Published on November 3, 2019
Each individual recruiter of Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) doing business in B.C. must obtain a licence regardless of its business location. The licence is free of charge, but recruiters have to submit a security bond of $20,000 that will be held in trust. Recruiting without a valid licence may result in serious penalties.
Recruiters who are representing both, an employer by providing recruiting services and the temporary foreign worker by providing immigration services, are now required to have a written agreement with all involved parties.
The Temporary Foreign Workers Protection Act became law in July 2019 and is aimed at protecting the rights of short-term foreign workers. Later this year, new requirements for employer’s registration and record keeping for at least four years are expected to be implemented among other regulations. For example, the act will protect against:
- charging the TFW any recruitment fees
- distributing false or misleading information about immigration, recruitment, employment, housing or laws
- taking possession of or retaining a TFW’s passport
- threatening with deportation or other action
- taking action against or threatening to take action against a person for reporting noncompliance with the act
