http://www.immigration.ca
Recent economic booms in British Columbia have found the province
looking increasingly beyond its own borders for labour. However, as
immigration increases, unfortunately, so do the opportunities to take
advantage of immigrants.
Already over the last several years, Alberta has been dealing with
rising allegations of immigrant exploitation across the province. Now,
the issue is approaching the forefront of public consciousness in
British Columbia as well.
A recent article appearing in the Vancouver Sun investigates
allegations that Filipino workers are being charged illegal fees for
job placement services which are not even being provided.
Workers in the Philippines are more vulnerable to these scams because
in that country there is =93an accepted culture of paying these fees.=94
The B.C. government has very little recourse in such cases since many
of the agencies are working from within the Philippines to collect the
fees, far beyond the jurisdiction of the province.
It is not uncommon for workers to pay $4,000 in hopes of landing a job
at $27/hour only to discover, upon their arrival, that no such job
exists. Since the work permit is only valid for one employer, the
worker begins a race against the clock to find new employment and
obtain a new work permit before running out of money.
As awareness of the situation grows, however, more can be done to
protect the workers from scams. Some advocates are calling for a
government office to be established, whose mandate would strictly be
the investigation of foreign workers=92 conditions. Others want to
increase awareness among the workers themselves, educating and
counseling them on the protection of their own rights.
The government=92s stance on the issue is one of priority. Agencies such
as Service Canada are now more rigorously investigating the companies
applying for work permits.
=93The federal government is working [=85] to put in place measures, such
as information-sharing agreements, that will support closer
collaboration to address the vulnerability of foreign workers and to
better manage the roles and activities of third party measures,=94 said
a spokesperson for Service Canada.
Source: Vancouver Sun
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