This document is intended to complement existing guidance to employers as well as the information provided for travellers to Canada.
What documentation do temporary foreign workers need to bring with them when travelling to Canada?
There are document requirements for all travellers entering Canada, including those listed below. For a current list and more information, please see the Flying to Canada requirements checklist page
- a valid passport (and visa if applicable)
- a valid work permit or a port of entry letter of introduction issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada that shows the worker has been approved for a work permit.
- telephone number and email address so that Canadian officials can contact the worker
- employer’s contact information
What are temporary foreign workers’ responsibilities to prevent the spread of COVID-19?
- Temporary foreign workers are responsible for following all public health measures issued by government authorities within Canada. The latest information, including contact information for local health authorities, is available on the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 webpage
- Workers should also:
- self-monitor for symptoms
- stay in their place of residence as much as possible when not working
- and follow the instructions of their local public health authority if they feel sick
- Workers must notify key people if:they develop, at any time, symptoms such as cough, fever, or difficulty breathing
- or they believe they are exposed to someone who was sick with COVID-19
- This includes:airline staff and border agents if travelling
- their employer
- their roommates
- public health authorities if at their place of residence or workplace
Will workers receive health care coverage while they are in Canada?
Temporary foreign workers should receive coverage equivalent to other residents of Canada. For workers in the low-wage and primary agriculture streams, including the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, if provincial/territorial health care is not provided from the first day the worker arrives in Canada, equivalent private health insurance must be provided by the employer until the worker becomes eligible for the provincial/territorial plan
Is the Government of Canada playing a role in vaccinating migrant farmworkers on arrival?
- In Canada, COVID-19 vaccines are free and will be available to everyone who is recommended to get the vaccine by public health authorities. Vaccination is voluntary and a personal choice
- The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended vaccinating migrant workers as part of Stage 2 of the vaccine rollout
- As temporary foreign workers fall under provincial/territorial jurisdiction for health care, provinces and territories will decide how they are sequenced in their respective vaccine roll out plans
- The Government of Canada is working with partner countries and provinces to ensure relevant information is provided for temporary foreign workers to make informed decisions
Can an employer prevent a worker from leaving their housing or worksite?
- Limiting a temporary foreign worker’s movement may be considered abuse under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations and a violation of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s conditions. Examples may include:
- imposing policies or agreements – whether oral or written, coerced or mandated by the employer – that restrict a worker’s ability to leave their housing or work location (including situations where a worker may feel compelled to agree to and/or abide by a policy or request out of fear of reprisal)
- physically confining a worker to their housing or worksite without a legal authority (such as government or court issued order)
- The Temporary Foreign Worker Program does not provide employers with the right to limit the free movement of workers, such as movement off the property where temporary foreign workers live and/or work. Like all workers, temporary foreign workers are free to run errands, access services, and enjoy their time off work when not in quarantine, self-isolating, or otherwise restricted from doing so as per government laws and orders, such as those relating to states of emergency or public health