Twice as many illegal construction workers will be able to get a permanent residence permit

The government extends the pilot program for builders and increases the number of seats from 500 to 1,000. Who will be able to apply?

On January 20, 2023, the federal government announced important updates to the illegal immigrant construction program, launched in 2019. Previously, the pilot project included legalizing 500 immigrants to work on construction sites in Toronto in exchange for their labour services and skills in the construction industry. Now, the number of out-of-status workers who can get permanent residency has doubled to 1,000.

According to the national trade union group Canadian Labour Congress, workers without status or ou-of-status are those who entered Canada with residency but for one reason or another lost their status and found work in the construction industry.

The government is trying to improve migration systems for those who are in Canada without status. Therefore, it offers official proof of legal presence in the country to another 500 construction workers and their immediate family members.

Officially working construction workers contribute greatly to the economy and play a huge role in the development of cities. A man without a certain status or permit works in fear of exposure, detention and deportation. He and his family are very vulnerable socially, they may be treated harshly and abusively by employers, and children do not have access to education, social programs, benefits, and health care.

The program guarantees stability in the industry, attraction of qualified workers, and solutions to urgent issues in construction. And most importantly, the project will help bring more workers out of the shadow economy.

Eligible individuals must:

Apply for permanent residency by January 2, 2024;
Include spouses, partners, and dependent children on your application;
Have proven experience in construction in the Greater Toronto Area;
have no reason to reject a permanent residence permit other than an expired visa and working without authorization.

In 2022, Canada issued 645,000 work permits. Today statistics show that 36% of doctors are immigrants, 33% of business owners are immigrants, and 41% of engineers are immigrants.

Canada's ageing population means that by 2035, the ratio of working people to retirees is expected to be 2 to 1, up from 7 to 1 50 years ago.

The government has allocated an additional $50 million CAD for 2022-2023 to speed up the processing of immigration applications, enabling qualified newcomers to fill labour force gaps faster.