Canada revises median hourly wages, new rates from May 11

Lately, it’s been observed that there’s a hike in the median hourly wages in most provinces and territories in Canada.

These median wages are used by Canadian employers who hire foreign workers to work in Canada to know which requirements need to be met for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

Also, the employers can determine whether they must apply for the Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) based on the wage they offer, and the location and position offered for. The LMIA may be applied for a stream for high or low wage positions.

The new median wage requirements were effective from May 11, 2020.

Province/Territory	Median hourly wages before May 11, 2020	Median hourly wages on May 11, 2020
Yukon	$30.00	$30.00
Saskatchewan	$24.52	$24.55
Quebec	$22.00	$23.08
Prince Edward Island	$19.49	$20.00
Ontario	$23.08	$24.04
Nunavut	$30.00	$32.00
Nova Scotia	$20.00	$20.00
Northwest Territories	$34.00	$34.36
Newfoundland and Labrador	$22.00	$23.00
New Brunswick	$20.00	$20.12
Manitoba	$21.00	$21.60
British Columbia	$23.98	$25.00
Alberta	$26.67	$27.28

It’s a shining example set by Canada that the country helps employers to get through the red tape in hiring foreign workers arriving with a Canada work visa in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Employment Social Development Canada (ESDC) has applied certain measures to all new and existing applications for LMIA. The measures prescribe that:

• If it wouldn’t change the terms and conditions, employers needn’t submit minor administrative changes to the LMIA
• Requirements for recruitment for LMIAs in agri-food and agriculture sectors are being waived until 31st October 2020
• LMIA for jobs in the agri-food and agriculture sectors is being made a priority
• For employers of workers falling under the low-wage stream, as part of a 3-year pilot, the maximum duration of employment under LMIAs has increased to 2 years
• Employers putting in applications under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program or Agricultural stream can submit a Housing Inspection Report that was previously valid
• There’s a speeding up of the name change process in effect for employers who must put a different person’s name on the LMIA owing to COVID-19

Making the employers’ operations safer for the new foreign workers, Canada is offering a $50 million initiative. It allows the workers to complete the compulsory isolation period.

The hired foreign workers will be let to cross the Canadian border if they are arriving for an essential reason, as identified by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). This means that the foreign workers will have to prove that they need to be physically present in Canada to fulfill the requirements of their position. They must also have a proper quarantine plan.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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