November 25, 2025 at 9:44 AM
We are pleased to share a new Unifor resource –
Strengthening Worker Unity and Inclusion: A Unifor Guide for Supporting Migrant Worker Members.
More migrant workers are joining Unifor workplaces through programs like the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and international student streams. With this growth come challenges: understanding when employers can hire migrant workers, clarifying the union’s role, and ensuring workers with unique needs get the support they deserve, including at the bargaining table.
The guide helps local unions and staff navigate Canada’s temporary migrant employment programs. It covers worker categories and permits, common issues such as access to services and family separation, and strategies to strengthen inclusion in both the workplace and the union.
It also includes sample bargaining language, such as requiring employers to take steps to transition temporary workers to permanent residents, provision of immigration administrative assistance, and employer consultation with the union prior to hiring temporary workers.
The goal is to prevent employers from abusing the program or exploiting migrant labour, and to strengthen the union’s ability to advocate for members. Migrant workers deserve the chance to move beyond precarity, build permanent lives in Canada, and contribute fully to our workplaces, communities and our union. We will update this resource as needed in recognition of the fact that federal immigration policies and regulations change frequently and to ensure Locals have the most up to date information at their disposal.
Sharing this new resource is also important given the recent adoption of Resolution No. 7 - Temporary Foreign Worker Programs and Regularization of Immigration Status at the Constitutional Convention in August in Vancouver.
Unifor will continue to stand in solidarity with all workers – regardless of skill, country of origin or immigration status – to build a fair and equitable economy where no worker is left behind.
We encourage you to use this guide, share it with members in your workplace, and reach out with any questions.
In solidarity,
Lana Payne
National President