Applications for work permits from within Canada no longer accepted from visitors

As of August 28, Canada has ceased allowing temporary residents on visitor visas to apply for work permits from within the country.

This policy, initially introduced in August 2020 to help visitors who were stranded due to COVID-19 border restrictions, allowed them to apply for work permits without leaving Canada.

It also permitted those who had previously held work permits but had shifted to visitor status to work legally while awaiting a new work permit decision.

The policy was initially set to end on February 28, 2025, but Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has now terminated it earlier to "recalibrate the number of temporary residents in Canada and preserve the integrity of the immigration system."

Applications submitted before August 28 will still be processed.

The early termination is partly due to concerns that "bad actors" were exploiting the policy to mislead foreign nationals into unauthorized work. This move is part of broader efforts by IRCC to address immigration fraud and reduce the number of temporary residents.

For instance, last year, 700 Indian international students were found in Canada with false letters of acceptance from Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs). In response, IRCC now requires DLIs to verify all acceptance letters within 10 days and has capped the number of international students Canada will accept over the next two years.

The end of this policy aligns with a series of changes aimed at reducing Canada's temporary foreign worker levels. On August 26, IRCC announced a pause on processing some Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications under the Low-Wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) until September 26, 2024, affecting areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher.

The department also set new restrictions on the number of foreign workers employers can hire under the TFWP (10% of their total workforce) and reduced the maximum employment term for the Low-Wage stream from two years to one.

These changes reflect a rollback of pandemic-era policies, which had allowed for more flexibility in hiring temporary foreign workers. IRCC and Employment Social Development Canada (ESDC) began reversing these measures last May, following a joint announcement by Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault and Immigration Minister Marc Miller.

During the same press conference, Minister Miller also highlighted the inclusion of temporary resident levels in the annual Immigration Levels Plan for the first time in Canadian history.

Immigration remains a key topic in Canada, with ongoing discussions about managing and potentially reducing levels of temporary residents. Minister Miller has also indicated plans to review permanent residence levels in the coming years.