Media Contact: Sarom Rho, 416-887-8315, sarom@migrantworkersalliance.org
Migrant Workers Alliance For Change Reiterates Calls For Regularization And Permanent Resident Status Following New Immigration Criteria
Categories of “high-need” industries highlight the urgent need for permanent residency in low-wage sectors occupied by migrants, including undocumented workers.
Toronto, May 31, 2023 — Canada’s first-ever launch of category-based immigration selection today highlights the ongoing exclusion of migrants and undocumented people from permanent residency. Many of the occupations announced today as priorities for permanent resident status are currently filled by temporary foreign workers, international students, recent graduates, and undocumented workers. But most of them will be unable to apply due to parallel rules. Undocumented people are excluded based on their lack of immigration status; while other migrants are excluded because of language tests that do not correspond to their ability to communicate, excessively high educational accreditation requirements, and being labeled as low-skilled by employers despite performing highly skilled work. Additionally, aging migrants are subjected to punitive measures through point reductions.
The newly selected occupations for priority consideration include nurse aides, orderlies, patient service associates, as well as other low-wage health providers, contractors, supervisors, construction trades, installers, repairers, servicers, truck drivers, and agricultural workers.
“Migrants in low-wage sectors, including undocumented people, are essential to our communities and deserve the rights and protections that permanent resident status provides, irrespective of their employment status. However, this latest attempt to connect workers to jobs highlights the overwhelming evidence that jobs that need to be filled are being done by racialized working class migrants, and they are being excluded from equal rights only possible through permanent residency. We call upon Prime Minister Trudeau to acknowledge the facts, fulfill his promise, regularize undocumented individuals, and ensure permanent resident status for migrant students and workers.”
– Sarom Rho, Organizer, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.
Background
- Details of today’s new announcement: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2023/05/canada-launches-new-process-to-welcome-skilled-newcomers-with-work-experience-in-priority-jobs-as-permanent-residents.html
- Prime Minister Trudeau’s mandate letter promise to regularize undocumented people and grant permanent resident status to migrant students and workers: https://pm.gc.ca/en/mandate-letters/2021/12/16/minister-immigration-refugees-and-citizenship-mandate-letter
- Migrant Rights Network proposal for changes to the immigration system: https://migrantrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Strategic-Immigration-Review-MRN-Submission-.pdf
Migrant Workers Alliance for Change
Migrant Workers Alliance for Change is a migrant-led, membership based organization of farmworkers, fishery workers, careworkers, undocumented people and current and former international students uniting for immigration and labour justice.
