Temporary residents in Canada on a visitor visa can no longer apply for a work permit while staying in the country.
The policy, introduced in August 2020, was designed to help visitors in Canada who couldn’t return home due to COVID-19-related border closures.
Under the policy, visitors could apply for a work permit without leaving Canada. Additionally, individuals who had held a work permit in the past 12 months but had since changed their immigration status to “visitor” were eligible to work legally in Canada while they wait for the outcome of their new work permit application.
Initially scheduled to conclude on February 28, 2025, the policy is now being ended ahead of time. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) states that this decision is part of a wider strategy to manage the number of temporary residents and uphold the integrity of the immigration system.
Canada has announced that applications submitted under the policy before August 28 will still be processed, according to a report from CIC News.
Why was this measure implemented?
Canada states that part of the reason for this early rollback is the discovery that “unscrupulous individuals were exploiting the policy to mislead foreign nationals into working in Canada without proper authorization.”
Significant Adjustments to Temporary Foreign Worker Levels in Canada
The termination of the temporary policy that allowed certain visitors to apply for work permits coincides with a week of major changes aimed at reducing Canada’s temporary foreign worker levels, according to the CIC report.
On August 26th, the Department announced it will suspend processing of certain Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications under the Low-Wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) starting September 26th, 2024. This pause will impact applicants in Census This suspension will impact applicants in metropolitan areas where the unemployment rate is 6% or higher.
Canada has also imposed restrictions on the number of foreign workers employers can hire under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), limiting it to 10% of their total workforce. Additionally, the maximum duration of employment for workers in the Low-Wage stream has been capped.The maximum duration of employment for workers in the Low-Wage stream will be reduced from two years to one year.
Planning to move to Canada? Understand the difference between visas and permits.
Plan ahead
It’s essential to grasp the difference between a visa and a permit if you’re planning to visit, work, or study in Canada, as each document confers different rights and comes with specific obligations.
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