Recruiters hoping to bring in foreign workers to British Columbia will have to be licensed in the province by October 1, even if their main operations are outside of B.C.
Labour Minister Harry Bains says there is no fee for the licence, but recruiters have to pay a $20,000 security bond that will be held in trust.
“We’ve have seen this in other jurisdictions like Manitoba and Saskatchewan. We have no heard any issues with that,” Baines told NL. “It also works as a deterrent so that we could prevent having those recruiters engage in violations in the first place and to provide a level playing field so that a few bad actors don’t take an unfair advantage.”
The BC Government is expecting that more than 500 recruiters will apply for this new licence, which Bains says will better protect foreign workers as many have been exploited in Canada.
“And having been charges outrageous and illegal recruitment fees and also some arrived to no jobs or a job or job title that wasn’t as advertised. And they are made to make excessive hours beyond what is legal and having illegal paycheck deductions.”
The licences are for individual recruiters and not for a company or a business, with fines up to $50,000 and/or up to one year in jail for unlicensed recruiters operating after October 1st.
Bains says there will be a searchable database available after the October 1 deadline.
“They can see which recruiters are licensed, which recruiters licence is cancelled. We also will have the ability to share that information with the Federal Government so that when in future those employers who may be in violation here apply for more temporary foreign workers, that their track record will be considered.”
When asked what happens to the money held in trust, Bains says if recruiters are found to be charging illegal, the government could dip into that trust fund to recover those costs. He noted that money could also be used to cover off any fines levied on a recruiter.
The changes are part of the first phase of the province’s Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act that was passed last fall. The second phase will establish a new registration requirement for employers looking to hire temporary foreign workers.
