Our government is proposing new legislation to protect immigrant applicants and foreign workers during the recruitment and immigration process. Many foreign nationals are at risk of exploitation or mistreatment. Once immigrants become Saskatchewan residents, existing Saskatchewan laws protect them in the same way all other Saskatchewan residents are protected.

The proposed legislation is intended to support the role of recruiters and immigration consultants in bringing foreign nationals to Saskatchewan, while creating transparency and accountability in their business services. Employers will benefit from the legislation, by providing them with access to immigration consultants and recruiters who are acting in an ethical and legal manner.

In spring of 2011, our ministry facilitated consultations on proposed legislative provisions in four communities with immigrants, immigration consultants/lawyers, foreign worker recruiters, settlement service providers, ethno-cultural organizations and employers who strongly supported the development of new legislation to protect foreign workers. The 2011 discussion paper is available below.

Our ministry has developed additional legislative provisions based on feedback from the 2011 consultations and online survey, and further research into legislative models developed by other provinces. The proposed provisions are based on these key principles:

• Employer Responsive - Saskatchewan's economy needs private sector capability to match foreign workers with employers.
• Employer Responsibility - Employers, not foreign workers, should bear the cost of recruitment.
• Transparency - Government's role in the market for recruiting and immigration consulting is to ensure transparency of services.
• Ethical Behaviour - Foreign nationals should be treated fairly and reasonably.
• Enforcement - Public education and penalties will be employed to ensure compliance with the legislation.