In a significant policy shift, Canada has announced that temporary residents on visitor visas will no longer be allowed to apply for work permits from within the country. This change, which takes effect immediately, marks the early termination of a policy originally introduced in August 2020 to assist visitors stranded in Canada due to COVID-19 border closures.
Under the previous policy, visitors could apply for work permits without leaving Canada. Additionally, those who had held a work permit within the last 12 months and had since changed their status to "visitor" were permitted to work legally while awaiting a decision on their new work permit applications. This policy was initially set to expire on February 28, 2025.
According to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the decision to end this policy early is part of a broader strategy to manage the number of temporary residents and uphold the integrity of the immigration system. Applications submitted under the policy before August 28 will still be processed, as reported by CIC News.
The IRCC cited concerns over "bad actors" exploiting the policy to mislead foreign nationals into working in Canada without proper authorisation as a key reason for the rollback.
This policy change comes amid significant adjustments to Canada’s temporary foreign worker program. On August 26, the government paused processing certain Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications for low-wage stream applicants, effective September 26, 2024. This pause will particularly affect applicants in Census Metropolitan Areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher.
Furthermore, Canada has imposed new 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. The maximum employment term for workers in the low-wage stream will also be reduced from two years to one.