Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has ended the temporary public policy allowing visitors to apply for work permits from within Canada.
The policy, according to Immigration News Canada, was originally established to expire on February 28, 2025, but is now seeing an early termination, effective August 28, 2024.
IRCC, however, said that applications submitted before August 28, 2024, will still be processed under the former policy.
The Temporary Public Policy, Introduced in August 2020, was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, when travel restrictions, lockdowns, and border closures left many visitors stuck in Canada. The policy supplied a means for many foreign nationals to stay in Canada and adjust because they could not return home. Now at its termination, foreigners must look to other paths for answers.
According to supplied reports, ‘ending the policy early is part of IRCC’s efforts to manage the number of temporary residents in Canada and maintain the immigration system’s integrity.’
Concerns were also raised on how the policy could have been used to allow people work without proper authorisation.
IRCC further stresses on the need to adjust the number of temporary residents in Canada, which increased since the start of the pandemic.
“The government is now focusing on maintaining a balanced and fair immigration system that aligns with the country’s long-term economic and social goals,” further reports supply.
According to Immigration News Canada, visitors in Canada who planned to use this policy to apply for work permits will now need to source for other options, including applying from Outside Canada:
One could leave Canada to apply for a work permit from their home country or another location with legal status; and this usually involves securing a job offer and possibly obtaining a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
However, that should not take first place in consideration, as Canada plans to freeze processing of LMIAs, effective September 26, 2024.
