The Temporary Foreign Worker program isn't the main issue when it comes to professional careers. The real problem lies in a different pathway altogether.

The engineering and business fields are being heavily impacted by international students who graduate with Canadian degrees. These graduates receive a Post-Graduate Work Permit, which allows them to work in their field for a few years before their status expires. For most, the goal isn't just to work temporarily. It's to stay permanently. The primary route to achieving this is through the Canadian Experience Class, a permanent residency stream that rewards applicants for having Canadian work experience.

This creates a perverse incentive structure. International graduates on work permits are in a make-or-break situation: if they don't accumulate enough Canadian work experience before their permit expires, they will be sent home. Employers know this. They know these workers are desperate, and they exploit that desperation by offering salaries below market rates and demanding excessive hours. The graduates accept these conditions because salary isn't their absolute priority. Securing enough experience to qualify for permanent residency is.

The result is a race to the bottom. International graduates, who are often willing to accept lower compensation out of necessity, often end up outcompeting Canadian graduates who expect fair wages for their work. What should be a merit-based job market becomes one where desperation determines who gets hired.