Former Agriculture Minister Moses Jn. Baptiste is concerned how Canada’s new security measures could impact St. Lucians who are part of the Canadian Farm Labour Programme. From December 2018, Canadian visa applicants have been required to provide biometric data including fingerprints as part of the new procedures implemented by the federal immigration department.
According to reports out of Canada, the new process is already causing problems for farm owners who now have to wait a longer period for their workers to get their visas.
External Affairs Minster Sarah Flood-Beaubrun says the government is looking into having the process expedited.
Considering there is no accredited agency in St. Lucia to collect the official photographs and fingerprints now needed to travel and work in Canada, the St. Lucian workers must now pay approximately $400 Canadian Dollars to fly to Trinidad & Tobago to have the biometric data collected there.
A process which takes days, and which can affect farm production.
Former Agriculture Minister Moses Jn. Baptiste says he is hoping that through the Labor Department, government can provide some sort of assistance to the workers.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the new policy is designed to ensure a more efficient and secure immigration screening process.
Canadian farmers say they are worried the new requirements will worsen the sector’s existing labor crisis because temporary foreign workers and seasonal agriculture workers could see their applications delayed.
External Affairs Minister Mrs. Sarah Flood Beaubrun says the government is in dialogue with the Canadian authorities about reviewing the stringent process for St. Lucians.
Thousands of seasonal agriculture workers from Mexico and Caribbean countries go to Canada to help plant, tend and harvest Canadian crops as part of the Seasonal Agriculture Worker Program.
0 Comments