Canada Ends Policy Allowing Visitor Visa Holders to Apply for Work Permits

Canada has announced a significant policy change limiting the ability of temporary residents on visiting visas to apply for work permits from within the nation. Effective right away, this action marks the early end of a policy implemented in August 2020 to assist guests left stranded due to COVID-19 border closures.

Previously, tourists in Canada could apply for work permits without leaving the nation, and those who had held a work permit within the last 12 months were let to work lawfully while waiting on a decision on their new applications. Originally due to expire on February 28, 2025, this policy was

Declining this policy early is part of a larger plan to control the number of temporary residents and preserve the integrity of the immigration system, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said. CIC News reports that applications turned in under the former policy before August 28 will still be handled.

The main reason the IRCC changed was worries about “bad actors” using the regulation to mislead foreign people into illegal employment. This fits more general changes to Canada’s temporary foreign worker policy. The government will stop processing some Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications for low-wage stream candidates in regions with an unemployment rate of 6% or above as of September 26, 2024.

Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, new limits restrict firms to employing foreign workers to 10% of their overall workforce; the maximum employment period for low-wage stream workers will also be lowered from two years to one.