Recruiters and employers taking advantage of temporary foreign workers
Recruiters and employers increasingly taking advantage of temporary foreign workers, advocate says
Temporary foreign workers are reporting paying recruiters and employers thousands of dollars to obtain a permit to work in Canada — only to end up with nothing.
CBC Radio-Canada spoke with multiple experts who say some employers and immigration consultants in B.C. often take advantage of workers from abroad.
CBC Radio-Canada spoke with multiple experts who say, in B.C., some employers and immigration consultants often take advantage of temporary foreign workers [TFW], illegally charging them thousands of dollars in exchange for permits.
The Migrant Workers Centre in Vancouver says many employers use recruiters to source TFWs. And these middleman companies can often charge excessive and illegal fees.
"The workers themselves are unaware that it is illegal for employers or recruiters to charge these fees," said Jonathan Braun with the centre.
"They're told this is a normal process for coming to Canada."
Braun says he's seen an increase in recruiters charging $20,000 to $30,000. In one case, he has seen a TFW charged as much as $75,000 US.