Visitors can continue applying for work permits inside Canada
Darpan News Desk IANS, 02 Mar, 2023 11:50 AM
Toronto, March 2 (IANS) Foreign nationals who are in Canada as visitors and who receive a valid job offer will be able to apply for and receive a work permit without having to leave the country, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced.
The move, an extension of a Covid-era temporary public policy that was set to expire today, has now been extended by two years, until February 28, 2025.
Visitors applying under this public policy who held a work permit within the last 12 months will also continue to be able to request interim work authorization to begin working for their new employer more quickly.
Prior to this temporary policy change, those applying to work in Canada would typically need to apply for their initial work permit before they came to Canada.
If they were already in Canada with visitor status when they were approved for a work permit, they would need to leave the country to be issued their work permit.
With this policy in place, leaving Canada isn't necessary.
Those looking to benefit from this temporary public policy must have valid status in Canada as a visitor on the day they apply, and have a job offer that is supported by a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) or an LMIA-exempt offer of employment.
An LMIA is an application that an employer makes to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) to evaluate if hiring foreign workers will have a positive, neutral or negative impact on the Canadian economy.
If ESDC deems the impact is negative, the employer will not be eligible to hire foreign nationals, according to CIC News.
Under the policy, applicants must also submit an application for an employer-specific work permit no later than February 28, 2025.
IRCC said that continuing this policy makes visitors an option for employers in Canada, many of whom are facing significant labour shortages during a period of economic expansion.
There was an overall decrease in the number of vacancies to 848,000 from over one million, according to Statistics Canada data from December 2022.
However, key sectors like healthcare, food and social assistance still need more employees to fill in-demand positions.
A semi truck was travelling westbound on Highway 17 when the driver smelled smoke. After the driver pulled over, the vehicle ignited into flames. The subsequent fire resulted in the vehicle sustaining major damage.
On August 28th, just before 7:30 p.m., Surrey RCMP received a reported that a pedestrian, who had been crossing the street in a marked crosswalk, had been struck by a vehicle in the 7500-block of 140 Street.
IHIT has identified the victim as Troy Michael Regnier, in hopes of furthering their investigation. Surrey RCMP arrested three suspects at the scene, who were believed to have been known to the victim, though at this time no charges have been laid.
The guidelines released Thursday encourage pupils and others to get vaccinated and to stay home when they are sick, while masking remains optional and is described as being a "personal or family choice."
RCMP Const. Mike Della-Paolera says police responded to a report that the boy was unconscious and not breathing and arrived at a home as a family member was performing CPR on the child on the hood of his vehicle. Della-Paolera says police were told the child had ingested an unknown substance.
John Frederick Field, 60, received statutory release from Kent Institution on Thursday, but left his Vancouver halfway house around 7:30 p.m. and has not been seen or heard from since.His current whereabouts are unknown, and he is considered a significant risk to the public.
