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Canada Temporary Foreign Workers – Know How To Report Abuse

Last Updated On 15 October 2022, 2:22 PM EDT (Toronto Time)

Canada takes any kind of abuse seriously, especially towards temporary foreign workers. If you work in Canada, regardless of your status, you are protected as a worker under Canadian law. 

This article is for you if you are a temporary foreign worker who would like to report abuse. Below, you can learn about your rights, the details you can share, privacy information and how to report abuse.  

Who Can Report Abuse? 

Temporary resident workers or their colleagues, or anyone can report abuse. It can include: 

  • Employed worker 
  • Colleague 
  • Employer 
  • a public member

What type of abuse can you report? 

You can report abuse if someone is:

  • Threatening, bullying, or abusing you
  • Not allowing you to leave the work site or where you live 
  • Keeping your passport or documents from you
  • Not paying you correct wages or giving you time off
  • Making you do different tasks than what you agreed to do or what the LMIA says 
  • Threatening your status in Canada

Things you should be mindful of when making a report 

  • It is important that you share as much information as possible. 
  • Canada’s privacy laws protect the information you share
  • The person who makes the report will remain anonymous, and your identity will not be shared at your workplace or anywhere. 
  • To make a report, you do not need to share your name, phone number, or LMIA/work permit number, but it may help to share if the government requires more information.
  • They will not contact your employer or share your information without your permission. 
  • The government will not share the report’s status due to privacy reasons. 

Information you will need to share to make the report

  • The business or organization’s name, address and phone number 
  • Names or positions of the involved people 
  • Description of the abuse 

How to report the abuse? 

There are four ways to report abuse, you can either report it online, by phone, mail or by walk-ins. 

To report abuse online, fill out the details on this form and hit send. As a reminder, all the information you share will remain private. 

If you would like to report abuse by phone, you can call Service Canada’s tip line: 1-866-602-9448. It is available 24 hours and 7 days a week. Moreover, when you call, you can:

  • Either leave a message with relevant information for Service Canada to investigate, or 
  • Talk live to the Service Canada agent (in more than 200 languages).

To talk to an agent, they are available during the following hours: 

  • Monday to Friday: 6:30 am to 8:00 pm (ET)
  • Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm (ET). 

Likewise, if you would like to share information by mail, you can send details to the following address: 

Temporary Foreign Worker Program Branch
Service Canada
165 Hotel-de-Ville, Phase 2, 6th Floor, Mailstop L610
Gatineau QC K1A 0J2
Canada

Lastly, you can visit your closest Service Canada Centre if you want to report abuse in person.

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