Pathways to permanency: citizenship and the temporary foreign worker program in Canada

The Canadian temporary foreign worker program (TFWP) has grown exponentially in recent years and Canada now accepts more temporary residents than permanent residents on a yearly basis. Employers are increasingly becoming reliant on foreign labour to maintain their competitive advantage in a global market while failing to address exploitation issues. This study will examine modern notions of citizenship based on the principle of jus domicile, applying it to the TFWP in Canada. I argue that jus domicile can be used as a legal basis for long-term policies toward pathways to optional permanency. This study will present a forward looking approach to the Canadian TFWP by providing long-term policy recommendations, by taking into consideration current policies at the federal and provincial levels, and by examining ways in which the Canadian labour market can permanently incorporate TFW’s.