Key Takeaways
• 91% of Quebec hotels face staff shortages due to new Temporary Foreign Worker Program restrictions at federal and provincial levels.
• Federal rules block LMIA processing in Montreal, limit foreign workers to 10%, and ban hiring in regions with 6%+ unemployment.
• Provincial policy slashed eligible jobs for simplified hiring by 75%, causing layoffs and unfilled essential hotel positions.
A staffing crisis is building in Quebec 🇨🇦’s hotel industry as the province prepares for its busiest tourist season of the year. Recent changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program—at both the federal and provincial levels—have put hotels under pressure, making it much harder to find the workers they need. This issue raises big questions about how the system serves local business needs, the future of Quebec’s tourism industry, and the experience awaiting visitors in the coming months.
Hotels Sound the Alarm on Staffing Shortages
According to a recent survey by the Association hôtellerie du Québec (AHQ), a staggering 91% of hotels in Quebec 🇨🇦 say they cannot find enough staff for the busy summer season on the horizon. Most employers report they are short by anywhere from three to ten workers. While that number might seem small at first glance, in the context of hotel operations—where multiple shifts must be covered for cleaning, overnight, and kitchen jobs—the gap can mean the difference between smooth service and chaos.
The labor shortfall is not uniform across all staff positions. Rather, it’s felt most in roles that temporary foreign workers usually fill. These positions include cleaning staff, kitchen helpers, and nighttime employees. As the number of visitors grows and more hotel rooms are filled, the absence of these key workers places both service and safety at risk.
As reported by VisaVerge.com, hotels throughout the province are raising concerns about how these shortages could reduce Quebec 🇨🇦’s ability to take full advantage of the vital summer tourist season. Many operators feel forced to make tough choices: Should they cut back services, turn away guests, or overwork the smaller staff left on duty?
What Has Caused the Shortage?
Several new restrictions led to the sudden squeeze on foreign labor. Most of these come from government efforts to change how employers can use the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The changes can be grouped into two main areas:
Federal Restrictions
The Canadian federal government has rolled out a series of tighter rules in the past year:
- The processing of Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications for the low-wage stream of the TFW Program has been suspended in Montreal for six months. This step means that hotels in the city, one of Canada 🇨🇦’s main tourism hubs, cannot bring in needed staff just as the high season starts.
- Applications for the program are outright refused in areas where unemployment rates are 6% or higher. This rule aims to encourage the hiring of local people but often leaves jobs unfilled if locals are not interested.
- Employers using the low-wage stream can hire only 10% of their workforce using temporary foreign labor. This cap is far lower than in earlier years, leaving many hotels unable to fill empty positions.
Quebec 🇨🇦’s Own Changes
Provincial policies have added to the pressure. In February 2025, Quebec 🇨🇦’s government cut the list of jobs eligible for the quick, simplified TFW process by nearly 75%. The allowed list dropped from 267 to just 76. This means most hotel jobs were taken off the list, making it much harder and slower for hotels to hire the staff they desperately need—even when those workers are already in the country.
These changes have forced many employers to let go of foreign workers already in Quebec 🇨🇦, leading to what AHQ CEO Véronyque Tremblay calls “heartbreaking goodbyes.” These workers, who had built lives and routines in the province, now face being sent home or finding new jobs in a labor market that is not friendly to them.
The Real Cost: Industry Impact
The effects of these staffing shortages are wide-ranging, touching nearly every part of hotel operations and the broader economy:
Service Struggles
With fewer people to do the work, hotels are struggling to keep up standards. Front desks have longer lines. Rooms are not cleaned on time. Kitchens are closed or run on reduced hours. Guests, expecting comfort and efficiency, are often left waiting or unhappy with their stay.
Economic Loss
Quebec 🇨🇦 is known for its lively cities and beautiful landscapes, and summer is its busiest tourist season. Hotels that cannot fully staff up risk losing money as they must limit the number of guests, cancel special events, or turn away tour groups. This also has long-term impacts on tourism: A bad experience can make visitors less likely to return or spread negative reviews.
Red Tape and Delays
Because of the reduced list of eligible jobs and tighter rules, hotel owners now face much longer waits for each stage of the TFW process. LMIA applications—an official document that proves an employer has not found a Canadian to fill the job—now move more slowly. This creates extra paperwork and costs. Some applications are not even accepted due to new limits, adding to owners’ frustrations.
Recruitment Burdens
Hotels are now under pressure to search for local workers more intensely, holding more interviews and raising their job offers. While many have tried to lure Quebecers with better pay and benefits, most of these critical jobs remain unfilled. Tremblay of the AHQ was clear: these are jobs “that Quebecers don’t want to do,” contradicting the idea that foreign workers are “stealing” opportunities from locals.
Official Responses: Differing Views
Government leaders see the situation differently from the industry. The Quebec 🇨🇦 government maintains that “there are too many non-permanent residents in Quebec,” pointing to the strain these residents place on housing, health care, and other services. A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge has said that businesses should look at “automation and robotization” to deal with worker shortages, with the use of foreign labor as a “last resort” only.
Industry leaders, including Karl Blackburn, president and CEO of the Conseil du patronat du Québec, have pushed back hard against this view. They argue that rule changes often miss the real-world needs of sectors like hospitality, where robots are not yet able to replace the hard work done by cleaning staff, cooks, or front desk clerks.
Searching for a Solution: What the Industry Wants
The Quebec 🇨🇦 hotel industry is not standing still. Industry groups, led by the AHQ, have set out several demands to solve the crisis:
- Loosen existing restrictions. They want both the province and Ottawa to make it easier to bring in temporary foreign workers, at least during the peak tourist season.
- Let employers keep the foreign workers already in Quebec 🇨🇦. The abrupt loss of trained staff is seen as an own-goal for both service excellence and worker well-being.
- Plan ahead with smart immigration options. The industry is now being advised to use more creative and careful workforce planning, trying all possible legal pathways to bring in or keep needed workers.
Experts say that while the government’s focus on automation makes sense in some industries, most hotel jobs—especially cleaning, cooking, and front-of-house—still need people. Machines cannot replace the human touch required for welcoming guests, solving their problems, or making sure rooms are spotless.
Local Versus Foreign Workers: The Search Continues
Quebec 🇨🇦’s hotels have tried to fill shortages with local staff. Many have increased wages or added perks like health benefits or flexible schedules. Still, job fairs and recruitment events often leave the most critical jobs open. These are not highly paid or glamorous roles, and many locals simply do not apply. This trend is not unique to Quebec 🇨🇦; similar problems are found in the hospitality industry across the world.
AHQ surveys have shown that without the help of the Temporary Foreign Worker program, around nine out of ten hotels will head into the summer season painfully understaffed. While the labor market in other sectors might seem fine, the mix of hours, physical demands, and lower wages in hotel work presents special challenges that cannot be solved overnight.
The Broader Picture: What Does This Mean for Immigrants and Communities?
For temporary foreign workers, these changes create a life in limbo. Some have lived and worked for years in Quebec 🇨🇦, sending money home or even building hopes of permanent residence. Job losses do not just disrupt their own plans—whole families and home communities are affected. The rapid changes have also led to stories of workers being asked to leave on short notice, their dreams and routines suddenly ended.
Employers face a double bind: Unable to hire locally and now blocked from many foreign hiring options, they must explain service problems to guests or risk closure. Some smaller hotels have already scaled back operations or closed sections of their properties.
Tourists—often unaware of the behind-the-scenes struggle—may find visits less enjoyable, possibly facing reduced services even at premium prices.
Government Resources and Ways Forward
For more information on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and its rules, you can refer to the official Canadian government page, which has up-to-date details on application windows, requirements, and eligible jobs.
VisaVerge.com’s investigation reveals that the current stress on Quebec 🇨🇦 hotels comes from a mix of policy decisions and labor-market challenges that cannot be fixed with a single rule change. While the push for local hiring and new technologies is important, for now, hotels still rely on willing workers from abroad.
What Next? Staring Down a Busy Summer
The months ahead will serve as a test—for the Quebec 🇨🇦 hotel industry, government leaders, and the many workers who keep the province’s tourism sector running. Without quick adjustments, hotels risk being caught flat-footed, unable to serve the flood of visitors that summer promises to bring.
Industry leaders say that flexible policies, smart immigration planning, and a better understanding between government and local business are the keys to a successful solution. As they look for ways to keep doors open and rooms clean, the importance of the Temporary Foreign Worker program—especially for the hotel industry—is clearer than ever.
Quebec 🇨🇦, known for its culture, natural beauty, and famous hospitality, now faces a crossroads. The choices made today about labor, immigration, and local priorities will shape the experience of visitors, the fortunes of businesses, and the lives of workers—both local and foreign—for years to come.
In the end, the fate of Quebec 🇨🇦’s hotel industry rests not just on beds and breakfasts, but on decisions about which hands will make those beds and serve those breakfasts this summer and beyond.
Learn Today
Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program → A Canadian federal program letting employers hire foreign nationals to fill temporary labor shortages when qualified local workers are unavailable.
Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) → A government-issued document proving no Canadian worker is available for a position, required before hiring most temporary foreign workers.
Low-wage stream → A category within the TFW Program allowing the hiring of foreign workers for jobs offering wages below a specified provincial median.
Non-permanent residents → Individuals legally in Canada on temporary visas, like students or workers, but not permanent residents or citizens.
Automation and robotization → The use of machines or robotics to perform tasks traditionally done by humans, especially proposed to compensate for labor shortages.
This Article in a Nutshell
Quebec’s hotel industry encounters an acute staffing crisis just as peak tourism arrives. Federal and provincial limits on Temporary Foreign Workers have left 91% of hotels with significant unfilled roles. As hotels cut services or overwork staff, industry leaders press for urgent rule changes before the summer tourist wave arrives.
— By VisaVerge.com
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