On April 1, 2011, the federal government introduced legislation known as the “four in and four out” rule, limiting how long some temporary foreign workers could work in Canada to four years.  The first temporary foreign workers to whom the rule applies reach their four-year limit on April 1, 2015.  These workers will either need to leave or apply for a different kind of visa and be forced to be unemployed.

It can sometimes take four to five years to process permanent residency files and many of the workers are in the immigration process.  Both the NDP and Liberals have asked for those who have applied for permanent residency to be granted a stay.

On April 1, 2015,  Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and Employment Minister Pierre Poilievre issued a statement saying that “going underground is not an option” and the government “will deal with offenders swiftly and fairly.” 

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has made an exception for TFWs approaching their four-year limit in Alberta, offering a bridging permit if they applied for permanent residency under the Provincial Nominee Program by July 1, 2014, and Jason Kenney has said that other provinces can get similar treatment.

Sign this petition to call for an end to the 4 and 4 rule.  If a person is good enough to work here, they are good enough to stay here.

 

Workers working in Canada