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Restaurants Canada

Important Update – TFWs and Permanent Residency

6 mars 2026 Share on your social channels

The federal government has begun to accelerate the transition of up to 33,000 temporary workers to permanent residency in 2026 and 2027. This program was announced in Budget 2025 in November, but little more had been heard about actioning the program until a media story today in the Toronto Star which featured an interview with the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in which she announced that the program has been “soft launched.”

The use of foreign labour is a challenging political issue in the face of dramatically reduced immigration levels which are largely supported by Canadians. However, as the Minister notes in the media today, she is hearing from multiple stakeholders because, in her words, “there aren’t enough Canadians to fill the jobs in certain sectors.” 

Restaurants Canada Advocacy

As members know, Restaurants Canada has been active with federal and provincial governments, pushing for solutions to the labour force needs of our industry, including targeted immigration measures. We are pleased that the media story today cites the hospitality sector as one of these sectors in need of this support, reflecting our continuing discussions with governments and in the media.

We have been meeting with federal and provincial officials to highlight the ongoing and well-documented workforce needs of our industry, which includes targeted use of foreign labour, particularly in rural, remote and tourist regions across the country. These discussions have included a focus on better defining restaurants’ labour needs, clarifying our sector’s use of the TFW program, and addressing misconceptions. Here are a few highlights:

  • Restaurants Canada met with the new government immediately after the April election regarding announcements on revised immigration levels.
  • We’ve met with Secretary of State for Small Business and senior officials at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. 
  • In July 2025, Restaurants Canada was in discussions with Canada’s Premiers at their summer meeting in Huntsville, Ontario, about the importance of strategic immigration inline with workforce needs.
  • Throughout the summer months we developed policy solutions to address our needs and worked with various immigration specialists to support this work including the Hon.  Jason Kenney, Canada’s longest serving Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
  • Government meetings continued in the fall to address our concerns and provide insight into our sectors needs.
  • In January, Restaurants Canada launched targeted ads championing the economic impact of our sector and the importance of addressing our labour force needs.  These ads were geo-targeted at the federal Liberal Cabinet retreat in Quebec City, the Conservative Party’s Policy Convention in Calgary, and the return of Parliament in Ottawa.
  • In February we met with:
    • The Minister’s staff, and with senior officials, at Employment and Social Development Canada, the department that manages the TFW program.
    • Senior officials at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
    • The policy team to the Leader of the Official Opposition.
  • Last week, changes were made to the 2026 Express Entry categories, and cooks (NOC 63200) were removed under eligible trades. Read our letter to the Minister here expressing our disappointment and encouraging the government to reassess this decision.
  • Outreach to the Office of the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship’s office has been made today in light of this recent media report.

Advertising Campaign – Many Hands Make Restaurants Work

We also recently launched a digital advocacy campaign to influence decision-makers. Our “Many Hands Make Restaurants Work” campaign is anchored in the significant economic contribution of the restaurant industry and is designed to advance practical workforce solutions that support both operators and the communities we serve. Our video has been viewed more than 600,000 times in only four days.

We need your help. We need many hands working on this issue and we encourage you to promote the “Many Hands” campaign on your social media channels.

Rest assured that our advocacy team is continuing to work with federal and provincial governments to ensure they provide smart policy initiatives to support an industry that is a significant national economic driver and fourth largest employer in the country.

Sincerely,

Kelly Higginson