Charges have been laid after it was discovered that a foreign worker in Moose Jaw was being charged a fee to work.

An investigation was spurred following a complaint to the Ministry of Immigration and Career Training regarding the offences, which took place between August 2023 and February 2024.

Dyan Jeny Enterprises, operating as Guac Mexi Grill, pleaded guilty at Provincial Court in Moose Jaw. The employer was convicted of charging a foreign worker a $12,000 fee for employment, a requirement in order to maintain permanent residency in the country. The court imposed a $5,000 fine, a $2,000 victim fine surcharge, and ordered $12,000 in restitution to the affected foreign worker.

The Province says this is the first conviction under Saskatchewan’s former foreign worker protection legislation, which carries penalties of up to $750,000 for individuals and $1.25 million for corporations, as well as potential imprisonment of up to two years upon conviction.