23 June 2009

Canadian visa holders kept safe by new law

The Government of Canada has announced it will reintroduce amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) to help protect vulnerable foreign workers from exploitation.

The bill is designed to protect immigrants on a Canadian visa from exploitation and human trafficking, such as those working as exotic dancers or live-in carers.

“This will strengthen Canada’s immigration system by helping to prevent situations where temporary workers in Canada may be abused, exploited or possibly become victims of human trafficking,” said Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, President of the Queen’s Privy Council and Minister for la Francophonie, Josée Verner, speaking on behalf of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney.

“The amendments will help further our agenda of increasing protections for temporary foreign workers, by preventing situations of abuse from happening in the first place,” said Labour Minister Rona Ambrose.

The bill would give the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada the authority to instruct immigration officers to deny work permits to vulnerable foreign workers who may be trafficked into Canada and forced to perform humiliating and degrading jobs against their will.

The Canadian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in providing visa and immigration services to Canada.