What’s Skill Got to do With it? Labour Market and Immigration Experiences of Skilled Temporary Foreign Workers

This paper presents the findings from a qualitative constructivist grounded theory study that incorporates the perspectives of skilled migrant workers and employers who hire them, from across Canada. The study explores workplace relationships and experiences, as well as how both migrant workers and employers navigate the immigration system. While there has been significant critique of policies and programs that limit migrant worker mobility, these studies tend to focus on lower-skilled workers, leaving higher skilled workers who do not have permanent immigration status out of the discussion. These are workers who may be working on closed or open work permits, often for several years before qualifying for permanent residence. The experiences that temporary workers transitioning to permanent residence go through are broken down into four processes: Finding a “good” job, navigating bureaucracy, negotiating power in the workplace, and becoming a permanent resident.