Industry body Nasscom may have a say next time Canada tweaks immigration norms. Amidst a buzz that another round of changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Programme may be in the offing, Nasscom has been assured that its views will be considered as part of a consultative process.
“Though we have not formally received an invitation to be a part of the process, Service Canada has told us that they will organise consultations. We will then have the opportunity of supporting our viewpoints with factual data” said Gagan Sabharwal, Deputy Director, Global Trade Development, Nasscom.
Changes to the Intra Company Transfer Route (for bringing foreign workers to Canada) and more stringent immigration auditing norms are said to be in the works.
Canada’s temporary foreign worker programme came to the forefront last month after news reports suggested that the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) was using temporary foreign workers hired by outsourcing firm iGate, replacing existing staff. Subsequently, Canada announced changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers Programme, which is set to delay and escalate costs associated with the visa filing.
“It was knee-jerk reaction to the iGate-RBC episode. There was no formal process of consultation with the concerned stakeholders,” Ravi Jain, partner with the Toronto-based law firm, Green and Spiegel, said.
“There is a legitimate need for foreign workers in Canada... I think the Government is trying to play to public expectations rather than make sound policy decisions here,” said Jain.