Have work permits under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program surpassed targets, as Poilievre claims?

Pierre Poilievre has claimed that the federal government has issued work permits in excess the planned “cap” for 2025.

But the figures presented to support this claim are misleading.

Join the Angus Reid Forum and get $5 in points!

In a statement published on the Conservative Party website, the party writes that “Carney’s government has issued 105,000 new Temporary Foreign Worker permits in the first six months of 2025 alone. Despite a promised cap of 82,000, the Liberals are on track to issue the most TFW permits ever.”

The figure of 82,000 comes from the federal government’s annual Immigration Levels Plan, and represents not a cap, but rather an intended target for net new arrivals under the TFWP throughout 2025 — that is, new foreign nationals entering Canada on work permits. The purpose of the 82,000 target is to limit the growth in Canada’s temporary resident population.

The 105,000 permits issued from Jan – June 2025, according to the federal government’s data on Open Gov, are inclusive of all permits, including extensions or renewals of existing permits, as well as the issuance of work permits to foreign nationals already in Canada.

In fact, only 33,722 TFWP work permits issued were to new workers entering the country, or roughly 41% of the 82,000 target for 2025, according to data posted by Lena Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship on September 3.

Decline in temporary resident arrivals in 2025

Changes to immigration programs which began in Jan of 2024 have been having their intended effects in reducing temporary resident levels.

Earlier this month, data revealed that new worker arrivals have in fact declined by 50% in 2025.

In the period between January and June 2025, Canada welcomed 125,903 fewer foreign workers as compared to the same period in 2024, according to government data.

In 2024, the government announced its aim to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada to 5% of the Canada’s overall population by the end of 2026.

In order to do so, the government introduced several changes to the TFWP over the course of 2024:

• Reducing LMIA validity period from 12 months to six months.
• Reducing the workforce cap for employers on TFWP workers from 30% to 20% (except in selected high-priority sectors like construction and healthcare).
• Within the low-wage stream of the TFWP, reducing the workforce cap from 20% to 10%, and limiting the maximum employment duration from two years to one year.
• A moratorium on the processing of low-wage LMIA applications in census metropolitan areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher.
• Increasing the minimum wage threshold for employers looking to hire through the TFWP’s high-wage stream by 20% above the provincial/territorial median hourly wage.
• Making it compulsory for job offers to be assessed; employers are no longer able to use attestations from professional accountants or lawyers to prove business legitimacy.

What is the TFWP?

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program was launched in Canada in 1973 to help employers hire foreign nationals fill gaps in the labour market.

The program is administered jointly by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

In order to hire a foreign worker, employers must first request permission through ESDC.

TFWP requires the completion of the Canadian government's labour market test, known as the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This test demonstrates that hiring a temporary worker will not negatively affect the domestic labour market.

For an employer in Canada to apply and get approved for an LMIA, they need to:

Identify the correct stream

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program has several streams, and it’s important to identify which stream a company is hiring under:

Stream	Description
Global Talent Steam	For select employers determined by the Canadian government, or for employers looking to fill highly-skilled in-demand positions on the Global Talent Occupations list.
Permanent Residence Stream	For hiring an employee while supporting their application for Canadian permanent residence. The job offer must meet specific requirements based on the appropriate federal economic immigration program.
High-Wage Stream	For positions at or above the provincial or territorial median hourly wage. Note: starting November 8, must be 20% above the median wage.
Low-Wage Stream	For positions below the provincial or territorial median wage. Note: processing of LMIAs for the low-wage stream is currently paused in certain regions.
Primary Agriculture Positions	For hiring agricultural workers.
Caregiver Positions	For hiring full-time in-home caregivers for family members.
Foreign Academic Positions	For employees whose primary duties are teaching and research for Canadian universities and university colleges.

Ensure they meet requirements

Companies are not allowed to apply for an LMIA if they are found non-compliant for the TFWP rules, particularly if they have a history of not meeting their responsibilities as an employer under the TFWP.

Meet the recruitment requirements

Employers have to advertise the job for a fixed period. They must also post an ad on the Government of Canada’s job bank and at least two additional methods that target Canadians.

In short, they must show that they made genuine effort to hire a Canadian or permanent resident first.

Those that meet the requirements can prepare an LMIA application and pay the processing fee.

What’s next for the TFWP?

Prime Minister Mark Carney was recently asked about the role of the TFWP in light of Pierre Poilievre’s criticism. He acknowledged that the government is still assessing how well the program is functioning, leaving the door open to possible reforms. But Carney also defended the program, stressing that temporary foreign workers are not the primary driver of immigration, which is shaped by a variety of other factors.

“When I talk to businesses around the world – especially in Quebec – but elsewhere across the country, their number one issue is tariffs and their number two issue is access to temporary foreign workers,” he added, suggesting no immediate plans to do away with the program.

Join the Angus Reid Forum and get $5 in points!