‘They will help ensure we have the right safeguards in place to protect workers and maintain confidence in the system’
Prince Edward Island is consulting HR professionals and other stakeholders on draft regulations that would require employers to register when hiring foreign nationals and would introduce financial penalties for non-compliance.
The provincial government launched the public consultation on Aug. 20 under the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act. The draft regulations would require any employer hiring a foreign national to register with the province, with that registry made publicly accessible.
Registered employers would be required to disclose information about their business, their recruitment practices, the specific positions being filled, and the wages and benefits attached to those roles. The provincial government said this data would give officials clearer visibility into which employers are actively hiring foreign workers.
“These new measures are about taking a proactive approach to building a strong system. Employer registration will help us identify who is hiring foreign workers and ensure they are operating responsibly, while administrative penalties will provide important tools to enforce the law when violations occur,” said Minister of Workforce and Advanced Learning Zack Bell.
“Together, they will help ensure we have the right safeguards in place to protect workers and maintain confidence in the system.”
Enforcement and penalty framework
The draft regulations would also establish an administrative penalty framework, with fines ranging from $500 to $3,000 per violation. The provincial government said higher penalties would apply to employers found to be repeat offenders.
Feedback on the proposed rules can be submitted to [email protected] until Sept. 17, 2026.
The current consultation follows earlier public input gathered in spring 2025, which shaped the draft regulations now under review.
The regulations represent a further phase of a law being introduced incrementally.
Phase 1 of the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act took effect on April 1, 2025, introducing licensing requirements for recruiters who place foreign nationals into jobs on the Island.
Under the legislation, individuals recruiting foreign workers must be licensed to recruit temporary foreign workers into the province.
The act also requires that:
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Recruiters and employers cannot provide false or misleading information about the laws of Prince Edward Island or Canada
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Recruiters and employers cannot take possession of or retain a foreign worker’s passport or other official documents (employers are permitted to take passport or documents temporarily for the purposes of copying or recording the information, but must return it to a worker right away)
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Recruiters and employers cannot misrepresent employment opportunities, including details of the position, duties, length of employment, wages and benefits, or other terms of employment
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Recruiters and employers cannot threaten deportation or threaten any other action for which there is no lawful cause.
Employers using Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) are facing unprecedented financial penalties and lengthy bans, even as the number of federal inspections has fallen, according to a previous report.
From April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, the TFW Program completed 1,488 compliance inspections, with officers concentrating on sectors identified as having the highest risk of potential non-compliance. Of the employers inspected, 12% were found to be non-compliant with program requirements.
Non-compliant employers were collectively issued more than $10.2 million in monetary penalties, compared with $4.5 million the previous year, according to the department. A further 30 employers were banned from accessing the program entirely.
