The new temporary policy will benefit temporary residents with job offers and Canadian employers, IRCC says.
International visitors who are currently in Canada with a job offer can now apply for a work permit without having to leave the country.
The new policy goes into effect immediately, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) media release. It will benefit temporary residents who are already in Canada with a job offer, but it does not apply to anyone arriving in Canada as a visitor after today, August 24.
Visitors who meet the eligibility criteria are able to apply to the new temporary immigration policy, which includes Super Visa holders, business visitors, and people who came to Canada through a Global Skills Strategy work permit exemption.
The policy also benefits Canadian employers who are hiring foreign workers, some of whom have faced ongoing labour shortages throughout the pandemic.
Canada encouraged temporary residents who stayed in Canada to maintain legal status. Given that air travel has been restricted around the world, some visitors have been unable to leave, and some foreign workers had to change their status to “visitor” because their work permit was expiring and they weren’t able to apply for a new work permit because they didn’t have a job offer.
Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:
• valid status in Canada as a visitor on August 24, 2020, with the intention to stay in Canada;
• a job offer;
• an application for an employer-specific work permit supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or an LMIA-exempt job offer submitted no later than March 31, 2021; and
• Meet all other standard admissibility criteria.
Applicants who meet all these criteria, and who had a valid work permit in the past 12 months, will be able to begin working for their new employer before their work permit has been fully approved.
