If you are part of the union hiring halls member, you will be expected to start looking for work that is outside of your core expertise after certain weeks. The union hiring hall exemption applies when EI claimants are in good standing with the union hiring hall. They may restrict their job search to their union hiring hall for three weeks from the date their EI claim begins. An additional one week of exemption may be granted for each year of experience in the occupation with their union, to a maximum exemption of 16 weeks. After the exemption period, the worker is expected to expand the type of employment they are seeking and to conduct an active job search outside their Union Hiring Hall and their normal industry.
Once the 16 weeks exemption period ends, EI claimants are expected to start looking for work outside their union hiring hall. It is the EI claimants’ responsibility to seek work outside their union hiring hall even if they continue to be a member of the hiring hall. If EI claimants continue to restrict their availability for work to certain type of work, their EI regular benefits may be stopped until they are willing to seek and accept work outside their scope.
Canada.ca reference: 9.4.2 Union hiring halls