A growing number of immigrants who come to Canada as temporary foreign workers are staying longer and obtaining permanent residence, a new report by Statistics Canada shows.
While the study’s findings suggest that the majority of TFWs left within two years of obtaining their first work permit, it also notes that “the tendency to stay longer has increased among more recent arrivals.”
However, the study also concludes that the duration of stays remains strictly regulated, despite what it says is “a common misconception that host countries often do not have sufficient control over how long TFWs reside in the country
Country of origin
Country of origin also plays a key role in determining how long TFWs stay in Canada, with those originating from countries with “lower levels of economic development and social stability” staying longer in Canada as temporary residents or becoming permanent residents than those from more prosperous, stable countries.
The study found that by the fifth year after their first work permit, 42.8 per cent of TFWs from countries with low Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita acquired permanent residence. By contrast, only 7.4 per cent of TFWs from countries with a high GDP per capita transitioned to permanent residence in Canada. Social stability also played a role in length of stay, with 37.9 per cent of TFWs from countries with low social stability gaining permanent resident status by their fifth year in Canada.
However, the study concluded that many source country differences were explained by the fact citizens of less developed and less stable countries were the main recipients of TFWs in the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP), Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SIWP), and the Low-Skill Pilot (LSP).
“TFWs in all these programs had a high tendency to stay longer or come back after leaving for a few months,” the study says.
Individual characteristics, regional socio-economic conditions were found to have a “relatively weak” association with length of stay. That said, TFWs who arrived “at the prime working age (25 to 44)” had a higher tendency to stay as temporary or permanent residents than those on the younger or older end of the age spectrum.
The study found the share of TFWs who transitioned to permanent residence was highest between the second and fifth year after obtaining their first work permit.
“After the fifth year, the share of TFWs who became permanent residents surpassed the share of TFWs who remained temporary residents, in most cases,” the study observes. “By the 10th year, the remaining TFWs overwhelmingly comprised permanent residents
