Welders, carpenters among jobs now able to move freely between employers
The Temporary Foreign Worker pilot project in Alberta is expanding to include more in-demand occupations, according to federal Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney.
“Alberta is facing some of the most acute labour shortages in the country,” said Kenney. “The expansion of this pilot project will enable more employers in Alberta to hire foreign workers on a temporary basis to fill short-term skills and labour needs when Canadians or permanent residents are unavailable.”
Originally launched June 1, 2011, this pilot project allows eligible foreign nationals to come to Alberta to work temporarily in a specific occupation. This program issues them a work permit that allows them to move freely between Alberta employers.
Now, the Alberta pilot is expanding beyond the steamfitter/pipefitter occupation to include the following additional occupations:
•welder
•heavy duty equipment mechanic
•ironworker
•millwright and industrial mechanic
•carpenter
•estimator.
“Our consultations with Alberta employers and our own labour forecasts show there is a need to expand the pilot to include these high-demand occupations,” said Alberta Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education Stephen Khan.
