PGWP workers with expired and expiring permits are uniting on an (1) electoral strategy, and (2) Solutions, not Scapegoats media strategy. Read more about the strategy, political opportunities below, and join the fight for immigration justice!
Our plan of action
We have a joint media and electoral strategy to respond to the political moment we’re in. We must create political pressure, and shift the public narrative that is blaming migrants and international students for the housing and job crisis.
🔹 Electoral Strategy: On April 28, 2025, there will be a federal election. We’ll push candidates in our ridings to take a stand on permit renewals and increasing permanent residency programs.
🔹 “Solutions, Not Scapegoats” Media Campaign: We’ll share our stories to challenge the narrative that immigrants are to blame for economic issues.
Our Political Opportunities
âś… Using the elections to push on immigration justice: The federal elections are April 28, 2025. From now until then, candidates from political parties want to win a seat in their riding. We need a coordinated strategy that is effective on multiple levels, and scale our power up. Candidates will be doing campaign events in each of our ridings, like townhalls, all-candidate debates and more. We are part of their constituent base, even though we cannot vote. We can raise how cuts to immigration hurt all working people in the country, have knock-on effects on the economy and communities, and demand they take a stand on immigration justice.
âś… Exposing contradictions: More and more, working-class Canadians must realize we are not the problem, and that cuts to immigration hurt them too. Many critical sectors like education, healthcare and childcare, are already falling apart because so many of us have to leave jobs when our permits expire. Employers are also using this as an excuse to layoff other workers and lower standards for all of us.
âś… Building unity: We have support from allies in major unions, healthcare and immigration organizations, who know that racism and xenophobia are not the answer. More will recognize this is a shared fight.
We can bring in more of our coworkers, friends, and neighbours. We need both unity and strength in numbers.
Every day, 3,000 permits expire—we can’t afford to stay silent.
The issue and why it’s happening
Our permits are expired / expiring, the requirements for Express Entry programs are restrictive, the minimum cut off scores have been high and the draws for Canadian Experience Class are infrequent. Category-based selection has also let the government cherrypick who gets permanent residency and who doesn’t.
We’re impacted by the massive cuts to permanent residency programs. Provincial programs have been cut by 55%. Some streams of PNP are closing overnight, and they’re suddenly saying our jobs no longer qualify. They want us to fight and compete with each other. But permanent residency and our rights should not be like the hunger games.
We’re in a global economic crisis. At the same time, some people – politicians, corporate employers and landlords – are making record-breaking profits, while the majority of us are struggling to make ends meet. They need somebody to blame. Over the last 18 months, migrants have been scapegoated for the housing crisis, taking jobs, lowering wages and working conditions, causing inflation – this is simply not true. Racism and xenophobia are meant to divide and distract us.
Public opinion on immigration has shifted. In response, the federal government walked back on promises and instead cut permits and immigration, which adds to more scapegoating. It’s a vicious cycle. But when our rights are under attack, we must fight back.
