Mark Holthe 0:04
Music. This episode of the Canadian immigration podcast is sponsored by the Canadian immigration Institute, one of the best sources of video content on Canadian immigration to help you navigate your way through the Canadian immigration process. Head on over to the YouTube channel, where there's tons of video content, and you can join mark yes myself in a number of live video streams, Q and A's all designed to help you navigate your way through this crazy Canadian immigration process. When you're done there, like and subscribe and then head on over to the Canadian Immigration institute.com where you can find all those awesome DIY courses that I've been talking about. Thank you, Canadian immigration Institute. You are the sponsor of this amazing little podcast. You
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The Canadian immigration process can be complex and frustrating with the Canadian Immigration Department making it virtually impossible to speak to an officer. There are few places to turn to for trusted information. The Canadian immigration podcast was created to fill this void by offering the latest on immigration law, policy and practice. Please welcome ex immigration officer and Canadian immigration lawyer Mark Holthe as he is joined by industry leaders across Canada sharing insight to help you along your way.
Mark Holthe 1:51
All right. Well, this is a late night. Friday, evening, 7pm Hey, it's a perfect day once again for a new announcement from our compadre right here. Let's bring him on board. I'm kind of doing a little bit of a solo venture here, so we'll bring Minister Miller on because pretty sure he won't appear in person. It'd be great to have him join me, but so we'll bring him his effigy here as we talk about this latest little announcement that the government has made. And I know this won't affect a lot of you, and so we probably won't have as many people watching today. But the reality is, this actually is very telling, and when you look at what's happening in the country right now, this is one more example of just insanity, like I just don't understand these things. I don't and I would love for Minister Miller to come on and to explain what's, you know, the the mindset is for this, but it is a real, real painful thing to see when you're a foreign worker who has sacrificed so much, so much money, to come legally to Canada, to study, to, you know, to work, to get a job, to take crappy survival jobs, and then to see a program like this, which I have no doubt that actions to support housing are critically important in Canada, no doubt about it. But what we're going to talk about today is some of the things that our Liberal government is putting in place or expanding, I guess I should say that I think are a real slap in the face of the individuals that are trying to do things right, to follow the rules, and as far as I'm concerned, it's rewarding the wrong people. So let's get into it. So just to start with here, this is kind of what we're going to cover. So immigration actions to support housing, and I'll just drop this off here, and I'll expand my little actually, I wonder if I've got it here list. Yeah, that should work. Okay, I'm just gonna pull myself up a little bit bigger here, you guys. So immigration actions to support housing, so this is what they're taking. So they're gonna convene a triparthe advisory council. I'll talk about that in a second, new pathways to bring in skilled workers. All for it, you guys. I'm all for it. But the issue, the one that I really, really struggle with is number three here, out of status construction worker pathway, we've already had one in Greater Toronto. There's been individuals that have been in fact, the government says, I think over 1300 people have gone through that program. We'll talk about three and the issues that I have with that number four, support for foreign apprentices. I like all these things. And then we'll finish up with my key takeaways. But it all starts right here, with this. Canada takes action to support housing, with the immigration with new immigration measures. So as we go through here, and as I've listed here in my little takeaways, I'm just going to back this off just a second here, if I can, let's back this off a bit. So these are the three. So, well, I shouldn't say three. These are basically kind of the focuses that they have. I guess we have this one too. So convening of A. Departate Advisory Council. So let's start with that one. So if we go here, you can see and this, once again, this is Minister Miller, and maybe I'll just drop them down just a little bit, because I want them to be part of this. This is his This is his plan. All right, so he said. Today, Minister Miller announced the government's intent to introduce new measures to support Canada's construction industry. So as many of you are already well aware, this is a world in which we simply do not have the housing to sustain the population that we have in Canada right now. So the liberal governments, basically, they're taking kind of a two pronged approach. One is to get as many of you out of the country as possible, as quickly as possible, and that's why we're experiencing what we're experiencing. That's why my days are literally full, like every week, it's at least 35 or 40 consultations, and they're doing everything in their power to get you out of the country in whatever means possible. So that's option one. Number two is this measure right here, which, as they say, is designed to introduce a number of new measures to support the construction industry. They talk about the measure being within the scope of the 2025 immigration levels plan. So if that's the case, let's just take a look at it. So here's what we're talking about when we talk about the levels plan. So they say we're going to reduce the number. So I think it was little over 100,000 that they've reduced overall numbers. And allegedly, I believe what they're focusing on, aside from this overall French speaking thing that just drives me absolutely bonkers, drives me crazy, economics right here, the federal economic priorities are one factor, and there's 41,700, that they're targeting for. I'll bump it up a little bit here. 2025 and then the in Canada focus, which arguably is the is the Canadian Experience Class, but it could encompass a lot of things. So if we look at the federal economic priorities, these are the priority areas where the government has placed their emphasis for economic immigration. So the 2025 priority categories include health care, which we've seen there. There's the list for the the the category based draws have expanded significantly for health care. But then number two on the list right here is trades, and ironically, I would probably put French number one, because that's what we've seen so far this year, all French all the time, but the trade occupations has been a priority for them, and that's exactly what they're referring to in this announcement. So if you look at overall, a couple things I want to point out, I guess with this notice is overall. These trade occupations are designed to fit within the overall numbers that we have here within our federal economic priorities. So 41,700 so if we take this as the truth, these measures here are to be included within the scope of the 2025 so we only have so many people that we can bring in each year. The government has said these are priorities. So effectively, what they're saying is, within these numbers right here, they're going to take spots away from people who are legally in Canada and give them to people who are illegal. And if we go back to the announcement, and I'm just going to skip down here to some of the quotes and the quick facts, you can see that over the years, this isn't a new program. They had the out of out of status construction worker pilot that already existed in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area, but as of november 2024 so up to November, 2024 when it was introduced, there have been 1365 permanent residents, including principal applicants and their dependents, who have been admitted through the out of status construction worker pathway. So they've already piloted it. So as far as what this will look like, we have a very good idea what it will look like, because it'll be very similar to the other I'm not sure exactly who will be administering it, whether it is an external body outside of the government, who manages it like it was before, but this is what we're seeing right now. We are seeing basically an expansion, and I have to assume, although we don't have a lot of details, that this is going to be nationwide, not just in Toronto. So if we have 1365 PRs over the last existence of the construction worker pilot, that that is going to expand, and once again, what that means is it is going to be taking spots away within here for individuals that would have otherwise had opportunities for permanent residence. So what does that mean? It means there's going to be fewer rounds of invitations, fewer invitations extended to people. So that's my initial challenge with this. Now if we go back up here, I want to continue on with this. So here's what we talked about. The triparthe Advisory Council, the new pathways to bring skilled workers in the regularization about a status folks and support for foreign apprentices. So here facing a housing shortage, once again, they have to lay it out and spin it out. Everybody knows that we have huge issues, but this really irritates me, and in the face of tariff threats, like, seriously, like, just stop. Okay, this problem had nothing to do with the tariff threats, and your decision to do this had nothing to do with the tariff threats. But for whatever reason, this is the nice little catch phrase that you guys are rallying behind, and it really bothers me. Anyways, Canada will immediately convene a tripartheid advisory council comprised of so who's going to be involved in this? Of course, the Liberal government and union representatives. Okay, well, obviously they are the individuals that are supposed to protect Canadian workers, and maybe for their purposes, maybe the unions don't care where the workers are coming from, if they can't find them, whether they have legal status in Canada or whether they are illegal, maybe they don't care. But the unions are supposed to be part of this, because by and large, a lot of our construction trades our building are heavily represented within unionized, you know, and collective bargaining units, and then industry leaders, which is mark an industry leader. Well, I've got lots of thoughts for Minister Miller here, but I can tell you, I won't be on that list. Neither will anyone within the Canadian Bar Association's immigration section. I would even assume within the construction section of the Canadian Bar Association, construction lawyers. So who those industry leaders are? I don't know. I just hope that whoever they are, they are not just people. Boy, I have to be really careful what I say.
I just hope that it is not political with who they are inviting to participate in these these discussions. Okay, so what's the purpose of the council? It'll work to identify on the ground labor needs and advise on the parameters for potential pathways that would bring in and retain the construction workers we need for the long term. So the theory here is that they are going to be taking a role in all of these other things that we're talking about here. So I have to assume that the convening of the tripartite Advisory Council will will be involved in trying to identify new pathways to bring in the skilled workers. I have to assume they'll have some involvement in the out of status construction worker pathway, as well as supporting the given the support that they need for foreign apprentices. And I've always, always always felt you guys, and I'll drop Minister Miller off here. I've always, always felt like as a farm kid, where construction trades, you know, all those kinds of things, the whole mechanical world, if you will, was something I grew up with, and it is really hard to get our Canadian kids to get into the trades. Everybody gravitates. There's so much, so much push over the years to go to university and to to get a university education, you know, versus going through any trade programs. And I have a brother, I'll tell you right now, Darcy. I love him to death. He is the most talented, skilled individual that I know. He is a multiple trade Red Seal certified trades person. He is what you would call a master of many trades. Usually we say, you know, you're, you know, when it comes to a handyman, you can be, you know, you basically do so many things that you're a master of none. Well, Darcy, he's a master of many. He's, he's got his mechanics certification so he can work on automotive vehicles. He has his welding certification. He is a phenomenal fabricator, like when it comes to building things from scratch, designing them, constructing them. It just crazy, like he builds, he builds boxes for the back of his truck, hoists all kinds of things. He has unbelievable talent, and he's an arborist, certified arborist for taking trees down. He is just unbelievable. And that kid, I'll tell you, well, kid, we're all old now, if the world goes to hell in a hand basket, he is the person that I want to live with, because he actually has skills that are going to help civilization survive, not me as an immigration lawyer, but him. But our society rewards me financially and other lawyers and other professionals way more than they reward construction trades workers. Now with that being said, as a construction trade person, if you set up your own business, you run your own, your own shop, you have your own teams, then, yes, as a business owner, you can make more money than I could ever make. But rarely is that the case, so there's a huge disincentive for Canadians, kids and even permanent residents to get into the trades. So with all of this, I think there's better ways to try to tackle. And one is more education. I don't fault the work of the unions in ensuring that wages are competitive and and that there is money to be made, but the reality is, there has to be an incentive to pull people in. So as we go back to our our little list here, you can see that they're looking at a number of different things to try to encourage more people to get into the trades and to tap into the labor market that we have here right now. So you can see they're working on identifying on the ground labor needs and advise on the parameters for potential pathways that would bring in. So this is new people coming in. Okay? This is one another issue that that I have and retaining the construction workers we need for the long term. I have no problems, you guys, with retaining construction workers. We want every single construction worker that's here who's on a work permit to be able to have a pathway to permanent residence. We absolutely want it. And some people may think, well, often construction trades are not making enough to, you know, to escape this, you know, pull it up here, to escape our LMIA exemption, you know, the refusal to process list, because remember, if you have unemployment rates that are 6% or higher, there are huge barriers to companies being able to extend the work permits of their workers. Fortunately, on the list of exempted industries is positions in construction. So with that being said, there is no barrier to companies being able to keep their skilled trades. However, as I jump back once again here, there is always this problem that they're trying to combat, which is with robust protections against abuse and a strong wage threshold. So what are they getting at here? What do they mean robust protections? Well, I'll be honest you guys, I don't know. The temporary foreign worker program was designed to to well, it was modified and honed and enhanced and strengthened over the years, since 2014 2015 when Jason Kenney, the former minister over essentially ESDC and the temporary foreign worker program, added enhanced measures to combat fraud within the department, to combat not within the department, but within those who are applying for lmias, to try to catch bad actors, to do site visits, to do inspections, all These kinds of things, and over the last number of years, we've seen a real relaxation of those measures to enforce and to and to really punish with severe consequences the bad actors. So whenever you have a situation where there's an incentive to make lots of money and the consequences of abusing it or taking advantage of people or just breaking the rules is just nominal. Then there's going to be people that are going to do it. They're going to do it. And so I'm curious to see what exactly they intend for robust protections against abuse. But it is what it is, and then a strong wage threshold. Okay, well, one thing I do want to talk about is that we have many, many international students that come through our system obtain post grad work permits. And in the past years, there have been a healthy number of international graduates who desire to transition to permanent residence. And with the liberals increasing levels plans all the way up to 500,000 a year, there were room enough for most international students who wanted to stay, that were in higher human capital positions to be able to stay. But because of the rates of international students that have come in the the market, this this pool of candidates that you know, Minister Miller, administer, his pre his his previous Minister before him, his predecessor, Minister Fraser and minister Mendicino, all Liberal government ministers, they have always and previously highlighted how international students were the best ones. They were the ones that we wanted to keep most. Well. Now that is definitely not what's coming out of Minister Miller's mouth. This is definitely not what's coming out of the liberal party's playbook right now. They are doing everything they can to transition people out of Canada, notwithstanding, as we jump back here, notwithstanding the levels plans that they have, you know, put in place right here, to put a focus on in Canada, alright. And so you can see 82,980, and if we hit this number six here, it takes us down here to tell us what it is. Well, it's primarily admissions for CEC and other regional immigration pathways. In other words, kind of like the like the the rural community immigration programs that took over from the rural northern immigration program, those kinds of regional pathways the Atlantic immigration program. So, but may also come from Federal Skilled workers and Federal Skilled Trades. So maybe someone is here in Canada and just happens to meet the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Well, that's kind of one of the pathways. So this you guys. What they have been been focusing on. So when it comes to the strong wage threshold, there's always been an expectation as pull off minister. There's always an expectation that the wages are not having downward pressure on the Canadian labor market. But when you have over a million international students that are transitioning to post grads. I don't know the numbers right now. There's probably over a million foreign, temporary foreign workers in Canada. Maybe the numbers higher, maybe it's lower. I haven't really paid too much attention. I know it's high, and there's a ton on open work permits. Well, I know you guys, you were just happy to have a job, to be able to work in a market that is just so saturated. And so when you have a situation where the labor supply in many industries has more than there is a supply of jobs, well what does that mean? It means
wages go down. And I see it in my practice every single day when I'm having consultations with people and I ask them how much they're being paid, it just it makes me sick because the wages are so low. And I'm sorry, it's not, it's not as a result, um, directly, of our economy being such, we can't support higher wages. It's for the simple reason that the there's so many open work permit holders desperate for work. They'll take a, you know, $15 an hour job, whatever the minimum wage is in your in your province, 15 in Alberta, you know, they'll take that even though they have they're highly experienced, and could have been the manager in the place, just to have a job, and if it's a skilled position, to have an opportunity to gain Canadian work experience for CEC, and so that's one of the challenges that we're facing here. So I'm very curious to see how they're going to ensure this strong wage threshold. Okay, now let's continue down to the one that troubles me, and that's this one in an effort to build on the success of initiatives such as the out of status construction worker in the Greater Toronto Area. Pilot, so that's where it's building off of. So if you know anything about this GTA, undocumented worker. Pilot, it's probably going to be very similar. There's going to be similar organizations that administer it across the country. I have to assume that it's going to exist in larger centers where the demand for construction is at its peak. So they intend to create a pathway that would offer opportunities for undocumented migrants in the construction sector. So what does this mean? It means that if you work in certain occupations, even though you're completely illegal in Canada, you may very well have an opportunity to become a permanent resident. So these undocumented migrants, as you can see here, are already living and working in Canada. So this program isn't for bringing in someone outside. This is transitioning anyone who is out of status, working illegally in the construction sector, they say, and are contributing to the sector. Well, what does that mean, contributing to the sector. You guys, like any of you that are working in any function or capacity in any industry, are generating a good or a service that is contributing to the sector, you know? So, like, that's a that's kind of a throwaway term, and this pathway will keep them here legally so that they can build a they can, they can continue to build the homes our economy and communities need with the proper protections. Okay, this once again here. What does this mean? And like I said, I'm still I had consults all day today. I literally, if I look at my calendar today. I don't know if I had a break at all, and those of you booked consults with me, I did. I had a break from nine to basically 430 back to back all day. I had a little bit of a break. I had a 20 minute break from 1130 till noon. It was just enough to grab a quick snack. So I haven't had full time to digest this, but I can tell you this here is really troubling for me, and I'll tell you why. And I I welcome your thoughts. I haven't taken a lot of comments or questions here because I know it doesn't affect a lot of people, but this is one I want people to watch after and just understand these individuals are individuals that have made the decision, rather than going home, they're going to stay and work illegally in Canada. So these are individuals that have already said that they're not going to follow the laws. They're already not going to abide by the conditions of their stay. They're just going to choose to work illegally. So these people are being rewarded. The second thing is that any employer who also doesn't believe in, doesn't believe in abiding by the laws or the rules of the country, who probably are not remitting remittances, payroll remittances, for these individuals, are probably paying them cash, playing them every country that I've lived in, I remember. Sure this sector is one of the worst for exploitation. I remember serving my mission for for my church, The Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints. I went to Portugal, Lisbon, back in 1992 to 94 when I was there, there were large groups of these wonderful construction workers from Africa. Often they came from Mozambique, Angola, Guinea, Bissau, these Portuguese colonies, colonies that they had in Africa. These workers would come to Portugal for jobs, to find a better life for themselves. They constructed these just horribly, I don't even how to describe it, just these slum buildings of concrete that had nothing in them except a bed. And they would throw them up with with cement, these single story residences for the workers to work in. And then they would start building these offices, or these, these residences, these, these big apartment complexes and, and these workers, just some of my best friends in the world, those guys, huh? I think of so many that I had the privilege of meeting and, and, you know, I remember one time I was me and my missionary companion, we went to visit, and they invited us in for supper. And there's a good Canadian term, right? Supper. They invited us for dinner, and they had no plates, no forks. One person, kind of had a knife or a spoon that had kind of cut the meat up and put it in a broth, and it was all in one one kind of a big, big pot. Maybe you guys even know are familiar with this, but there was brewing there, and they had their a little bit of seasoning, not much the little bit of pity, pity in Portugal, which is, I don't know what pity, pity is, chili, I guess, maybe or something. And and they invite us to come eat with them. And so everybody reached in, as it cooled, and pulled out our piece of the meat and ate it with our hands, everybody out of the same pot and and that was the conditions that they lived in. And that's that's fine, like they probably felt this is, hey, this is better than where I came from in Africa. Maybe this is better accommodations that I'm in here than than in my home country. I don't know. But one thing that I did know is that they were the most exploited, the most taken advantage of element of our society, and yes, in Canada, we have some protections, but if a person is illegal, they don't have many protections. They didn't even know where to go to look they may have employment standards, rights that they can claim even though they're out of status, but it just exposes them to then problems with immigration and being found out and deported. So you get a very vulnerable population and and I'm saying this because while I'm critical of what's happening here, I also want you to understand that I under that I have a very, very keen familiarity with this industry. So the problem in Portugal at that time was that they would build based on stages of funding. So the first stage where they laid the groundwork and they started building up the first layers, the first two or three floors of the building, before they put any of the external cladding on these concrete edifices, whatever they were, like apartment complexes or business buildings. They business, you know, business, high rise apartments, essentially is what they were. They would get to a certain stage, maybe 1/3 of the way through. They would get the money to start the project. Then when the second round of funding would come in, the person that owned it would basically take the cash and flee to France. They would basically head north into France and just take the money and leave the workers. They would countless times I'd see buildings all over that were only partially constructed and not finished. They just were dead. They just stopped work on them because the person who was supposed to build it took the money and left. And guess what? Those poor African workers were left with zero countless times they would work, trusting that they would be paid and were never paid. So I know we have protections here in Canada, but that's that was my experience when I was in Portugal. So flash forward 30 odd years till today.
I just the problem I have with this policy here. The big problem is that it is rewarding people who came here, maybe legally, whose work permits were expiring and decided not to stay, or people who came as visitors, more often than not, came here, got a job under the table. They never did have a work permit, and then, as their visitor status expired, they just never did anything to change it. And so as they talk about, you know, undocumented migrants who are already living and working in Canada, you guys are already here. You're already here. You're on a work permit, you've complied with the law, you've done everything that you need to. Do so. My question for for Minister Miller is, why are you not targeting your efforts into transitioning these people into trades workers in Canada? I sure hope that our lovely, if I flip back here, our lover, our lovely advisory tripartheide Advisory Council here. This number two, if you guys are watching here, my hope is that this tripartheid advisory council takes a very strong look at how to help people transition from their existing industries, even if they're unrelated, even if they have a desire to work in the trades, if it means they can stay, then you guys, oh, man, Minister Miller, you better create a way for them. Because if your grand plan is to transition people who are illegal in Canada, it is a stupid plan, because what will happen when you are trying to get one 2 million people out of Canada in the next couple years is that people will actively choose just to stay illegally so they can go through the program. They fall, you know, they fall out of status. They leave their job at the bank, they go on the construction site and just start working, which then rewards the companies who are willing to pay cash at low levels to employ people, because, remember, there's no records. It's not like they're on payroll. I'm very curious to see how you're going to do this, but the 18 month post grad work permit was the worst thing that your predecessors, Minister Mendicino and minister Fraser could have ever done, because in many instances, there was this grandfathering in, basically where the program was announced and it was retroactive to effectively save people who were out of status for months and months. So it created this belief that there's going to be a pathway for people if they remain in Canada illegally. And Minister Miller, I'm going to expand you up here because I want to talk to you me and you my friend. I wish you would come join me. I can't make it quite as big as me, just because you'll take over the screen on me. But you and me, we're here. I'm going to put you here and I'm I can't remember which way, but I'm going to talk to you because the reality is, Minister Miller, this is incentivizing all of those people that you want to leave, follow the law, depart peacefully when they are when their status is expired. Do you know what, Minister Miller, they're going to say, Hey, I'm just going to go get a job on a construction site, and then I'm going to have a pathway to permanent residence, because I don't have a pathway through the other way. I It's a mistake. As far as I'm concerned. It's a mistake to do this, but I'm not consulted. So there you go, Minister Miller, there you go. That's my views on this. Okay, let's shrink them down, but I want them to still be here, because this is, this is yours, and I'm going to keep you here. Okay, once again, I run, I want to reiterate what I think is a better plan is to allow people to have the opportunity to transition into a construction trade. In some instances, people who work construction have had prior experience in their home country before they came here. Could I Mark Holthe, who's been practicing as a lawyer and a professional for 20 odd years? Could I slide over and work on a construction site, get a trade and move forward? Yes, I could. I have a you know, I have some skill sets, having worked on the farm. I understand equipment. I understand tools. My brother and I, we used to build grain bins, large, 40,000 bushel grain bins, just he and I when we were really young. And we had our own crew, and we had, you know, well, there was we had our own issues. My brother just about lost his hand in one accident. But it's possible. So you can take someone who does not have experience, and you can train them, as long as they have a desire and you have a focus on safety, you can train them. You can build them up now skilled trades, absolutely having people who already know how to weld, who are experienced stick framers, you know, interior like they finishing, carpenters, all those kinds of things that are essential for home building, electricians, all of those are super, super important, but those positions can be trained. And so if you have individuals who are in Canada legally, who have a valid work permit, whose status is expiring, why in the world would you not incentivize them to transition, maybe on the last few months of their work permit, to take a job on a construction site or with the trades or whatever it is, and give them an opportunity to go to trade school, to have these other opportunities to transition. I think some of you might have. Bird. I talked about a story of one of my clients like so much respect to have for him. He booked a concert with me. He had some questions about express entry, and I'll tell the story again. He had gone to he, I think he was in finance, and he basically knew that the writing was on the wall. He wouldn't have an opportunity, so he went to a welding shop and asked him to train him. He worked for five months for free to get the experience to then actually be brought on, as, you know, as a welder. And then he worked six months as a welder in Ontario, and he got drawn under the trades draw, and he's now got an eapr application in the queue, and he could even be a permanent resident. I wish you'd come back and and let me know what happened, but it is possible. So why incentivize people to become illegal? When you have so many people you're trying to get out of the country, some of them may already have construction experience, so make it easy for them to transition. Create a work permit a pathway. Call it the construction worker pathway, where you can start a job. The moment you start, you can continue to work. And if there's a nice email you send out to them, or some simple you can keep working. You know, authorization, like you did with the 18 month you've done before, you can do it again. If you've got a job, you've got a job with one of these approved employers, or someone who's gone through and shown that you know they are trying to comply. I just don't understand rewarding companies that are already employing people illegally. I just don't get it so companies that have got a clean track record that are doing it right can then bring these people in to work for them. But I know it's not the case. You're gonna you're gonna reward people. I know you are. You're gonna reward people for for, you know, for encouraging illegal work and those who do it anyways, okay, I'm gonna leave it there for now, and I will, and I'll get to your comments after but I didn't mean this for to be my soap box here, but I just, I'm so frustrated with the decisions that Minister Miller and his and his his folks are making so you can see here, this is, you know, this is what. This is the focus here to build homes and And supposedly, to do it with the proper protections in place in this industry. Good luck. More info about these pathways will be shared in the near future as the new Advisory Council meets to develop these important policies. Minister Miller, I would love to sit on that. I would love to sit on that that council give me a call. I'd love to sit on that council. And then finally, and this is the one that has me curious. This is the one that I actually think is, is has really a ton of of opportunities, a ton of potential, and we'll see more about it. But to support foreign apprentices in construction programs, that's foreign apprentices in Alberta, for instance, it is really hard for a foreign worker to enter into the apprenticeship program in Alberta, it's a very restrictive, very tightly closed, with many of our trades being compulsory trades where you can't work unless you have trade certification, and they don't have a policy of issuing lmias to individuals entering into the apprenticeship program. Why? Because not only do they have to work, but there's a study component to it, and so it often becomes a barrier when people are unable to to complete the schooling, because they have to go to a local college and they don't have a study permit, all right, so this right here, and I will give credit where credit's due. So Minister Miller, let me bring you back up here. Okay, buddy, I want to tell you that this one, this is a good, good decision, because this needed to happen for years. So
good job. I'll give you credit for that one. All right, now we'll keep Minister Miller here. Let's go back. So if we look at this once again, Minister Miller, I'm going to slide you over a bit, buddy. You're kind of there we go. Okay, so if we look at this to support foreign apprentices in construction programs and to address the current labor market needs in the construction sector, that's a no brainer. We are also introducing a temporary measure to allow foreign apprentices to complete their studies without a study permit, effective today, which is March the seventh. So this is actually a really, really good thing. So by removing these administrative barriers, and yes, they couldn't study without a study permit, apprentices will be able to gain the valuable skills they need to contribute to infrastructure projects more quickly. All right, so legal people, this one is for you, and this is where I think there is a really big opportunity. So if we go here, you can see here this new policy. It allows certain apprentices to study without a study permit, but there are some caveats. There are some restrictions on here. So to be eligible under this policy, you must, this isn't a May. You must meet all of the following criteria. All right, and when you make your request, and once a decision has been made, so that means you have to have a valid work permit. Well, you have to have a valid work permit throughout. And I'm just curious to see what they're going to do to help people remain. You have to have a job in an eligible construction occupation. This, you guys, is where you need to pay attention, because these are the occupations you have to fit in if you want to qualify under this particular program. And not only that, you have you have to have an apprenticeship agreement registered with the apprenticeship body, board territorial, whatever certification authority in that province or territory. So this is not an easy thing to do. You need to have an employer who is supporting you in this process. You can't do it unilaterally. Okay, so valid work permit a job in the sector and be accepted into the apprenticeship program. Now let's take a look at the occupations. Once again. You need to look at these carefully, because you can only fit within here. So eligible, eligible occupations in the in the managerial construction managers, home building renovation managers, tier one, only civil engineers, not mechanical engineers, not structural engineers. Well, technically, civil fits within that, but not software engineers, right? Even if you're a wizard at CAD and you can develop amazing building plans, it's civil engineers that are on the list. And then the tier two and three. This is where the rubber hits the road. But what's missing from here you guys construction helpers. So that doesn't work. So you have to be entered into the apprenticeship program, because trades helpers are are the the individuals at the bottom that are shoveling gravel, like I did when I first started working on bins. And when I was young, my brother, like I said, I actually was the first one to start working on bins, as I was trying to save money for my mission in Portugal. And so I remember getting up at 7am in the morning and driving to all these different job sites. And I remember building these big, massive grain bins on Hutterite colonies around Southern Alberta and and we had to build the foundation, so I did a lot of concrete work. And there was nothing worse than shoveling on a hot day, shoveling gravel by hand, leveling out the job site, you know, lining everything up, making sure it was all level. And then the concrete comes. And then you're pushing the concrete, pushing the concrete, and then your buddy, who thinks he's really smart, takes a bunch and puts it on his shovel and dumps it down the back of your shirt. And as anybody who's worked with concrete knows, it sucks the life out of you. It literally sucks the water out of you. So anyways, that was kind of a little bit of a tangent, but, but these are back to the trades. These are the trades so you can see the engineering, civil engineering technologists, construction estimators, sheet metal welders, electricians, these are all trades involved in the construction industry, industrial electricians, plumbers, carpenters, cabinet makers, brick layers, construction, mill rights, heavy duty equipment mechanics, heating, refrigeration. And you can see here, auto mechanics aren't on the list. It's heavy duty equipment mechanics heating like HVAC, electrical mechanics, water well drillers. This is a this is a good one. I haven't seen too many water well drillers. Guess it's a trade. I guess it is. And then for the bottom tier three, there's not nearly as many, but that's why I brought it up. Concrete finishers, so that's what I was as a finisher. And then roofers, which, oh, I actually need to replace my roof. I've got huge problems with the wind and the hail. Painters and decorators, hey, I could fit that. I also had a painting company, so I did. So when I was going through school, I was a part of a student painting company, and then me and my brothers did our own painting, got our own projects, and then floor covering installers, vinyl carpet. Okay, so these are the trades. So what does this mean for all of you guys? All right, Minister Miller, I know you want to listen to this, so, so let's listen up, because this is, this is for you, and I'm assuming that it's it, hopefully it will resonate. But this now has become an opportunity for all of you out there who see no future for yourself in Canada. Who are looking at your CRS score, you're realizing, oh my goodness, this just does not look like there's going to be a pathway forward. Well, trades, construction trades, I have to assume that Minister Miller here is going to start doing more category based draws, and I'm going to pull this up, I have to assume that Minister Miller here, okay, now you're too big again. It's just not room for the both of us on here, my friend, category based draws. You can see the categories this here. As far as I'm concerned, this one should be number. One, or at the very least number two on this list, not French. I have no issues with French, but, like I have said, a million times, French speakers who are proficient, fluent in French, if they're going through Express Entry, already have a what a 72 to 74 point bonus for speaking French, 50 for the additional points section, and then up to 22 if you're married, 24 or have a common law partner, or up to 24 if you're single, points for a second official language. So there is no need for you to to give a super heightened bonus to French language by making it a priority, a category itself. Repeatedly, you've told us that we don't do more stem because stem are already built into the CEC draws. Well, how in the world are francophones not already built in? And I am fully behind bilingualism in our country. I love it. I speak Portuguese myself, the French kind of, as I said in Portuguese at Fauci, it kind of ran away when I learned Portuguese. But understand like this is where I think there's a huge, massive imbalance. And I don't know what the rationale is, Minister, but as far as I'm concerned, if you want this to work, trades should truly be right up here at the top over the next few years, if this really is what you're hoping to accomplish. So back to our public policy here. So you can see here that you have to have a valid work permit in one of these eligible construction occupations and be a part of the apprenticeship process. And you can see here, if we look at I'm trying to see there's some other information. So the eligible occupations, and then how to prove you're eligible. You can see here you must request, you must submit a request for consideration to prove that you're eligible. Follow the steps below to prove that you're eligible to study without a study permit as an apprentice under the Public Policy make sure you have what you need. Get your documents ready, so proof of a work permit, proof of your like a job offer within the industry, the apprenticeship agreement from the apprenticeship board, and then submit the web form request to get authorization to then register for your classes in whatever year you are progressing through for your trade. And then after you apply. Well, if they prove your request for this exemption, then you'll be issued that authorization letter that lets you know you can study and then basically it'll, you know it'll be, it will be as valid until whichever the following dates comes first your work permit expires or the date this public policy expires or is revoked. And you know how to prove you're authorized to study. You can just show the letter to the school, and then your employment contract. You know, there has to be an agreement with your employer. I won't get into all these details. If we refuse your request for this exemption, they'll let you know in writing, and then you'll basically have to get a study permit if you want to study. So I did see this, and I can't remember. I think it was in the policy right here. It said that this was only going to be valid for a couple years. I'm trying to remember where it said for country bringing blah, blah. There was an expiry date on this that I can't remember where it is. Now I saw this expiry date. It's, it's now ran away from me.
Whatever you guys get, the you guys get the picture. Okay, so those are my feelings on this. There'll be more to come. For sure, we will definitely talk about this, but I now want to see what you guys have to say. I'm going to keep Minister Miller here because he can, he can chime in and offer his thoughts on all of the concerns people are experiencing. So go ahead post your comments and and let's finish off the last little part of our discussion here today. I'll just pull up this with my key takeaways. Well, really, I've pretty much done a bunch, but let's we basically, for those of you who are jumping in late, Oh, interesting. I have the wrong heading up there. That's actually quite funny. That's actually really funny. See, I can go in and I can change this. This is actually time's up. That's so funny. That's what happens when you're just racing. So, it is what it is, right? It is what it is. So this is actually a part of the time's up series. And anyone who has has questions, just please, oh, I got it all messed up. Now I'm kind of stuck. We'll see if this is it looks like it's almost kind of froze on my screen. Now, that's beautiful. Can't even close it. We'll leave it you guys. You guys understand. All right, let's jump back here. Let's get to the questions. All right. Praveen, it's good to see you. Thanks for tuning in here. Okay, so yeah. Rene May, oh yes, I think that I have a consult with you. I'm trying to remember with the new rules, can an open work permit holder apply now? As an apprentice in Alberta. Yes, you can. So the reality is, it all comes down to your work permit, how long it's valid for. And the challenge right now that I expect Minister Miller here to clarify for us, I'm just going to stick you up here, Mr. Miller, you're going to go right up here, and I'm going to have you hovering over these comments. So hang tight for a second, guys. We gotta get him well positioned here. All right, so there he is. We'll put him right there. Okay, so Renee May, so right now, the issue is the temporary foreign worker program right now is not keen on issuing lmias for companies who want to hire a foreign worker to go through the apprenticeship program. They want the person already to have their necessary hours and be qualified to then work in that position to get an LMIA. So I'm curious, Minister, what's the plan like? What? What are you going to do with the with the temporary foreign worker program? But if you're on an open work permit there, I would reach out to the apprenticeship board. Remember, you have to have an employer to support you, so it's not something that you can just do independently. Employers still drive this ship, okay? And I'm just going to focus guys questions on this program. Julio says, any possibilities for construction workers, Work Permit Holders? Yes, through this program, there is um Um,
okay, this is a tough one. Praveen says my work permit extension got rejected on january 4. Currently I'm out of status. I'm in the 90 day period. Is there any way that I can restore my status to a visitor or to study Praveen? This is where I'm going to push that triangle and just say, slide over to our website, there's a link in the description below, and book a consult. We can talk about that. Okay. Walter says, Do you think that if the Conservatives managed to call the election? Okay, well, they don't have any ability to call the election, but if they call the elections, this program will be canceled. I don't know. Walter, usually when parties take over, they don't just do what Trump does and just sign a bunch of executive orders reversing everything the previous administration did. They don't do that in Canada, the program, it depends on whether or not they see it's accomplishing what the desire is. They do absolutely suspend programs like I give you one example, okay, when I first started practice years ago, the rule was you need to have four years of Canadian living in Canada before you could qualify for citizenship. And then the and then, actually, let me phrase that, yeah, four years. And then the Conservatives reduced it to three years during their term. Sorry, no, the liberals had it for three years, and the conservatives increased it to four years, and then when the Liberals got back in, the first thing they did was reduce the citizenship eligibility back to three years. So for sure, Walter, it's a possibility. I'm hoping, I would love to, you know, get Minister Miller on here to to explain kind of the things that he has going on. The invitation has been out there the whole time at time. I'd love for him to join me and and talk about this and what the master plan is. And I'm frustrated because there's such a lack of transparency into what's driving this stuff. It just seems also political. I'm hoping that I can get some, some of the Conservative Party representatives to come join me to talk about their platform, which, you know, I'm, I'm hopeful that it will, you know, be something that will not betray Canadian immigration, but that it will be measured, that it will, it'll be something that can help rebuild the trust of our average Canadian citizen in the immigration program, in the importance of immigrants in our country, and because, boy, have they taken a beating, and unfairly so. And that one minister that's that's on your party. All right, let's keep going. Nelson says, I watched the live stream and asked questions and got answered on November 2023 and then I got my PR on May 2024 thanks. Message from the Taiwanese. Thanks. Nelson, okay, okay, yes. Calgarian, here, lots of new communities being developed here, including surrounding areas, lots of new homes being built. I feel like it's not so much about the supply of houses, but the affordability that is a factor. One of the things we know, gee, is that if the surplus of housing is high, prices of housing comes down. The reason it's at skyrocketing levels is because there's still such a massive demand for houses that the supply is just, you know, it's just not there to meet the demand. And when demand outstrips supply, prices just go up through the roof. Okay, so then airy says, already in a work permit. Knock glacier. Are there any chances for my husband to get PR, he is skilled worker. His work permit. Expires in december 2025 airy, a glacier. What is the specific knockout? You can go right to the site and you can pull it up. I do not, I don't think a glacier is on the list. Bear with me as I as I try to look at the list here, but I'm pretty sure you'll find, yeah, I don't think a glacier is on that list. And, you know, maybe there's a different, a different kind of knock associated with it. Okay, about says this is a joke. What type of internship is there for civil engineers and civil engineering techs. I'm a civil Tech with work permit expiring in September. I know, yeah, it's, it's, it's a tough, horrible situation to be in. But hey, you know, I appreciate your humor. Okay, let's see what else we have here. We'll go through a few more questions here. Let's see here, are we at? Okay, and I'm just gonna keep these focused on the topic here, guys. So if you've asked a question about something else, remember, every Wednesday at 10am Mountain Time, we're right here with our Canada immigration live Q and A, okay, yeah, the cosmos student says in the US, it's happening the reverse. More young people are choosing trades over university. You can make good money without getting in debt. I got my four year degree, but did a trade on the side. Absolutely, it is so true. You know, the amount of money that people are coming out of university with the amount of debt, and then the wages that are available to help pay that back. Often, there's such an imbalance that people are seriously, you know, questioning whether or not it makes sense to even do it and and obviously, with trades, you don't have nearly the debt, so you're earning power. You know, over those initial years, you know, it takes a long time for someone who has any kind of a professional career designation to catch up to the people that just chose to do a trade right off the bat. So great, great point. Cosmo, Philip says, really appreciate the work you're doing. It's not easy at all. You're welcome. Happy to do it. Spidey is with you. From you why? Ul as usual, thanks, Spidey. Okay, this is great. Insight, God, first, this is phenomenal. Insight, here I am a PR, since last November, a carpenter from the GTA, where construction jobs have almost completely stopped now, doing Uber temporarily. Oh, my goodness. Hey, I don't know if you're still watching this, but do you want to to join me to talk about this? Would you be willing to to you've just become a permanent resident like, are you? Are you willing to come live and join me as a guest right now? Because this is amazing, I will push the minister away, and I will open up a spot and invite you on as a guest to talk about it. Are you like are you willing to do that? God, first, if you're brave and you're willing to come on, I'd love to ask you some questions about this, because if we are in such demand, how is someone like you not getting a job? And I have my own suspicions on why you're not getting a job, but I'd love to hear from you, so let me know if that's something you'd be brave enough to do. God first. Okay, I'll leave it out there, and I'll watch for your comment, and if, if you say yes, then, then, basically, I will post the link where you can type to connect in. Okay, let's keep zipping through here. Spider says, Is it a good time to find a job in construction site now, probably my friend probably, let's see what else we have here. Okay, okay, for yoy H for yoy says, I just joined this live stream. Is this a PR pathway of construction workers here in Canada? Yes, it is, and more details will be flushed out in the coming days, but yeah, now here we go. God first says, Sorry to tell you, but I know a few guys from Mexico who worked for a few weeks at the same site as me, only to be told by the employer that they won't be paid. It happens more often than you might expect, absolutely, absolutely. That is it? That is the issue, right there. Man, I wish you were here. I wish you would were able to join me. Okay, is it time to Manasi says, Is it time to learn to lay bricks and mortar? Yep, it sure is. Let's see what else here. Glover says kill legal. Say follow Portuguese. Yeah, it's super legal. It's really cool to know that that that you speak Portuguese as well. So very cool. Okay. Okay, okay. Manav says, Can an engineer in training use same not code as engineer? There is no other not code that includes it. Yes, it depends on the duties that you're performing, but that's we always we have lots that come up from the US and yes, it can be it just depends on the description of the job you're doing. So
uh, Renee. Renee May says, Thank you for answering my question. You're very, very welcome. Okay, so McConnell says our general mechanic systems says our general building maintenance workers, part of construction workers. No, I don't see them on the list. And remember, the list that we have here make a net systems. You can see the list is very, very clear. So if you're not on this list as a trade, then you're not going to be eligible for this program. Remember, it's all about regulated trades, and then having going through the apprenticeship process for the eligible occupations. Now, let me rephrase that. Okay, let me rephrase this. I'm going to backtrack. We do not yet know who they consider to be a construction worker. Okay, so I have to assume, I'm making the assumption that when they say people who might be unauthorized and pathways forward, if they're illegal and bringing new people in that it's going to be these eligible occupations. I have to assume that this is the list that they're targeting. Okay, this one here is for participation specifically within, you know, apprentices to study without a study permit. But I can't see this list being any more expansive than this for the purposes of these programs, because they're all related directly to to housing and construction. Uh, Praveen says, Thanks for reading my question. I'll book an appointment as soon as I don't have much time. You bet? Yeah, fit me like as soon as you can. And Praveen, if for whatever reason you're having trouble connecting. I I've been working really late the last few nights. Well, who am I kidding? Last few nights, the last few months, and so if you know, I always try to accommodate someone, if they if there isn't a time. So all you have to do is just reach out to us and and just let us know, and we'll try to fit you in. Okay, okay, Kimberly Ann says, I've been working as an electrician for two years on an open work permit. Am I now eligible to study to become a registered electrician? Alberta trade doesn't have any information on this yet. The way this looks, Kimberly is the answer is yes. Now you can book a consult and we can work through this. I'm happy to help guide you. But the way this is worded, there should be no reason why you can't go through that process. That's what it's specifically designed for, someone like you. All right? Diane Campos, hello, Diane, great to have you tuning in on Facebook. That's a good question. How do you think they're going to process the out of status applicants? I'm thinking the same as TR to PR. It could be, but I don't know if it's going to be kind of a rush to file like that. Race for the TR to PR pathway was crazy. We're going to take the first people and that's it. I guess it all depends on how many they think they actually have that are undocumented, that want to go through this program. It just, I just think it's just not wise. I just don't I'd rather help to transition people who are already here. How many people took business degrees and are working, you know, in the fast food franchises, or are administrative assistants or bookkeepers who don't have a pathway forward, but maybe, maybe they have a desire to switch. Shay says, Does working during your stay in Canada as an asylum seeker? Count if you want to apply for Express Entry? No, it doesn't that one slipped in there. Um, abd says, we'll, we'll stem get a priority as civil engineering and technicians fall under construction. Who knows? Um, who knows what will happen? Oh, okay, God. First said, Sure, that's awesome. Okay, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go in and I'm going to post the link, and all you have to do is hit this into your URL. Just give me one second, because I'd really love for you to join me. It's pretty simple. So I'm going to copy this link and this is for you, and actually, I'm going to just post it to keep your, you know, confidentiality. I'm going to go in here and I'm going to post this in our live feed soon as I get past this. Okay, here it is. This link is for I'm
it's for God. First, there we go. So all you have to do is, I just posted the the link right here.
Unknown Speaker 1:04:53
This is it.
Mark Holthe 1:04:55
It's in the it's in the chat. So just type that. URL in, and then I will add you in. Okay? And I guess, if other people feel like they want to join me live, well, I guess, I guess we'll see what happens. But this is specifically for God first, yes, hopefully we get the same person. Okay, oh, there we go. So it's Miguel. Oh, this might be a good one here. Okay, let's remove this comment, then we'll pull Miguel All right. Is this God first here that you my friend? Okay, one second, I'm just gonna get you in here so I can hear your audio. Let's see I'm not hearing you yet. Oh, now I can there we go. How you doing? You're live my friend,
Miguel 1:05:48
awesome. I'm doing great. How are you doing, Mark, I'm doing good. Okay. Where are you from? Well, I'm living in the GTA, but I'm originally from the Dominican Republic, cool.
Mark Holthe 1:05:58
Okay, so tell me about this construction industry, my friend, what? What the heck is really happening on the ground? Oh, just wait. Just wait. I'm gonna we have another guest that's going to be joining us here. I better bring him on. Okay, wait, here he is, okay, because he needs to hear this too. All right. So tell me what's happening on the ground right now for you as a new permanent resident.
Miguel 1:06:19
Okay, before we start, I'd like to thank you for the Express Entry accelerator.
Mark Holthe 1:06:27
Yeah, awesome, good.
Miguel 1:06:29
It helped me with the process of applying for express entry. So thank you for that. Thank you guys.
Mark Holthe 1:06:37
Just so you know, those who are late to the game, this is my Express Entry accelerate, he's talking about, and there's a link in the description, and I also posted a link, I think, in the in the chat right at the top that I that I linked up there. So if you guys have not yet had a chance to to check out the access accent, the Express Entry accelerator, it is. It's right at the top, the link, the first some of the first comments, all right, yes, my friend, okay, thank you for that. Yes,
Miguel 1:07:03
yes. So I am a carpenter. I live in in the GTA. I started working as a carpenter almost five years ago. So as of last year, the construction business, construction industry has been going pretty bad. To be honest. There have been time where we have been out of work for a few weeks. Right now, I stopped working since probably the beginning of February, or no, maybe, maybe the second week of
Mark Holthe 1:07:40
February. Okay, so I'm gonna ask you, I'm gonna ask you a couple questions here. So obviously, when it's freezing out, construction slows, but it wasn't the cold that stopped you.
Miguel 1:07:50
No, that's not a problem. I can tell you from my my own experience from previous years, that was not the case. We work through winter. And another thing is that the crew that I work with. We are professionals, and we are very good at what we do. So it's not a matter of our expertise. It's a matter of how the industry is right now. Okay,
Mark Holthe 1:08:10
so tell me the kind of construction. Are you residential, commercial? What kind of building do you
Miguel 1:08:17
do? We do residential construction. I am a framer, so, yes, when we get to the job site, we normally get the foundation part done and then we start framing
Mark Holthe 1:08:29
Yeah. Okay. And so your company that you work for currently, you're laid off,
Miguel 1:08:37
yes, well, we are out of work. And it's not just me. I've been receiving messages from other friends asking me if I know where, where they can also find work. Because, okay, everybody's going through the same thing. Okay,
Mark Holthe 1:08:53
so you mentioned All right, so your stick framer, you're right, literally, where Minister Miller is feeling he needs to hire illegal people basically facilitate their permanent residence, because we can't get enough construction workers. That's that's his pitch. So what do you have to say to minister Miller about that and the need to create an undocumented because it's already there, right? So there was this undocumented construction worker pilot that they ran in the GTA already, and he said, over the past, however, many since its inception, there's been over 1300 people so that have gone through that program. So what? What do you have to say about Minister Miller, but the need to expand it? Well, I'd
Miguel 1:09:35
like to say that it's not just Minister Miller, it's the three levels of government that have been saying the same thing, that you know we are We thank you, that we need construction workers, especially in the kind of work that I do, so and I don't understand, because right now, no many, not many houses are being built. You. So
Mark Holthe 1:10:00
that's interesting. I'm glad you said that. So instead of stressing so much on having the bodies to do it, there's a certain candidate that has been, you know, somewhat visible in social media, who's been saying, the problem is that the bureaucracy that allows to the permitting of these construction sites, and that it's really the administ the municipalities that are delaying things because it's hard to get permits to build. And so what do you have to say about polyev and his comments on, if we can clean that up, it will help? Well, nobody
Miguel 1:10:37
wants to take the blame right now. You have the you know, the municipalities talking about the federal government and then to the provincial government. So number one, there is a real need for housing right now. That is a fact. So the problem is not because of the market, it's it's because of the we can say that it is because of the regulation, and I believe that it is because of the financial situation we're in right now.
Mark Holthe 1:11:06
Yeah, so they want to build because they can't make money. Yes, that's
Miguel 1:11:10
correct. So I believe right now, before we can, you know, demand or request for so many people to come and work in this industry, we need to solve this issue, yeah, because people like me that are already here right now, it doesn't make sense. Work you don't have work
Mark Holthe 1:11:28
that is insane. That is so insane. Yeah? Because, because your story is so, so timely, I'm so grateful that you came on. Because this is like you have a certain, uh, paradigm of this whole situation that is being portrayed by, you know, the powers that be that, you know, if we only had more workers to do the job, then we'd have more houses built. And you saw the other comment, probably from the other person who was talking about how, like, in Calgary, like, it's massive expansion building houses like all over the place, but they're complaining the housing pricing is still, is still too high and people can't afford them. Well, the reality is, the demand is still so high that people are doing whatever they can because they just need a place to live, so they're paying for it. So I'm I'm curious what your thoughts are, as in terms of solutions. So you having worked on the ground. You're not working right now. You're trying to find another job. Like, what is, what are your thoughts? What do you what would you say to minister Miller here, like, from an immigration perspective, what would you say in terms of his plan here? Does it make sense? And I don't mean to put you on the spot, right? I don't mean to put you on the spot, but this is you. It directly affects you? Yes,
Miguel 1:12:42
absolutely. So I am talking from my own perspective, personal experience. That's totally cool, my personal experience. So I live in the GTA, I don't know what's going on in, let's say, in Alberta, yeah. So I cannot comment. However, what is going on? Yes, however, what's going on here in the place where I am in so we work. It is a huge you know, we have Oshawa, Ajax, Toronto, we have all these different municipalities, and it is the same problem. We can go all the way up to London and all those other areas in Ontario, and you still have the same problems. So yes, for people like me that are in this situation, I don't understand why there is a need for more workers, more workers in this industry, when people like me are, you know, either doing something else, working in a different industry temporarily, or just sitting at home
Mark Holthe 1:13:46
and you're not alone
Miguel 1:13:48
Absolutely. I can tell you from I can show you the many messages that I received from friends asking me if I know of any place where they can I have
Mark Holthe 1:14:00
an idea. I have an idea. I'd love to create a special live to just have you guys tell your stories, because I think it gets lost in translation, and there's nothing more important than the people that are directly in the industry that could be affected by do you think you'd have some friends that would come and share their stories and talk about their experiences.
Miguel 1:14:23
Yes, I can definitely ask them. However, I want to say something else, because I do these other Yes, this other program that they're trying to create, that they are also wanting to include people that want to do apprenticeship, right? Yeah, however, how are they going to be able to find the jobs? Right?
Mark Holthe 1:14:39
Yes, yeah. So that's what I said, Yeah. Program, which is
Miguel 1:14:43
fine, and you know, it's something great. However, if you don't have the maybe the employers that Yes, correct. So where are they gonna go,
Mark Holthe 1:14:53
huh? So is this lipstick on a pig?
Miguel 1:14:58
Well, you said it right? My brother,
Mark Holthe 1:15:02
oh, my goodness, wow. This is so powerful I
Miguel 1:15:05
and I want to believe that this situation is going to get solved one way or another. And I believe that we are indeed going to need more people to work in this industry. However, right now, that is not the case. And what are the things that are being done? So, you know, people like me can go back to work.
Mark Holthe 1:15:29
That's a great this is awesome. I really do. So what I want you to do? I want you to send me your contact information. And I think I have, let's see if I've got it here, maybe I don't.
Miguel 1:15:41
I can send you an email after our conversation. Yeah,
Mark Holthe 1:15:45
yeah, you've got my contact. But anyways, this is you can just, you can send it to my email out you have my direct email address. You took the course, so you probably do, don't you? Yeah, just join me. Join me. Join me in the master class, or just send me an email through, you know, Mark at Canadian immigration Institute. And then let's arrange it, because I'd really like it, because like it, because I know there's, there's one party for sure that would be more than willing to listen to you, absolutely. And if, if Minister Miller is is keen to talk about this, I'd love to have him join us. If not, I'm almost positive the other party would love to talk with you about this and to have other people involved, and because this is not something that can just be fixed with a fancy announcement, and you've opened up a perspective that no one is talking about. So I'm so grateful for that, so grateful. And I'm just excited that you you got your permanent residence. I'm happy that anything that I did had played some small role in it, but to have you come on, it was just perfect. So stay in touch. Okay? And I think it's late for us. It's like, quarter after 10 for you, and it's not so late for me, but it is Friday. We should be doing other things on a Friday night, shouldn't we? All right, thank you so much. And it's manual, right? Well, let me go, Miguel, sorry, Miguel, that's right. Miguel, yeah, at first I thought you might be from Portugal. I was like, oh, Miguel, no, that's good. Okay, perfect. Yeah, do send me an email. Okay, and let's arrange it. And let's have a live stream. I can have like six people on live, you know, I can have a whole group that are that are all chimed in and contributing. So I'd love to hear your perspectives. It'd be so helpful. All right, yep, thank you. Mark, awesome. Okay, take out, Miguel. Wow. There you go. Minister, did you hear that? That is awesome, right? Reporting, live reporting from the ground. Wow, Miguel, that was fantastic. Thank you so much for joining me. So we're definitely going to get Miguel on and we're going to have a nice little discussion and bring some of his friends in to talk about the realities on the ground. And Minister Miller, I would love for you to join us and and to meet, you know, we could pull you in here and and we could have a discussion and talk about these issues so that you can hear them and listen to what they're saying. You know, it's all a matter. This is a this is a challenge that is going to take a lot of people involved, not just whoever you deem to be the stakeholders, whoever you feel are going to be a part of this, this committee that you've talked about, that you call your, oh, what is it called here? The tripartite, the tripartite Advisory Council. All right, that's great federal government. That's great union reps and industry leaders. But what about the workers? What about the workers like Miguel? They Minister should be on that advisory council. There should be representation. And I'm sorry the unions are not always that representation, so keep that in mind. Okay, okay, so Diane says I processed over 100 applicants through the auto status pilot. I have over 100 on the waiting list with the with the CLC, wondering if the CLC will be involved again. Maybe Diane, they may very well be. We just don't know. And how is it going to be implemented across the country? I guess we'll see. But thanks for that insight so helpful. All right, I think we're just about done here. Walter says, So Brazil later, we simply a companion. Obrigado pelo a Juda, oh, he's always watching the challenge from Brazil, and thanks for the help. You're very welcome, Walter. My pleasure. Okay, yes. Abt says another super. He says, stem got a priority as civil engineering and tech is on the list. Yeah, I hear you will stem get a priority as civil engineering and tech is on the list. Yeah, we'll have to see how it plays out. Um, that's funny. He says, Sorry, you can't read my nickname. It appears on YouTube channel, but it is pronounced as high. Oi, okay. Hi. Oi, great. Thanks for clearing that up for me. Let's see what else we have here. Yeah, this is Bill says, Will the CRA audit the illegal workers and the companies who hired them when they apply for this program? Heck, no. Bill, they will not. Nope, they will not. Yes. Abbott says, I'm from. Yukon and constructing a seasonal most of the workers are from Nova Scotia coming here for work. There's no need for full time here or any territories. And work is seasonal, yeah, some places, some places you can work year round, for sure. It's seasonal there for sure. Okay, this is great. Okay, so here's Diane. She's also contributed her thoughts. Let's just drop the minister off here so we can see it. So Diane says, I represent over 100 construction companies in the GTA, and the reason for the layoffs are due to cost of building permits and high interest rates we need building it's the permits. Mm, hmm, okay. Great insight. Thank you. And then el Canal says, Yo, there are tons of construction work out there. What are you talking about? Okay? And I'm curious to see where, where you're looking el Canal, where you're from, or if you're in the GTA or, you know. And really, what we need to do is maybe find a network where people can find work, right? Let's see what else we've got here. Diane's got some other comments. Most companies are unionized and wages are an issue. Further, the program is to legalize the undocumented, which fell out of status due to IRCC language requirements to process work permits and mass refusals and inability to transition. Most families have integrated and won't leave. Yeah, I know that's that. That's the challenge Diane. And the question becomes, who do you? Who do you prioritize those that are out of status or those that are in status? And it's complex, for sure. I just personally, I just think it creates an incentive for people to stay, even if they don't want to leave. There still is a rule of law in our country, and if individuals who come in on a temporary work permit when that work status expires, the expectation is that they will go home. That's the expectation. And to then reward people who say, You know what? No, I'm just not going home. I thought there was a pathway to permanent residence and things change, but I don't care. That's the challenge that I have. But I understand your position, Diane, I totally do like when you work with these communities. These are real life people. These are real families. These are people that have sacrificed so much to be here. I get it. I totally get it. And, and, yeah, it's a difficult there's no winners with this. Okay, elk analysis. I'm also a carpenter with an open work permit, pretty much, okay, go back in time and not apply for this vulnerable open work permit I have, so I wouldn't be illegally by now, ready? I'm so sorry, my friend, for PR, yeah, I'm so sorry. It's just a crappy situation. About says broken come to Yukon. There's a lot of work here in the summer, sure. But the reality is, what do you do in the winter? Which is now, right? And I think that's if. But he said, you know, they work round o'clock, round, you know, around the clock. So let's see what else we have here.
Okay? Narinder says, Thanks for information in future in March, so you see draw coming, sir, hope so. Chatani says, announcement regarding parents and grandparents to insane timelines, yeah, they're not doing anything with the parent grandparent, right? The reality is they're just going to keep drawing from this pool. I thought they draw. Pool. I thought they'd drawn everybody else out. Philip says, How many languages do you speak? Mark, just two. Just two, English and Portuguese. Okay. Amez says, I also talked to a construction worker from GTA. He is on a work permit, and he is a brick layer for houses. He said, Every winter there is a seasonal break, and all of his his con national, go on vacation. All those go on vacation, yeah. Well, the reality is work needs to happen year round. He says this is usual of some of those roles. And this is why this is worrying, because business is slow and winter also plays its roles. Plus you have to make sure the employer pays and gives work. Thank you. That's something as well. So you guys that are tuned into this, please watch and and if you're interested, you know, reach out to me, because I'd love to hear your perspectives. Especially I'd love to hear, I'd love to have el Canal join here and and offer his opinion, because if you truly feel like there are jobs out there, I'd love to hear where you're at and to contribute that way. Okay, guys, we are going to shut this down. It's late. Thank you so much for being a part of this. This is all about the, excuse me, reaching a recent announcement by Minister Miller right here. Slide over, Minister, make room for you here. Oh, he disappeared on me. Let's try this again. He disappeared. Oh, there. Okay. This is Minister Miller, and Canada takes action to support housing with new immigration measures. So stay tuned. There will be a lot more to come. All right, thanks everybody. We're Wrapping this one up. Take care.
Sponsor 1:24:40
Thank you for listening to the Canadian immigration podcast, your trusted source for information on Canadian immigration law, policy and practice. If you would like to book a legal consultation, please visit www dot Holthe law.com you can also find lots more helpful information. On our Canadian immigration Institute YouTube channel where you can join mark on one of his many Canadian immigration live Q and A's. See you soon, and all the best as you navigate this crazy world we call Canadian immigration. You.
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