 Saskatchewan Beekeepers Hiring Foreign Workers October 27.2011
There have been some changes in the works for the foreign worker program for some time. Some of the changes were announced earlier and others last week when CHC was in Ottawa for meetings with HRSDC and other government agencies.
The temporary move of SK applications for LMO processing to Vancouver is now permanent. They will now process MB and SK along with BC. There is currently a 10 week time frame for processing LMO applications. This processing time will not likely change this year as new staff are trained and they deal with high turnover in this department. They expect this to change in following years.
As well, our commodity now qualifies under the newly created Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) Agriculture Stream of the NOC C & D workers (for low skilled workers). This program closer meshes this program to the Seasonal Agriculture Program (SAWP). Anyone wishing to higher skilled workers will need to go through the standard Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
The 4 Year rule
When choosing which program to use, keep in mind the "4-year rule" came into effect April 2011. The "4-year rule" stipulates that a foreign worker must remain outside the country for 4 years following an accumulated 4 years of work in Canada. This applies to TFWP workers; SAWP workers are exempt because of international agreements between Canada and Mexico.
Job Duties
It is important that your job duties are not overstated and you use the suggested CHC job title and mirror the job duties as close as possible (if they fit your situation). If your job duties differ, HRSDC officers will determine which NOC your worker falls and place them accordingly. The wage will also be adjusted accordingly. I have attached a NOC that CHC has developed with HRSDC for low skilled workers. (download the NOC here). CHC has also been working with HRSDC on 2 other NOC's for low and high skilled (besides "Farm Manager" that had been used in the past). This should help for workers that fall between the low skilled and skilled NOC's currently available to SK beekeepers.
The following link has the relevant information for you for hiring foreign workers under the Ag Stream and completing the LMO process: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/foreign_workers/Agricultural/directives.shtml
Wage Rate Increase
Note that the wage rate has increased for the 2012 season (effective January 1, 2012) for our industry for the low skilled workers. The new wage rate is for SK $10.07/hr instead of $9.78/hr that was mandated for the 2011 season. This will apply to all applications, including those in the system and those that have applied and advertised will have to re-advertise.
It is important that you advertise and pay this rate until such time HRSDC eliminates their use of a "prevailing wage rate" to determine wage rates. Advertising with a significant wage range (ie. $10/hr - $20/hr) to cover all possibilities, programs and experience/skill could have a negative effect in the future regarding wage establishment for our industry.
CHC is currently working on a "1-pager" to have all the relevant information readily available on the CHC and provincial websites.
For More Information Please Contact Corey Bacon @ 306.864.7684, fax 306.864.3260 or
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