Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - August 2008
Recent economic booms in British Columbia have found the province looking increasingly beyond its own borders for labour. However, as immigration increases, unfortunately, so do the opportunities to take advantage of immigrants.
Already over the last several years, Alberta has been dealing with rising allegations of immigrant exploitation across the province. Now, the issue is approaching the forefront of public consciousness in British Columbia as well.
A recent article appearing in the Vancouver Sun investigates allegations that Filipino workers are being charged illegal fees for job placement services which are not even being provided.
Workers in the Philippines are more vulnerable to these scams because in that country there is �an accepted culture of paying these fees.� The B.C. government has very little recourse in such cases since many of the agencies are working from within the Philippines to collect the fees, far beyond the jurisdiction of the province.
It is not uncommon for workers to pay $4,000 in hopes of landing a job at $27/hour only to discover, upon their arrival, that no such job exists. Since the work permit is only valid for one employer, the worker begins a race against the clock to find new employment and obtain a new work permit before running out of money.
As awareness of the situation grows, however, more can be done to protect the workers from scams. Some advocates are calling for a government office to be established, whose mandate would strictly be the investigation of foreign workers� conditions. Others want to increase awareness among the workers themselves, educating and counseling them on the protection of their own rights.
The government�s stance on the issue is one of priority. Agencies such as Service Canada are now more rigorously investigating the companies applying for work permits.
�The federal government is working [�] to put in place measures, such as information-sharing agreements, that will support closer collaboration to address the vulnerability of foreign workers and to better manage the roles and activities of third party measures,� said a spokesperson for Service Canada.
Source: Vancouver Sun
