Permanent Residents Gain Student Hire Preference

Summary#

This final regulation changes the Student Employment Programs Participants Regulations so that students who are permanent residents get the same hiring preference as Canadian citizens in federal student employment programs. The amendment took effect on June 24, 2022.

What it does#

• Changes section 4 of the Student Employment Programs Participants Regulations to say that a student who is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident must be appointed ahead of other candidates for student hires when they meet the job qualifications.
• Keeps the old rule for appointment processes that started before the new rule came into force (a short transitional rule).
• Requires updates to the student hiring system used by the Public Service Commission so permanent-resident students are treated the same as citizen students during referrals.
• Notes the change aligns the regulations with the updated hiring preference in the Public Service Employment Act after the amendment in the Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1.
• Estimated net cost of making the change (mainly IT and document updates) is under $1 million per year.

Who's affected#

• Students who are permanent residents applying for federal student jobs (including the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP), the Post-Secondary Co-op/Internship Program, and the Research Affiliate Program).
• Student applicants who are Canadian citizens and other job applicants competing for the same student positions.
• Federal departments and hiring managers who run student programs and the Public Service Commission, which manages student referrals.
• Small businesses are not affected.

Why it matters#

• In practical terms, permanent-resident students will now be considered ahead of other non-resident candidates in federal student hiring when qualified. That increases their chances of getting student jobs in the public service.
• Because a portion of permanent-resident applicants are members of visible minority groups (FSWEP data showed 5.8% of applicants were permanent residents, and 59.1% of those identified as visible minorities), the change may help increase diversity in student hires.
• The change fixes a mismatch between the regulations and recent changes to the law so the student-hiring rules match broader public-service hiring priorities.