Only a little over a fifth of all Alberta businesses that use temporary foreign worker plan to hire Canadians once the TFW permits expire, according to a new survey.

The government’s new “4 and 4” rule, which requires foreign nationals who accumulate four years of work in Canada to leave and stay way for another four years, comes into force on April 1.

While 21 per cent would replace foreign workers whose work permits expire with Canadians, 53 per cent of all employers who responded to the survey carried out by Human Resources Institute of Alberta (HRIA) indicated that they would try to try to get permanent residency for their international workers and 10 percent will apply for new TFWs.

The government has admitted that Citizenship and Immigration Canada does not know exactly how many TFWs would need to leave Canada on April 1.

“CIC is currently unable to provide the precise number of temporary foreign workers, TFWs, who would reach the end of their four-year eligibility in 2015,” Immigration Minister Chris Alexander told Parliament. “Without exit controls in place, it is impossible to determine how many foreign workers remain in Canada at any given time.”

Alberta employers seeking to get permanent residency for their TFWs received a helping hand from former Employment Minister Jason Kenney, who secretly issued a series of transitional measures to “help address legitimate concerns that have been raised by employers in Alberta.” by allowing foreing employees who applied under the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program for permanent residency to stay on beyond the April 1 cutoff days.

The measures also included an exemption to these workers from being counted towards the 10 per cent TFW limit imposed on employers last June, allowing the businesses to hire other foreign workers in the place of ones who were awaiting permanent residency.

Kenney’s relaxing of TFW program regulations raised the ire of labour groups in Alberta who labelled the move “cynical” and “mean spirited”, and accused the Minister, who represents the riding of Calgary Southeast, of caving into the demands of the business lobby at time when thousands of workers are being laid off in the province.

“This is yet another example of the Harper government telling Canadians one thing and then turning around and doing something else to employers,” Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. “This is a deal that was cooked up behind closed doors with the federal government, the Alberta government and low-wage employers. It flies in the face of the promises that were made to Canadians.”