The Quebec government is set to announce a freeze of new temporary foreign workers coming in to work low-wage jobs in the Montreal area.
Premier François Legault and Christine Fréchette, the province’s immigration minister, are expected to make the decision public on Tuesday morning.
Low-wage temporary foreign workers in Quebec must both be approved by the province and have their employer’s LMIA application approved by the federal Immigration Ministry.
As a result of Quebec’s plan, the federal government will suspend the processing of Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications for six months for job offers with wages below $27.47 per hour, starting on Sept. 3, CBC News has learned.
The hourly wage of $27.47 per hour is currently the median hourly wage in Quebec.
Legault has been asking Ottawa to curb temporary immigration in the province for months.