The federal government’s recent overhaul of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) for food service has prompted predictable outcry from restaurant operators.
As of January 2025, new caps limit TFWs to just 10% of a food service business’s workforce — down from 20% or more in recent years — and shorten work permits from two years to one. But this policy shift is not punitive. It reflects an overdue economic recalibration.
Put plainly, the TFWP in food service has run its course.
