On May 11, 2022, Motion 44 was passed by the majority of the House of Commons.
M-44 is also known as Motion 44 — “Permanent Residency for Temporary Foreign Workers”
This motion pertains to temporary foreign workers and their path to permanent residency. The motion was started in January of 2022 by Randeep Sarai, a member of parliament from Surrey Centre, BC.
MOTION TEXT
(a) amending eligibility criteria under economic immigration programs to give more weight to significant in-Canada work experience and expand the eligible occupational categories and work experience at various skills levels;
(b) examining evidence and data gathered from recent programs such as Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway, Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), Rural and Northern Immigration Program (RNIP), and Agri-Food Pilot, and Provincial Nominee Process (PNP);
(c) incorporating data on labour market and skills shortages to align policy on immigrant-selection with persistent labour gaps;
(d) assessing ways to increase geographic distribution of immigration and encourage immigrant retention in smaller communities, as well as increase Francophone immigration outside Quebec;
(e) identifying mechanisms for ensuring flexibility in immigration-selection tools to react quicker to changes in labour market needs and regional economic priorities; and
(f) specifically considering occupations and essential sectors that are underrepresented in current economic immigration programs, such as health services, caregivers, agriculture, manufacturing, service industry, trades, and transportation.
How will Motion 44 Impact Immigrants?
Motion 44 is for permanent residency for temporary foreign workers in Canada and will expand immigration opportunities for many people. By passing the motion, workers with all skill levels will be able to meet the broad spectrum of labour needs and will be able to obtain permanent residency, including international students, with significant Canadian work experience in sectors with persistent labour shortages.
Based on the 120-day timeline, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has until September 8th, 2022, to develop a new program which will provide a pathway to permanent residence for temporary foreign workers, including international students, with significant Canadian work experience.
On April 14th, 2022, briefing note “Introduction of Public Policy Measures Related to the Temporary Pathway to Permanent Residence Pathway” was sent to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser for signature. The details of this briefing note are not publicly available. This is, however, a sign that work has already started on the program.
While details are not yet available, the text of M-44 makes it clear that the new program will be looking to target those with Canadian work experience in health services, caregiving, agriculture, manufacturing, the service industry, trades, and transportation.
At this time, it is unknown what Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will use as their baseline for “significant Canadian work experience.” If we look at last year’s TR to PR pathway, it required certain applicants to have 1 year of work experience (at least 1,560 hours) in the past 3 years. Recent international graduates were only required to be employed at the time of their application.
Like last year’s TR to PR pathway, French speakers will be targeted. The TR to PR pathway had separate quotas for applicants who spoke French vs those who spoke English. The English programs filled up well before the French programs, giving French speakers the advantage of having more time to complete their applications.
Another concern at this stage is where will the quota for this program come from? Will applicants under this program takes spots away from economic programs that use the Express Entry system likes last year’s TR to PR program did? This year’s immigration target for programs that use the Express Entry system is already half of its normal levels. If this new program comes into effect later this year, it could reduce the number of Invitations to Apply issued through Express Entry.
At this time, no NOC codes have yet been specified. The previous TR to PR pathway targeted health services, caregiving, agriculture, manufacturing, the service industry, trades, and transportation as well. Under that program, the following NOC codes were targeted:
| NOC Code | Occupation Title |
|---|---|
| 3011 | Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors |
| 3012 | Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses |
| 3111 | Specialist physicians |
| 3112 | General practitioners and family physicians |
| 3113 | Dentists |
| 3121 | Optometrists |
| 3122 | Chiropractors |
| 3124 | Allied primary health practitioners |
| 3125 | Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating |
| 3131 | Pharmacists |
| 3132 | Dietitians and nutritionists |
| 3141 | Audiologists and speech-language pathologists |
| 3142 | Physiotherapists |
| 3143 | Occupational therapists |
| 3144 | Other professional occupations in therapy and assessment |
| 3211 | Medical laboratory technologists |
| 3212 | Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants |
| 3214 | Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists |
| 3215 | Medical radiation technologists |
| 3216 | Medical sonographers |
| 3217 | Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c. |
| 3219 | Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health) |
| 3221 | Denturists |
| 3222 | Dental hygienists and dental therapists |
| 3223 | Dental technologists, technicians and laboratory assistants |
| 3231 | Opticians |
| 3232 | Practitioners of natural healing |
| 3233 | Licensed practical nurses |
| 3234 | Paramedical occupations |
| 3236 | Massage therapists |
| 3237 | Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment |
| 3411 | Dental assistants |
| 3413 | Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates |
| 3414 | Other assisting occupations in support of health services |
| 4151 | Psychologists |
| 4152 | Social workers |
| 4153 | Family, marriage and other related counsellors |
| 4165 | Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers |
| 4212 | Social and community service workers |
| 4412 | Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations |
| 6611 | Cashiers |
| 6621 | Service station attendants |
| 6622 | Store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers |
| 6623 | Other sales related occupations |
| 7201 | Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations |
| 7202 | Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations |
| 7203 | Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades |
| 7204 | Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades |
| 7205 | Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers |
| 7231 | Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors |
| 7232 | Tool and die makers |
| 7233 | Sheet metal workers |
| 7234 | Boilermakers |
| 7235 | Structural metal and platework fabricators and fitters |
| 7236 | Ironworkers |
| 7237 | Welders and related machine operators |
| 7241 | Electricians (except industrial and power system) |
| 7242 | Industrial electricians |
| 7243 | Power system electricians |
| 7244 | Electrical power line and cable workers |
| 7245 | Telecommunications line and cable workers |
| 7246 | Telecommunications installation and repair workers |
| 7247 | Cable television service and maintenance technicians |
| 7251 | Plumbers |
| 7252 | Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers |
| 7253 | Gas fitters |
| 7271 | Carpenters |
| 7272 | Cabinetmakers |
| 7281 | Bricklayers |
| 7282 | Concrete finishers |
| 7283 | Tilesetters |
| 7284 | Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers |
| 7291 | Roofers and shinglers |
| 7292 | Glaziers |
| 7293 | Insulators |
| 7294 | Painters and decorators (except interior decorators) |
| 7295 | Floor covering installers |
| 7441 | Residential and commercial installers and servicers |
| 7442 | Waterworks and gas maintenance workers |
| 7444 | Pest controllers and fumigators |
| 7445 | Other repairers and servicers |
| 7451 | Longshore workers |
| 7452 | Material handlers |
| 7511 | Transport truck drivers |
| 7512 | Bus drivers, subway operators and other transit operators |
| 7513 | Taxi and limousine drivers and chauffeurs |
| 7514 | Delivery and courier service drivers |
| 7521 | Heavy equipment operators (except crane) |
| 7522 | Public works maintenance equipment operators and related workers |
| 7531 | Railway yard and track maintenance workers |
| 7532 | Water transport deck and engine room crew |
| 7533 | Boat and cable ferry operators and related occupations |
| 7534 | Air transport ramp attendants |
| 7535 | Other automotive mechanical installers and servicers |
| 7611 | Construction trades helpers and labourers |
| 7612 | Other trades helpers and labourers |
| 7621 | Public works and maintenance labourers |
| 7622 | Railway and motor transport labourers |
| 8611 | Harvesting labourers |
| 8612 | Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers |
| 8613 | Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers |
| 8614 | Mine labourers |
| 8615 | Oil and gas drilling, servicing and related labourers |
| 8616 | Logging and forestry labourers |
| 1511 | Mail, postal and related workers |
| 1512 | Letter carriers |
| 1513 | Couriers, messengers and door-to-door distributors |
| 6421 | Retail salespersons |
| 6731 | Light duty cleaners |
| 6732 | Specialized cleaners |
| 6733 | Janitors, caretakers and building superintendents |
| 8431 | General farm workers |
| 8432 | Nursery and greenhouse workers |
| 8441 | Fishing vessel deckhands |
| 8442 | Trappers and hunters |
| 9461 | Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing |
| 9462 | Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers |
| 9463 | Fish and seafood plant workers |
| 9465 | Testers and graders, food and beverage processing |
| 821 | Managers in agriculture |
| 822 | Managers in horticulture |
| 4031 | French and French immersion secondary school teachers (language of instruction must be French) |
| 4032 | French and French immersion elementary school and kindergarten teachers (language of instruction must be French) |
| 4411 | Home child care providers |
| 4413 | Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants |
| 6331 | Retail butchers |
| 6523 | Airline ticket and service agents |
| 6524 | Ground and water transport ticket agents, cargo service representatives and related clerks |
| 6541 | Security guards and related security service occupations |
| 6551 | Customer services representatives - financial institutions |
| 6552 | Other customer and information services representatives |
| 8252 | Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers |
| 8255 | Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services |
| 9617 | Labourers in food and beverage processing |
| 9618 | Labourers in fish and seafood processing |
