Bill to protect foreign nationals a step in right direction

TORONTO , Oct. 22 /CNW/ - The Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC) is pleased to see the Ontario Government has taken positive steps towards increasing protections for vulnerable foreign nationals by introducing the Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act (Live-in Caregivers and Others), 2009 bill.

"Foreign nationals often find themselves the victims of unscrupulous agents and recruiters. The bill introduced in the Ontario Legislature is a step in the right direction in terms of protecting unsuspecting foreign nationals from exploitation and abuse," said John Ryan , CSIC Chair and Acting CEO. "CSIC was pleased to have participated in the Minister of Labour's consultation process to solicit input on how to improve conditions for foreign nationals and we look forward to continuing to work with Government representatives to augment the initiatives to offer foreign nationals even greater protections."

CSIC has been at the forefront of consumer protection issues to ensure the fair treatment of foreign nationals as a public policy priority and supports any initiative to protect the vulnerable. CSIC made the five following recommendations to the Minister of Labour:

    
    1.  Mandatory Foreign Worker Recruitment Licensing
    2.  Mandatory Registration for Employers of Foreign Workers
    3.  Prohibitions Against Charging a Fee, Directly or Indirectly, to a
        Worker
    4.  Revenue Neutrality
    5.  Comprehensive Enforcement and Punitive Measures
    

CSIC's entire submission is available at www.csic-scci.ca.

The Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants is the professional regulatory body for immigration consultants in Canada . Established in 2004 it currently has more than 1600 members. CSIC's mandate is to protect consumers of immigration consulting services. Consequently, it is responsible for ensuring the education, competency testing and the discipline of its members. CSIC also requires its members to carry errors and omissions insurance and to contribute to a compensation fund.

For further information: Nancy Tibbo, [phone], Toll Free: 1-866-308-CSIC (2252), [email protected]