Migrant Justice
Migration and Precarity Policy Brief
June 13, 2021
In partnership with Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS), the Health and Immigration Policies and Practices Research Program (HIPP) recently completed a study on the transition of temporary foreign workers to other statuses, including permanent resident, student and undocumented migrant status. The report…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Invaluable foreign migrant workers need status
June 9, 2021
Permanent residency would mean: full benefits; the freedom to leave abusive employers without fear of deportation and lost income; and a gateway to citizenship. Foreign migrant workers are integral to Canada’s economic and social fabric. This became obvious when the…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Letter to PM on a Regularization Program for Non-Status Temporary Foreign Workers
May 25, 2021
KAIROS applauds the Government of Canada for recently opening permanent residency applications to 50,000 temporary foreign workers (TFWs) with status in health care and other essential sectors. KAIROS, however, recognizing the urgent need to broaden the scope of this opportunity…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
KAIROS supports temporary foreign workers at Toronto Pearson Airport
May 18, 2021
New offering part of the federally funded Empowering Temporary Foreign Workers during COVID-19 project (Ottawa, ON) – KAIROS is adding airport support services to its Empowering Temporary Foreign Workers (ETFW) during COVID-19 project to welcome, inform and assist arriving migrant workers on COVID-19 quarantine measures, vaccinations, and additional supports. Funded by the Government of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program, KAIROS’ ETFW…
Post filed in: Media Releases, Migrant Justice
KAIROS’ response to federal budget 2021
May 4, 2021
Heralded as a shift from the Washington Consensus, a doctrine of free-market economic policies that prioritizes austerity over social support, Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience outlines $101.4 billion in new spending targeted at those who were hit hard by pandemic – specifically women. While KAIROS applauds the shift to greater social…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice
New resource centre for migrant farm workers opens in Simcoe
May 3, 2021
From an article published in the Hamilton Spectator on April 30, 2021. The Centre for Migrant Worker Solidarity opens in Simcoe. They are a KAIROS partner of the Empowering Temporary Foreign Workers (ETFW) during COVID-19 project. This project is funded…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Online ecumenical meetings to support migrant workers
April 29, 2021
An invitation to all churches and church representatives More and more migrant farm workers are arriving every day and they need our support this year more than ever. We are all feeling the stress of year 2 of the pandemic…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice, Regional News
KAIROS responds to federal plan to grant permanent residency to temporary foreign workers
April 21, 2021
The federal government’s plan to grant permanent residency to more than 90,000 temporary foreign workers and graduated international students is long-awaited welcome news. This move will help safeguard the safety and security of migrant workers who are invaluable to Canada, especially during the pandemic. Unfortunately, because the plan applies only to individuals with valid work permits, it means thousands of undocumented workers are in…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Letter to the Editor: Ottawa to grant residency to 90,000 workers, students
April 19, 2021
Published in The Globe and Mail on April 19, 2021. Re: Ottawa To Grant Residency To 90,000 Workers, Students The federal government’s plan to grant permanent residency to more than 90,000 temporary foreign workers and graduated international students is long-awaited welcome…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Request for collaboration for supporting temporary foreign workers
February 23, 2021
The Request for Collaboration is now closed due to overwhelming response. Thank you for your interest. For those who have already submitted a request we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
History of migrant workers’ outreach at Carlisle/Kilbride United Churches
February 18, 2021
Every year they arrive from Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean islands. Our migrant workers come to our shores to labour in our local nurseries and crop farms to provide the workforce so essential to the economy…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice, Regional News
MEDIA RELEASE: Federal funds aid KAIROS and partner support to agriculture workers
February 17, 2021
$2.1M in funding to assist temporary foreign workers who are affected by COVID (Ottawa, ON) – KAIROS Canada is pleased to announce that the Government of Canada has awarded it $2.18 million to support and to assist temporary foreign workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the agricultural sector. Funded by the Government of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program,…
Post filed in: Media Releases, Migrant Justice
KAIROS 2021 Wish List
February 3, 2021
As Canada continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, we recognize that we are in a ‘kairos’ moment. In that spirit, KAIROS Canada wishes the following in 2021… That the Canadian government, provinces and territories: Work with Indigenous family members and survivors, gender-diverse people, and Indigenous…
Post filed in: Calls To Action, Ecological Justice, Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice
December 18 is International Migrants Day
December 15, 2020
Sometimes this important recognition gets lost, especially for Christians, in the preparations for Christmas. Yet when we really think about the Christmas story, we meet God’s people on the move, travelling to meet imperial demands, fleeing in terror at imperial edicts. Sacred texts…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Letter to the Editor: If Canada is serious about ending systemic racism, take a hard look at temporary foreign worker program
November 4, 2020
Written by Connie Sorio, Migrant Justice Program Coordinator at KAIROS. Originally published in The Hill Times on November 4, 2020.
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Just transformation needed now: KAIROS responds to the 2020 Speech from the Throne
September 30, 2020
The Government of Canada addressed the pandemic – “our generation’s crossroad” – and how it plans to “build back better” in the much-anticipated Speech from the Throne on September 23. The speech touched on racism, gender and income inequality, the environmental crisis, dislocation, and the struggles facing Indigenous and global communities. While the government addressed each issue separately, they intersect and are amplified by a pandemic that exacerbates human…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice
KAIROS joins #StatusforAll and Landed Status Now campaign
June 16, 2020
KAIROS joins the Migrant Rights Network in calling on the federal government to provide Status for All and Landed Status Now. COVID-19 has exposed deep inequities, including those faced by foreign migrant workers who are needed in Canada to care…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
June 16 webinar: COVID-19, migrant & undocumented workers
June 5, 2020
Previous webinar recordings are now available. How is COVID-19 impacting foreign migrant workers in Canada? KAIROS’ Migrant Justice Coordinator, Connie Sorio, presents updates from some of Canada’s leading migrant justice advocates in a series of webinars. Join us for the…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
More action needed to keep migrant workers safe, advocate says after cluster of Manitoba COVID-19 cases
June 5, 2020
Diwa Marcelino, an organizer with Migrante Manitoba and KAIROS Steering Committee Member, says the province must step up inspections to protect temporary foreign workers in the province. (Photo: John Einarson/CBC)Take Action! Please write to your Member of Parliament and urge the government to give all migrants in…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
From disposable to indispensable: providing foreign migrant workers with a pathway to permanent residency
May 11, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic reveals how foreign migrant workers contribute to Canada’s economy and society by doing the jobs that too few Canadians want. Their work ensures that our food industry thrives, that young, elderly, and at-risk Canadians receive proper care,…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice, Op Eds
Urge Canada to protect all migrant workers with residency status now!
May 5, 2020
With COVID-19 exposing and enhancing the vulnerability of migrant workers, your help is needed now more than ever. Migrant workers deserve our deepest respect for the work they do. They have a right to be safe and secure both in their workplaces and at home. They…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Letter to the Editor: Granting residency to migrant workers would demonstrate genuine appreciation for their services
May 4, 2020
Re: Alberta Cargill’s Alberta beef plant to reopen next week after COVID-19 outbreak forced closure (April 30): The COVID-19 outbreak at two beef-processing plants in southern Alberta highlights vulnerabilities faced by foreign migrant workers in Canada. It also reveals how much…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Migrant workers are not to blame for outbreak in meat-packing plants
April 30, 2020
KAIROS offers thoughts and prayers to the families of the meat-packing plant workers who recently succumbed to COVID-19, and extends solidarity and support to the temporary foreign workers and immigrants facing discrimination and being blamed for the coronavirus outbreaks at the Cargill and JBS meat-packing plants in Alberta. …
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Letter to federal ministers with direct oversight of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
April 20, 2020
In its letter to those federal ministers with direct oversight of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, KAIROS expresses appreciation for the government’s inclusive and positive response to calls for assistance from temporary foreign workers, especially seasonal agricultural workers, and emphasizes…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Advocates urge protection for migrant workers travelling to Canada amid COVID-19 restrictions
March 25, 2020
Migrant worker advocates want the federal government to improve protections for foreign labourers travelling to Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. The comments come as the federal government reassured farmers that, despite new travel restrictions, foreign workers will be allowed into Canada…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Know Your Rights and Be Bold: A workshop for migrant workers
November 28, 2019
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Federal Court of Canada to hear challenge to designation of the U.S. as a safe third country for refugees
October 29, 2019
KAIROS supports the legal challenge against the flawed Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States of America, and would like to call its members, migrant and refugee rights’ advocates to join the rally on November 4th at 12:30 pm…
Post filed in: Migrant Justice
Priorities for Canada’s 43rd Parliament
October 25, 2019
Canadians have elected a minority government. Collaboration is critical for the survival of Canada’s 43rd Parliament and is urgently needed to appropriately address mounting and systemic issues. Indigenous rights and wellbeing, the climate crisis, migrant justice, and support and protection…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice
