Foreign workers' rights

According to ESDC, the rights of all workers in Canada, including temporary foreign workers, are protected by law. You have the same rights and protections as Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Your employer must

• give you information about your rights on or before your first day;
• give you a signed copy of your employment agreement on or before your first day, in English or French as you choose;
• follow the work schedule and pay you as agreed, including overtime and vacation;
• make reasonable efforts to keep the workplace free of abuse (verbal, physical, sexual, financial), harassment and reprisals;
• follow provincial health and safety laws;
• pay for private health insurance until you qualify for provincial coverage (for LMIA-based workers, with some exceptions);
• help you access health care if you are injured or become ill at work.

Your employer must not

• force you to do unsafe work;
• make you do work outside the occupation in your agreement;
• force you to work when sick or injured;
• pressure you into overtime beyond what was agreed;
• punish you for reporting mistreatment, unsafe work or inadequate housing;
• keep your passport or documents;
• threaten your immigration status;
• charge you recruitment fees.

If you lose your job

• Your employer should give reasonable notice; if not, termination pay may be owed under provincial employment standards.
• If you lose your job through no fault of your own, or leave because of abuse, you may qualify for Employment Insurance (EI).
• Employer-specific permit holders who want to keep working need a new job offer and must apply to change their permit conditions.

Workers in the IMP (LMIA-exempt)

IRCC has a separate "Get to know your rights" guide for International Mobility Program workers, such as C16. IMP employers must also keep the workplace free of abuse and respect the submitted job offer.

Note ESDC's rights guide is available in several languages (not yet Vietnamese) and in print, large print or audio on request at 1-800-622-6232.