Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has immediately terminated a temporary public policy that permitted visitors to apply for a work permit from within Canada.
The policy, initially introduced in August 2020, aimed to assist visitors stranded in Canada due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. It allowed them to apply for work permits without needing to leave the country. Additionally, foreign nationals who had held a work permit in the past 12 months but had changed their status to “visitor” could legally work in Canada while awaiting a decision on their new work permit application.
Although this policy was originally set to expire on February 28, 2025, IRCC is ending it early to better manage the number of temporary residents in Canada and maintain the integrity of the immigration system. The decision also comes in response to concerns that some individuals were exploiting the policy to mislead foreign nationals into unauthorized work.
IRCC will continue processing applications submitted before August 28, 2024, under the now-ended policy.
References:
Ottawa “28th August 2024”. Canada ends temporary public policy allowing visitors to apply for work permits from within the country https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices/ends-tpp-allowing-visitors-apply-work-permits-within-country.html
