Government issuing increased penalties for Temporary Foreign Worker Program violations
- News Staff
- Oct 12
- 2 min read
The federal government is sending a strong message about the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
The program is a last resort option for employers who cannot find qualified Canadians and permanent residents to fill job vacancies. When it comes to jobs, Canadians are always first in line.
Employers seeking to use the Temporary Foreign Worker Program must demonstrate that genuine attempts to recruit workers from within Canada were unsuccessful. They must also continue recruiting for the position while the application is pending.
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program represents approximately one percent of the Canadian workforce.
In fiscal year 2024–2025, ESDC conducted 1,435 employer compliance inspections, of which 10 percent of employers were found non-compliant. During the same period, penalties more than doubled from $2,067,750 to $4,882,500 and resulted in 36 employers being banned from the Program.
From April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, examples of non-compliance violations included:
An employer in the agriculture sector was fined $212,000 and banned from the program for two years for failing to provide proper working conditions and for not providing the required documentation to inspectors.
An employer in the residential building construction industry was fined $161,000 and banned from the program for five years for failing to provide proper wages and working conditions, as well as for a lack of compliance with federal and provincial labour laws.
An employer in the long-haul trucking industry was fined $150,000 for failing to genuinely operate a business and for not providing the required documentation to inspectors.
In addition, this September, an employer in the fish and seafood sector was issued a penalty of $1 million and a 10-year ban from the Program for failing to provide proper wages and working conditions, failing to comply with federal and provincial labour laws, and failing to provide a workplace that was free of abuse.
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