Federal records show Ottawa continues to lose millions administering migrant worker permits, with taxpayers covering the shortfall as program fees fail to keep pace with rising costs.Figures tabled in Parliament reveal the Department of Employment spent $177.7 million last year processing 137,118 permits under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, while collecting just $146.5 million in fees — leaving a $31.2 million gap. Over the past decade, the cumulative shortfall has reached $339.2 million.Processing times averaged roughly 60 business days per application, according to the department’s written response to a Commons inquiry from Conservative MP Brad Vis.Despite repeated scrutiny of the program, the employer-paid fee has remained unchanged for more than a decade. Migrant work permits were free prior to 2013, when a $275 charge was introduced, later increased to $1,000 in 2014 under then-employment minister Jason Kenney in an effort to recover costs.Federal officials at the time warned the higher fee could discourage employers from using the program. Testifying before a Senate committee in 2014, senior bureaucrats said some businesses were already reconsidering applications due to rising costs, with some opting instead to hire Canadian workers..The fee changes followed a series of high-profile controversies that raised concerns about abuse of the program. In 2013, Royal Bank faced backlash after foreign workers were brought in to replace Canadian IT staff. McDonald’s Canada was also scrutinized after allegations some franchisees favoured foreign workers with better pay and hours, while a British Columbia mining firm drew criticism for requiring Mandarin in job postings before hiring overseas workers.Internal federal research conducted in 2014 found widespread public skepticism about the program, with 68% of Canadians surveyed believing employers were not making sufficient efforts to hire domestically.
