The intricate relationship between Canada's immigration processes and small businesses is becoming increasingly strained.

"It’s pretty much industry-wide for language programs in Canada," remarked Gervais, expressing the sentiment that current practices essentially discourage foreign workers from considering opportunities within the nation.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) report highlights several business owners' grievances over decisions by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to deny or revoke work permits, which have wreaked havoc on their operations.

These disruptions often force businesses to seek assistance from their Members of Parliament due to the challenges in contacting federal immigration officials directly-an issue squarely within IRCC's purview.

Wood suggests a straightforward solution might lie in adopting a business-centric perspective: "When unfamiliar challenges arise, I need experts who can provide accurate information.

He advocates staffing the IRCC with seasoned professionals capable of offering swift, dependable support to businesses navigating these complexities.

This discourse surfaces as private refugee sponsorships experience delays, with application processing times averaging 30 months according to the Auditor General of Canada. For international students like those represented by Gervais-mainly from Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia-timelines are similarly unpredictable. Despite IRCC’s online tool indicating a 42-day wait for Colombian applicants seeking visitor visas, many students face waits extending up to 12 weeks. "It’s completely unreliable," Gervais noted.

The IRCC recently outlined initiatives intended to streamline operations and cut bureaucratic red tape affecting stakeholders, including small enterprises. However, it acknowledged its struggle without agile systems able to handle pandemic-induced applicant backlogs efficiently.

While Wood acknowledges the backlog of foreign workers presents problems for small firms, he proposes looking at local labor as part of the solution: "I know one Canadian-born student who’s sent out a hundred resumes and hasn’t received any calls. This intelligent and diligent individual still finds no traction in the job market," he shared.

The CFIB's vice president of national affairs, Jasmin Guenette, emphasizes that business owners judge government success not by its hiring numbers but by responsiveness and problem-solving efficacy: "Too many departments fail expectations given what we pay … Small businesses deserve better service."

A survey conducted from May 6 to June 2 collected insights from 2,190 CFIB members across diverse sectors and regions throughout Canada. While online surveys aren’t representative samples statistically speaking-and thus lack traditional margins of error-the estimated comparison margin here is plus or minus 2.09 percentage points most times surveyed results were obtained.