Tighter immigration rules threaten nursing homes' foreign workers, providers say

Ottawa has curbed temporary foreign workers since 2024. Labour Market Impact Assessments now last six months instead of a year, and work permits one year instead of two.

Workers at risk in Quebec

650 of 6,000 workers

Quebec's private nursing homes could lose 650 of their 6,000 workers over immigration issues, says the head of the group that represents them.

In northwest Ontario, 28 of 400 employees at three Kenora-area homes face expiring papers. Some applications were refused because officials did not see the workers as health-care personnel.

Ottawa says the foreign worker program should be a last resort and is not a substitute for Canadian talent. Providers want one assessment per nursing home, instead of one per worker.