1 Componentes Basicos para el Establecimiento de Programas de Migración Laboral Conferencia Regional de Migración Santo Domingo, República Dominicana,

Presentación del tema: "1 Componentes Basicos para el Establecimiento de Programas de Migración Laboral Conferencia Regional de Migración Santo Domingo, República Dominicana,"— Transcripción de la presentación:

1 1 Componentes Basicos para el Establecimiento de Programas de Migración Laboral Conferencia Regional de Migración Santo Domingo, República Dominicana, April 28-29, 2011

2 Background on Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program
Managed jointly by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) under legislative authority of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and Regulations (IRPR) Employer-driven. Employers can hire Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) from any country in any legal occupation provided that regulatory requirements are met. No caps Labour Market Test (LMT) upfront to ensure efforts to hire Canadian workers, genuineness of offer, and similar wages/working conditions offered to TFWs as to Canadian workers. Exemptions exist from LMT Additional requirements for employers of TFWs in lower-skilled occupations (e.g. employer-employee contracts, two-way transportation, all recruitment costs, registration in worker compensation plans, private interim health coverage, etc.) TFWs protected under same labour legislation as Canadians, noting that in Canada, labour standard legislation and protections fall largely under provincial/territorial (PT) jurisdiction Ability to refuse access to employers who fail to provide wages/working conditions to TFWs as those outlined in original job offers Pathways for permanent residence for TFWs in all managerial, professional, and technical occupations, and some lower-skilled occupations (primarily under PT permanent residence programs) New federal legislation on regulation of immigration consultants, and efforts to regulate labour recruiters by some PTs Out of the 182,322 TFWs that entered Canada in 2010, 68,006 or 37% entered in professional, managerial, and technical/trade occupations; 50,663 or 28% entered in lower-skilled occupations; and 63,653 or 35% entered with “open” work permits under a number of categories including international Youth Mobility Agreements, spouses of skilled TFWs, etc. 2 Objetivo La creación de un programa de migración laboral temporal (PMLTs) requiere que los gobiernos examinen una serie de pasos y que tomen una serie de decisiones: Establecer preguntas claves que un país debe de considerar en el desarrollo de su PMLT Enfoque en solo cuestiones esenciales a esta etapa Cada pregunta genera otras cuestiones relacionadas a la operacionalización y manejo de un PMLT, pero estas son cuestiones para las próximas etapas después de que un marco inicial ha sido establecido

3 ¿Preguntas claves? ¿Cuáles son los objetivos de su PMLT?
3 ¿Preguntas claves? ¿Cuáles son los objetivos de su PMLT? ¿Cuáles son los marcos jurídicos necesarios? ¿Cuál es el estado migratorio de los trabajadores migrantes? ¿Cuáles son los mecanismos de protección para los trabajadores migrantes? ¿Cuáles son las tendencias en los mercados laborales en su país? ¿Cuál será el rol de los empleadores? ¿Cuál es la función de los países de origen?

4 ¿Cuáles son los objetivos de su PMLT?
4 Often, TLMPs are attempting to fulfill a number of objectives simultaneously, but important for governments to consider which objectives are most important and design TLMPs accordingly, particularly when designing legislative frameworks and allocating resources. Important to consider who is primarily driving the movement, i.e., employers, migrants, or both, and whether movement is primarily regulated or not, since design needs to take this into account. Assessing risk is important when designing TLMPs. In Canada, risk tends to be lower in higher skilled occupations from number of perspectives (e.g. labour market impact, protection of workers, immigration integrity) and the design of our TFWP attempts to reflect this. This allows for more facilitative treatment in lower-risk situations, and additional checks/requirements in higher-risk cases (generally in the hiring of migrants in lower-skilled occupations). ¿Cuáles son los objetivos de su PMLT? ¿Responder a las necesidades laborales de las empresas e industria y apoyar el crecimiento económico? ¿Proteger el mercado doméstico laboral? ¿Proteger la integridad del sistema migratorio - proveer una opción legal para el movimiento y protección para los trabajadores migrantes? ¿Programas temporales o permanentes - necesidades temporales o estructurales a largo plazo?

5 ¿Cuáles son los marcos jurídicos necesarios?
5 Having appropriate legal frameworks in place is key for the proper functioning of TLMPs, and more specifically to protect the labour market; to protect immigration program integrity; to respond to employer needs; to adequately protect temporary migrants; and to allow for enforcement actions when appropriate. In addition to legislative authorities, it is important for resources to be available and be allocated accordingly to match the objectives of the TLMP (e.g. if responsiveness to employers is a key objective of your country’s TLMP, legal frameworks and capacity to assess labour market needs and employers needs to be prioritized; if protection of the domestic labour market is a more important objective, then that has to be prioritized, etc.) Given size of movements (e.g. large numbers of employers, large numbers of temporary migrants); the number of players involved (e.g. multiple ministries, Embassies abroad, border points); and the need to follow-up with participants after arrival for enforcement and general integrity purposes, developing robust IT systems and information-sharing arrangements (e.g. consents, etc.) is important for the effective management of TLMPs. ¿Cuáles son los marcos jurídicos necesarios? Las opciones dependen del marco jurídico presente y de los objetivos de su PMLT ¿Introducir legislación específica o añadir a las leyes existentes? ¿Programas establecidos bajo los mandatos del ministerio u otros? ¿Son las leyes “transparentes”? ¿Son las reglas establecidas claramente basadas en la ley? ¿O están basadas en regulaciones, guías operacionales, u otros mecanismos flexibles? ¿Cuál es la capacidad de seguimiento y penalización en caso de infracciones? `

6 ¿Cuál es la función de las empresas?
6 How employers gain access to temporary migrants is key in design If movement is primarily employer-driven, design and level of control on employers is “simpler” since employers initiate contact with governments (noting that also simpler to incorporate requirements/fees/costs on employers upfront when movement is employer-driven). If movement is primarily driven by migrants, more complex to ensure employer compliance (US model of E-Verify may be more relevant to South-South context as a best practice) In general, there is a move towards employer registries (e.g. US, UK, Canada (early stages)). Registries allow for vetting and risk-assessment of employers upfront, and easier follow-up and enforcement after arrival if necessary. It is important for countries to be realistic about their capacity to enforce employer non-compliance. If ensuring employer compliance is a priority, then resources need to be allocated accordingly (noting that IT again is important in ability to track employer compliance in potentially less costly manner) ¿Cuál es la función de las empresas? ¿Abierto a todos las empresas o limitados? ¿A nivel de sector, coordinado, o empresario-por-empresario? ¿Requisitos/cuotas/costos para las empresas por el empleo de trabajadores migrantes? ¿Registros de empresas? ¿Monitoreo y capacidad de seguimiento con las empresas?

7 ¿Cuáles son las tendencias en los mercados laborales?
7 Understanding trends of current movement is important when designing a TLMP. If movement is primarily: Higher-skilled, this allows for additional flexibilities Lower-skilled, additional checks and protections may be required Regulated and employer-driven, TLMP is relatively “simpler” to manage Driven by migrant workers’ arrival (regular/irregular), different approaches needed depending on whether movement is seen as potentially beneficial or potentially costly ¿Cuáles son las tendencias en los mercados laborales? ¿En ocupaciones de alta, media, o baja habilidad? ¿Es el movimiento causado principalmente por la demanda de las empresas o por la llegada de trabajadores migrantes? ¿Necesidad temporal o estructural? ¿Otras?

8 ¿Cómo se llenan las necesidades laborales a traves de un PMLT?
8 How labour market considerations are “built” into TLMPs is important depending on whether primary objectives are to respond to employer needs or to protect domestic labour market. Generally speaking, most countries have some form of “Labour Market Test” in their TLMP, which can generally be divided into case-by-case LMTs, or “blanket” LMTs (e.g. exemptions, wage-floors, ratios of migrants/domestic workers). Case-by-case allows for more careful assessment of applications upfront, while “blanket” LMTs allow for more facilitative entry, but may require additional resources for follow-up after arrival to ensure program compliance. In general, assessment of risk and resources available from governments may drive what approach is preferable/chosen. Regardless of approach, improving transparency and consistency is important to ensure that stakeholders know what are the requirements expected of them (e.g. Australia). ¿Cómo se llenan las necesidades laborales a traves de un PMLT? Las necesidades laborales generan preguntas operacionales. Por ejemplo: ¿Abierto a todas las ocupaciones o están limitados? ¿Números responden completamente a la demanda de la industria o están limitados? ¿“Labour Market Tests”/prueba de demanda (caso-por-caso o admision abierta)? ¿Mismos requisitos para todas las ocupaciones o hay variaciones? ¿Permisos de trabajo permiten mobilidad o son específicos para un empresario/una ocupación?

9 ¿Cuál es el estado migratorio de los trabajadores?
¿Qué tipo de documentos se les provée a los trabajadores migrantes para documentar su estado migratorio? ¿Son los permisos de trabajo abiertos o específicos para trabajar con una empresa o en una ocupación? ¿Tienen los trabajadores migrantes acceso a los mismos derechos que trabajadores locales? ¿Reciben los trabajadores migrantes los mismos salarios que los trabajadores locales? ¿Pagan los trabajadores migrantes impuestos? ¿Tienen acceso los trabajadores migrantes a servicios de salúd y servicios sociales durante su estadía? `

10 ¿Qué mecanismos de protección existen para los trabajadores migrantes?
1010 The title and bullets of this slide have been changed a bit, but their meaning and content remain largely the same, so the original comments below remain quite relevant, too. General intent should be for temporary migrants to be granted same labour protections as country nationals. This is beneficial for migrants, but also is a way to ensure that employers do not consider the employment of temporary migrants as a way to undercut domestic salaries, working conditions, etc. In certain instances, countries may wish to consider additional protections in their TLMPs to reflect the nature of international migration (e.g. requirements for employers to pay for recruitment costs, etc.). This can have benefits both in terms of improving protections for migrants, but also to limit employer demand for migrants given added costs required from employers. In order for temporary migrants to benefit from these protections, important to increase awareness among migrants of their rights, responsibilities, and recourse mechanisms. In more serious cases (e.g. human trafficking), important to consider additional protections to victims ¿Qué mecanismos de protección existen para los trabajadores migrantes? ¿Mismas protecciones laborales que los trabajadores domésticos o limitaciones? ¿Conocimiento de derechos y protecciones por parte de los trabajadores migrantes? ¿Acceso en la práctica a sistemas de protección? ¿Función de los partidos interesados (por ejemplo, gobiernos de países de origen, organismos internacionales, sindicatos, grupos de consejería)

11 ¿Qué rol jugarán los países de origen?
1111 This is an area where Canada has less experience, but I will speak from point of view of sending countries that have approached Canadian government in the past For Canada, since our TFWP is open to all countries, and it is Canadian employers who decide who to hire and in which countries to hire, our relationship with sending countries is informal In these “informal” type of settings, Canada’s experience is that it is beneficial for sending countries to become familiar with the various legislation of the receiving country (e.g. immigration, labour protection, etc.) and with the protection and recourse mechanisms available to workers in the receiving country, and to communicate this to migrant workers as appropriate In cases where sending countries are interested in actively promoting the recruitment of their nationals in the receiving country, then main contact needs to be with employers and employer associations, as host countries (at least in the case of Canada) play little/no role in the hiring decisions of migrant workers On the issue of TLMPs as contributors to development, there are a number of countries in the RCM (which will be speaking later) that have innovative practices to encourage remittances, investments, etc. by migrants back to their country of origin, so will not discuss this in detail at this point. ¿Qué rol jugarán los países de origen? ¿Relación formal o informal con el país de destino? ¿Rol en el reclutamiento de trabajadores en el país de origen y la busqueda de oportunidades de empleo en el país de destino? ¿Rol en la asistencia de trabajadores migrantes durante su empleo en el país de destino? ¿Programas para trabajadores que regresan? (desarrollo, remesas, inversiones, monitoreo de salud, etc.)

12 1212 To conclude, we have prepared this presentation taking into account the questions, and considerations that Canada has gone through in the development and implementation of two sets of regulatory changes to our Temporary Foreign Worker Program (in 2002 and 2011), but we would invite delegations to focus on the questions and answers that better suit their particular needs and realities. One important consideration in the management of TLMPs is the role and regulation of third parties and recruiters. Third-parties often drive a large share of the temporary migration movements, and while some are legitimate, there are a number of unscrupulous third parties that can take advantage of both employers and migrants. At federal level, Canada is in the process of implementing legislation to more tightly regulate third parties that provide any type of immigration advice to migrants for a fee, and CIC is open to sharing information on our legislation with interested countries. Some PTs also have introduced requirements to regulate the use of labour recruiters by employers in their jurisdiction (noting that in Canada, again, labour protections, including labour recruitment, falls primarily under PT jurisdiction). This slide combines points from the original slide and the ones that followed, so the notes of all three slides are included below as they were. When deciding whether to have pathways for permanent residence, important again for countries to consider what are the objectives of their TLMPs. If countries believe that there are long-term economic and labour market benefits from allowing for some transitions to permanent residence, then TLMPs can be designed accordingly. However, it is important to note that allowing for pathways also can have a number of unintended consequences: If obtaining permanent residence in receiving country is a high draw, then TLMPs may increasingly be driven by migrants’ interest to immigrate, and less by a country’s need to meet labour needs and shortages Pathways for PR may result in increases in numbers of temporary migrants upfront that do not reflect “real” labour demand from host country’s industry The existence of PR pathways also often increases program integrity risks and fraud, particularly by recruiters and third parties who “market” these features to potential migrants with little/no regard for the interests of domestic employers or of the migrants’ themselves Enforcement provisions are key, not only because they allow governments to maintain integrity of immigration programs and labour market, but also because they allow governments to better serve genuine employers and genuine migrant workers needed in the country. It is important for enforcement provisions to target the party that is primarily responsible for breaking the rules. For example, while migrant workers can be a willing participant of a breach, if penalties focus solely on the migrants and do not take into account role of employers or third parties, then program integrity problems are likely to continue. Governments need to consider that enforcement actions after the migrant workers’ arrival are expensive, and depending on availability of resources, may choose a number of options: Strengthening screenings upfront Considering “light” enforcement follow-up through IT systems and sampling Taking enforcement actions mainly when there is high-return for government (e.g. stopping large third party, human trafficker, large employer of migrants) Legal ability and capacity to monitor after entry of the migrant is critical though to ensure program compliance on an on-going basis, and to allow for “risk-tiering” based on actual risk of compliance Information-sharing between ministries, IT systems, and data capture and collection also important when taking enforcement actions, since enforcement actions can be challenged in courts by perpetrators if they have a high financial impact on their operations. Cada pregunta a cada etapa en el desarrollo de PMLTs genera otras preguntas y otras opciones Por ejemplo: ¿Es el movimiento solamente temporal o existen opciones para la residencia permanente? ¿Jugarán un rol las compañías de reclutamiento y terceros? ¿Monitoreo, sistemas de informática, y capacidad para compartir información? ¿Existen recursos que permitirán el monitoreo y seguimiento en casos de infracciones, y como se harán cumplir las leyes? ¿Un solo ministerio o varios ministerios y agencias?

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