A restaurant company in Moose Jaw has become the first to be found guilty under Saskatchewan’s foreign worker protection laws, which have been recently strengthened with harsher penalties. Dyan Jeny Enterprises, operating as Guac Mexi Grill, admitted to charging a foreign worker a fee for employment between August 2023 and February 2024, as disclosed by the Ministry of Immigration and Career Training. These violations were prosecuted under the former Foreign Worker Recruitment and Immigration Services Act, which has now been replaced by the Immigration Services Act.
The upgraded legislation has bolstered the province’s measures for ensuring compliance and enforcing the law. The charges against Dyan Jeny Enterprises stemmed from an investigation into claims that the company had required a foreign worker to pay $12,000 to keep their job, which was crucial for the worker’s pursuit of permanent residency in Canada. As a result, the company was fined $5,000, imposed with a $2,000 victim surcharge, and ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution to the affected worker by the court.
The new Immigration Services Act, implemented in 2024, imposes penalties of up to $750,000 for individuals and $1.25 million for corporations, along with the possibility of up to two years in prison upon conviction. The ministry emphasized that under the ISA, Saskatchewan now has enhanced powers to investigate immigration-related misconduct and hold non-compliant employers, recruiters, and consultants responsible.
Workers who feel their rights have been infringed upon can reach out to the ministry’s compliance branch confidentially via email at pcb@gov.sk.ca or by phone at 306-798-1350.
