Canada is offering more flexibility to temporary residents who want to extend their stay in the country.
Due to challenges caused by the corona virus, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced a new policy that provides such individuals with more time to apply for a restoration of status.
Up until this new announcement, temporary residents had 90-days to submit a restoration of status application.
They now have until December 31, 2020 to apply to restore their status, assuming they meet the requirements of the status they are applying to restore.
This policy applies to former work permit, study permit, and temporary resident visa (TRV) holders who are currently in Canada and whose status expired after January 30, 2020.
This change also enables former work-permit holders who are applying for an employer-specific work permit to work in Canada while the federal government makes a decision on restoring their application. These individuals need to have a job offer, must submit a work permit application supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or possess an LMIA-exempt job offer, and thirdly, they must notify IRCC about their current situation.
Canada is giving former workers, students, and visitors up until December 31, 2020 to apply to restore their temporary status.
