver on his promise, he must deliver a regularization program without caps and without exclusions, and status for all, without delay.
Please add your name to my petition calling for a stop to my deportation, and full and permanent immigration status for all migrant and undocumented people.
This is the most updated information we have about family work permits written for migrants in Canada.
Not all the rules have been announced. Immigration Canada is supposed to release the rules (called the public policy) – we will update this page when that information is released.
Here’s what we know as of 5pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2023. You must meet the qualifications in ALL of the sections below.
This program is for OPEN WORK PERMITS only for SPOUSES/COMMON LAW PARTNERS and WORKING AGE CHILDREN who are dependents.
(1) PERMIT LENGTH AND VALIDITY
You may be able to apply for a work permit for a spouse or a common law partner, and dependent children if you have a valid work permit or authorization to work that is valid for six (6) more months when you apply for a family work permit.
Note that study permit holders can apply for their families to join them if they are studying at a public post-secondary institution. Click here for details.
(2) TYPES OF WORK PERMITS OR IMMIGRATION STATUS THAT ARE ELIGIBLE
You may be able to apply on the basis of a work permit, if you fit in ONE of the categories listed here:
You have a valid work permit in the high-waged worker stream of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (to see if you are high-waged or low-waged, you must check your Labour Market Impact Assessment).
You have an open work permit that was issued because you applied for permanent resident status as
federal skilled worker class (FSWC)
Canadian experience class (CEC)
federal skilled trades class (FSTC)
caring for children class or caring for people with high medical needs class IF YOU APPLIED BEFORE June 18, 2019
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) for applicants for whom there are no employer restrictions on nominations
Agri-Food Pilot (AFP)
Quebec skilled worker class (QSWC)
(3) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
You must additionally meet ALL of the the following requirements:
You are living or plan to live in Canada while working.
You can prove that you are in a genuine relationship with your spouse or common law partner for at least 1 year.
If you are sponsoring your children, you must prove that they are your dependents.
If you are sponsoring your children they must be of working age in the province or territory (check provincial Ministry of Labour website).
If your spouse or children are in Canada, they either
Have a valid temporary resident status.
Have applied to extend your status before it expired (maintained status).
Information updated at 5:30pm on Monday, January 30, 2023 changed the information that was provided as of January 29, 2023. As of 5pm on February 8, 2023, the following people are excluded:
Seasonal Agricultural Workers (8 month contracts or less) and other workers in the Primary Agricultural Stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (1+ year contracts).
All low-wage workers in the Temporary Foreign Workers Program are excluded unless:
You have a work permit issued because you applied for PR in the Economic Streams (see point 2Bd above)
Refugee claimants or refused refugee claimants who have a work permit issued under R206 exemption from an LMIA.
All migrants without a valid work permit are excluded.
Migrant fishery workers, care workers, and others are therefore excluded. This is different from the information provided on January 29, 2023.
We still do not know if the following migrants are included or excluded:
Open work permits for vulnerable workers
Low-wage stream workers but who are now in a high-wage job (TEER 1, 2, or 3).
We must immediately and quickly organize and speak up to say that all families are equal, and that all migrants must be with our families. The government has said they will do a consultation about migrant agricultural workers, but they have not said anything about low-wage workers like fishery workers and care workers.
SEND US A MESSAGE NOW IF YOU WANT TO ORGANIZE AND TAKE ACTION!
Migrant Care Workers/ Health Care Workers: 647-782-6633
In addition, you must also provide the following information:
If you are sponsoring spouses and common-law partners
a copy of your marriage certificate
a declaration of your common-law relationship
If you are sponsoring dependents:
a birth certificate
adoption papers
A copy of your work permit OR the visitor record with expiry date showing that you’re authorized to work without a work permit with expiry date (for 6 months after the date of application)
Proof that the principal foreign worker can work in Canada for 6 months after the date that the family member submits their work permit
a copy of the work permit with expiry date
a copy of a the visitor record with expiry date showing that you’re authorized to work without a work permit
Proof of work
A letter or contract from your current employer (for open work permit holders, such as PGWP or International Experience Canada)
You will have to upload multiple documents in the same field online. Click here to see how.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We will be updating this section all day. If you have questions, please contact us on our hotlines.
So what’s changed?
Post graduate work permit holders or other work permit holders through International Experience Canada can now apply for open work permits for their spouses even if they do not have a high-wage job in TEER 1, 2 or 3.
High-wage temporary foreign workers, and those with open work permits under HCCP/HSWP were already able to apply for work or study permits for their families.
Who are dependent children?
Dependent children are those under 22 years old (on the date of application) and do not have a spouse or partner
Children who are 22 or older can qualify as dependents if they have depended on their parents for financial support since before they were 22 AND can’t financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition
My permit was initially for longer than 6 months, but is now currently less than 6 months until it expires. Can I apply?
As per the information only released at 5:30pm on January 30, 2023, you will not be able to apply.
What is the processing time?
It varies by country and whether you are applying from outside or inside Canada. To check times, click here.
What will the length of the permit be issued to family members?
We don’t know yet.
Can you apply for small children-as old as 3 years old and how?
You cannot apply for a work permit for children as old as 3 years old, but you can apply for a visitor’s visa to unite with family members here.
If you have children who are under 18 or 19 years old (depending on the province), and you have a valid study or work permit, you may be able to apply for a study permit for them as long as you meet the requirements. Click here for more details.
What if I have implied status?
Your work permit must be valid for six more months. So implied status is excluded.
Migrant Workers Alliance for Change is an organization of migrants. We are not part of the government, and we are not immigration consultants or agencies. You will not be charged any fees for this information, and your information will not be be shared with anyone.
Join us on Sunday, December 18, 2022 from 12pm to 4pm in Toronto to celebrate our unity, solidarity and victories together! We will have food, fun, and games. Feel free to also bring your own favourite dishes to share with others.
PLEASE NOTE: This event is only for MWAC members, families and friends. Space is limited, sign up now!
Paint or write on a square fabric that will be stitched together into a large quilt to represent migrant solidarity and struggles and will be part of our push to win Status for All!
Step 1: Make a square fabric – Make a 12″ x 12″ square of fabric in Yellow, Red, Green, Orange, or Purple or a traditional cloth. Any old strong cloth will work.
Step 2: Draw, paint or write on it – Show what PR status means for you and your family. It can be any language.
Step 3: Deliver your squares to MWAC – Bring/mail it to 720 Spadina Avenue, Suite 205, Toronto, ON, M5S 2T9. Make sure to include your name & phone number so we can stay in touch.
Farmworker members of MWAC create their quilt squares together
On Saturday, November 26, 2022, join online to hear from Migrant Workers Alliance for Change members who recently went to Ottawa to demand regularization and status for all!
ONLINE AT 7PM TO \ 4PM VAN on Zoom: Watch and listen live to the migrant leaders themselves! A Zoom link will be sent by email after you register below.
In an open petition letter to the President of Mexico and Prime Minister of Canada, Mexican farmworker members of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change expose the reality of working and living in Canada and demand Permanent Status for All.
Inspired by and united with Jamaican farmworker comrades, who wrote an open letter to their government in August, Mexican members write, “The billion-dollar agri-food industry depends on us, the workers. For more than half a century our well-being has not has not been thought of, and we are still treated as disposable objects”.
Migrant farmworker members invite political leaders “to be part of history and give us the respect we deserve […] and end this system of modern slavery.”
Among migrant farmworkers’ key demands outlined in the open letter: Permanent resident status to all upon arrival, including seasonal farm workers.
Do you agree? Sign below to add your voice!
Full letter written by Farmworkers:
To: Citizen President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau Citizen President of the Republic of the United Mexican States Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau
Dear President and Prime Minister:
We are a group of Mexican agricultural workers and members of the Migrant Workers Alliance for a Change employed as migrant workers, many of us under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program in Canada. We have been working here for 2 to 20 years.
We want to tell you the truth about working on farms and food processing in Canada and share our demands for change. Thousands of united voices are rising from Canadian farms and we stand together with our colleagues from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Philippines, and Caribbean countries just to mention a few. We work in fields and food processing factories, in greenhouses, vineyards, and fisheries.
The billion-dollar agri-food industry depends on us, the workers. For more than half a century, our well-being has not been thought of, and we are still treated as disposable objects for employers. We sleep in bunk beds with bed bugs, in houses full of rats, sharing the bathroom with more than ten people, we have no privacy. We feel powerless arriving at a house without the warmth of our family, sad and alone, we feel a huge emptiness, we only see the tired faces of our coworkers. It is humiliating not being able to have a private call with our families, the bosses tell us that having privacy is not important. Many of us spend more than half the year separated from our families.
For decades many of our colleagues have lost their lives in Canada, many others have permanent damage to their health that they cannot afford. The abuse at work that we experience is inhumane, we have to endure shouting, racist comments, insults (like “eat sh*t”, “son of a b*tch”, “you’re a piece of sh*t”, “you’re useless”). The vast majority of the insults we receive are not in Spanish, but we know they insult us because they are screaming at us. They refer to us as if we were their property. They punish us by taking away days or hours of work if they think we don’t work fast enough, and when we don’t work we can’t send money to our families who depend on us.
It is dangerous for us to defend our rights. Employers threaten to fire us, deport us, and kick us out of the program. Without permanent status, employers have the power to get rid of us whenever they please as if they owned us.
When we talk to the consulate they tell us to listen to the employer, that we are here to work and if we do not like it we can go back to Mexico, that there are many people waiting to replace us. Temporary status makes it impossible for us to defend our rights.
President, you are responsible for our well-being, so we ask you to do the following:
– Pressure the Canadian government to implement and enforce National Housing Standards; – Protect us at work by implementing an anonymous system for reporting abusive employers that won’t put our safety or jobs at risk. We ask you that when we make a complaint stand up and represent us; – Facilitate and support us to get an open work permit so we can transfer to another farm, either during the season or before the start of each season; – Ensuring job security and ending the practice of observations made by employers in our files that are not real, this often results in the expulsion of workers from the program without the possibility of appeal or transfer; – Make sure that the Mexican consulates in Canada do their job to see to the welfare of Mexican workers abroad, that the consuls have contact with us, not with the employers, create a commission of migrant workers that evaluate the work of the consulate because nobody supervises them, they can do what they want with us, – Allow us to represent ourselves and our interests in contract negotiations; Provide more education about the contracts we sign, what our rights are in Canada, and support us in accessing and enforcing our rights; – Allow access to benefits that we pay through deductions and taxes, such as: regular unemployment insurance benefits, parental benefits as was the case before the amendment to the law in 2012, full pension and survivor benefits to our families in case of death, child tax benefits that any Canadian citizen can obtain and for that reason; – Call on the Canadian government to grant permanent resident status to all upon arrival, including seasonal farm workers.
As agricultural workers in Canada we experience abuses, unjustified dismissals, deportations, mistreatment and above all intimidation, because without permanent status in Canada we have to endure all of the above with the vague hope that next year we will return. Everything mentioned is a system of exploitation, in which the Canadian and Mexican governments take part by ignoring complaints, actively participating in deportations, and giving more power to employers than to workers.
We know our fellow Mexicans in other industries, like construction and warehouse workers, cleaners, international students, and undocumented workers are also facing injustice and are denied equal rights. We all need permanent resident status for all to protect ourselves and live with dignity.
We invite you to be part of history and give us the respect we deserve both in Canada and in Mexico and to end this system of modern day slavery.
Att: Written and signed by Agricultural workers and Migrants members of MWAC
Miriam, Victor, Oscar, Blanca, Gabriel C., Esteban, Maximino, Humberto, Hernandez, Pablo, Esteban, Victor R., Octavio, Jorge, Ines, Bibiano, Gabriel, Byron, Juan, Prisciliano, Moises, Cruz, Carlos, Leonel, Samuel, Refugio, Samuel
Grupo de Trabajadores/as Agrícolas Migrantes exponen la realidad de trabajar y vivir en Canada y demandan Residencia Permanente para Todos/as, En la carta petición los trabajadores mencionan que: “La billonaria industria agroalimentaria depende de nosotros/as, los/as trabajadores/as. Durante más de medio siglo nuestro bienestar no se ha tomado en cuenta, los/as empleadores/as nos tratan como objetos desechables.”.
Unidos/as “Les invitamos a ser parte de la historia y darnos el respeto que merecemos tanto en Canadá como en México y terminar con este sistema de esclavitud moderna”.
Entre sus demandas los/as trabajadores/as piden: “el Estatus de Residente Permanente a todos/as los/as inmigrantes a su llegada, incluyendo trabajadores agrícolas de temporada”.
Carta completa escrita por Trabajadores Agrícolas:
Ciudadano Presidente de la República de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Andrés Manuel López Obrador y Primer Ministro de Canadá Justin Trudeau
Estimado Presidente y Primer Ministro:
Somos un grupo de trabajadores/as agrícolas mexicanos/as y miembros/as de la Alianza de Trabajadores Migrantes por un Cambio, muchos empleados bajo el Programa de Trabajadores Temporales en Canadá. Hemos estado trabajando aquí entre 2 a 20 años.
Queremos decirle la verdad sobre cómo es trabajar en las granjas y procesadoras de alimentos en Canadá y compartir nuestras demandas para un cambio. Miles de voces unidas se están levantando desde las granjas canadienses y nos unimos a nuestros/as colegas de Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Filipinas y los países del Caribe, solo por mencionar algunos. Trabajamos en campos y fábricas de procesamiento de alimentos, en invernaderos, viñedos y plantas pesqueras.
La billonaria industria agroalimentaria depende de nosotros/as, los/as trabajadores/as. Durante más de medio siglo nuestro bienestar no se ha tomado en cuenta, los/as empleadores/as nos tratan como objetos desechables. Dormimos en literas con chinches, en casas llenas de ratas, compartiendo el baño con más de diez personas, ¡no tenemos privacidad! Nos sentimos impotentes llegando a una casa sin el calor de nuestra familia nos sentimos tristes y solos/as, sentimos un vacío enorme. Solo vemos los rostros cansados de los/as compañeros/as. Es humillante no poder tener una llamada privada con nuestras familias, los patrones nos dicen que tener privacidad no es importante. Muchos/as de nosotros/as pasamos más de la mitad del año separados/as de nuestras familias.
Durante décadas, muchos de nuestros/as colegas han perdido la vida en Canadá, muchos otros/as tienen daños permanentes en su salud que no pueden pagar. El abuso en el trabajo que vivimos es inhumano, tenemos que soportar gritos, insultos, comentarios racistas cuando los/as empleadores/as hablan español nos dicen insultos como: “come mierda hijo de puta, eres una mierda no sirves para nada”, se refieren a nosotros como si fuéramos de su propiedad, pero la gran mayoría de los insultos que recibimos no son en español, sabemos que nos insultan porque nos gritan. Nos castigan quitándonos días u horas de trabajo, cuando no trabajamos mandamos menos dinero a nuestras familias que dependen de nosotros/as.
Es peligroso para nosotros/as defender nuestros derechos. Los/as empleadores/as nos amenazan con despedirnos, deportarnos y expulsarnos del programa. Sin un estatus permanente, los/as empleadores/as tienen el poder de deshacerse de nosotros/as cuando les plazca como si fueran nuestros/as dueños/as.
Cuando hablamos con el consulado nos dicen que le hagamos caso al patrón/a, que estamos aquí para trabajar, que si no nos gusta nos podemos regresar a México, que hay mucha gente esperando para reemplazarnos. El estatus temporal nos impide defender nuestros derechos.
Presidente, usted es responsable de nuestro bienestar, por lo que le pedimos que haga lo siguiente:
Presionar al gobierno canadiense para que implemente y haga cumplir las Normas Nacionales de Vivienda;
Protéjanos en el trabajo implementando un sistema anónimo para denunciar empleadores/as abusivos/as que ponen en riesgo nuestra seguridad y/o nuestro trabajo. Le pedimos que cuando hagamos una denuncia, se ponga de pie y nos represente;
Facilítenos y apóyenos para obtener permisos de trabajo abiertos y así poder transferirnos a otra finca, ya sea durante la temporada o antes del inicio de cada temporada;
Garantizar una mayor seguridad laboral y terminar con la práctica de observaciones hechas por empleadores/as en nuestros archivos que no son reales esto muchas veces resulta en la expulsión de trabajadores/as del programa sin posibilidad de apelación o transferencia;
Asegurarse de que los consulados mexicanos en Canadá hagan su trabajo para velar por el bienestar de los/as trabajadores/as mexicanos/as en el extranjero que los cónsules tengan contacto con nosotros no con los/as empleadores/as, crear una comisión de trabajadores/as migrantes que evalúen el trabajo del consulado porque nadie los supervisa y pueden hacer lo que quieren con nosotros/as,
Permitirnos representarnos y nuestros intereses en las negociaciones de contratos;
Brindar educación sobre los contratos que firmamos, sobre cuáles son nuestros derechos en Canadá y apoyarnos para tener acceso y hacer cumplir nuestros derechos;
Permitir acceso a beneficios que pagamos a través de deducciones e impuestos, tales como: beneficios regulares del seguro de desempleo, beneficios parentales como era antes de la enmienda a la ley en 2012, beneficios completos de pensión y beneficio de sobreviviente para nuestras familias en caso de deceso, beneficios fiscal por nuestros/as hijos/as a los que cualquier ciudadano canadiense puede obtener y por esa razón;
Pida al gobierno canadiense que otorgue el Estatus de Residente Permanente a todos/as los/as inmigrantes a su llegada, incluyendo trabajadores agrícolas de temporada.
Como trabajadores/as agrícolas en Canadá vivimos abusos, despidos injustificados, deportaciones, maltrato y sobre todo intimidación, porque sin estatus permanente en Canadá tenemos que soportar todo lo anterior con la vaga esperanza de que el próximo año regresaremos.
Todo lo mencionado es un sistema de explotación, en el que el gobierno Canadiense y el Mexicano son parte al ignorar las denuncias, participar activamente en deportaciones y otorgar más poder a los empleadores que a los/as trabajadores/as.
Sabemos que nuestros/as compatriotas mexicanos/as en otras industrias, como trabajadores/as de la construcción y almacenes, limpiadores/as, estudiantes internacionales y trabajadores/as indocumentados/as, también enfrentan injusticias y se les niega la igualdad de derechos. Todos/as necesitamos el estatus de residente permanente para protegernos y vivir con dignidad.
Les invitamos a ser parte de la historia y darnos el respeto que merecemos tanto en Canadá como en México y terminar con este sistema de esclavitud moderna.
Att: Escrita y firmada por Trabajadores/as Agrícolas en Canadá y miembros/as de la Alianza de Trabajadores Migrantes por un Cambio
Miriam, Victor, Oscar, Blanca, Gabriel C., Esteban, Maximino, Humberto, Hernandez, Pablo, Esteban, Victor R., Octavio, Jorge, Ines, Bibiano, Gabriel, Byron, Juan, Prisciliano, Moises, Cruz, Carlos, Leonel, Samuel, Refugio, Samuel
This is a tribute to the late Mervin Samuel Smythe also affectionately called Firdy or Tail Pipe. Late of Fine Grass District Walderston Manchester Jamaica.
He was a trusted and loyal friend, a very good husband to my late mother Pauline Elizabeth Smythe and indeed he was the world’s number one in a million dad to myself Tamara Smythe and my brother Johnoy Smythe. There was never a dull moment with him. He was always giving jokes and breaking the ice in any crowd. He loved to dance and eat curried goat. He said, Goat make you strong.
He dedicated his life to making his family successful. He never thought it to be a burden to assist anyone with anything, be it a loan or some good human service. He always have a lot of encouraging words. Many in the community loved him dearly as he always visit his friends and family and give them a hail and ask them how they were doing.
He was dedicated to his farming as that was the only life he knew, to use his hands to nurture and care whether crops or animals to maturity.
He was a migrant worker for the past 20 years. As a result of that, he was away for six months out of the year. We did have fun together and tried to get as much of him as was possible for the other six months that he would be with us.
He missed out on so many things because he worked so far away however it was a sacrifice he was willing to make, as it was the best way he knew to take care of his family.
Daddy always taught me to fight for what I believed in and he led by example. In the last two years of his time as a migrant worker he did join the community organization Migrant Workers Alliance for Change as he strongly believed in Status for all migrants in Canada. He stood up for what he believed in. He made posters and did anything required in the fight for such a positive change. He never got a chance to live to see the change however I know his contribution meant a lot. I do sincerely hope that his efforts and work on the migrant workers programme was not in vain and will impact the needed positive change.
My dad retired in 2020 and became a pensioner for the year 2021. He said he was getting ill and was not able to continue the programme. He passed away on the fourth of November 2021 and went home to be with mom. He left behind six grand kids, one daughter in law whom he loved and cared for very much.
I am honoured that I am able to give this tribute to my dad on this platform and say farewell and goodbye to a wonderful, trustworthy, faithful, courageous, dedicated, tactful and a prime example to follow. My dad Mervin Samuel Smythe. You are definitely missed.
On November 14, migrant representatives from across the country are going to Ottawa. 15 of them will be migrant representatives from Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC).
Come to this MWAC MEMBERS ONLY meeting to tell our representatives what they should say on our behalf when they meet with government officials. Come prepared to share your opinion and passion with our representatives.
Saturday, November 5 at 12pm Toronto | 9am Vancouver | 10am Regina Fill out the form and check your email for the Zoom link! More information below the form
MWAC representatives have been selected by each of our sectors (Migrant Farmworkers, Students, Care Workers & Healthcare workers) on the following basis: * Able to represent all of us collectively, * From different communities, industries of work, and previous immigration status.
We are prioritizing more undocumented representatives at this time as we have the potential to change laws for undocumented people (regularization) right now. But we are also ensuring that those on work permit, study permits, and with refugee status are represented.
Prime Minister Trudeau, Minister Sean Fraser, and other MPs from different political parties have been invited to meet with us. But have not confirmed.
