Tuesday, June 30, 2026
ADVT 
National

Visitors can continue applying for work permits inside Canada

Darpan News Desk IANS, 02 Mar, 2023 11:50 AM
  • Visitors can continue applying for work permits inside Canada

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.

MORE National ARTICLES

Man guilty in gas-and-dash death gets day parole

Man guilty in gas-and-dash death gets day parole
An agreed statement of facts said Jo was killed when Sydlowski sped off in a stolen cube van without paying for $198 of fuel. It happened outside Jo's Fas Gas station in Thorsby, about 70 kilometres southwest of Edmonton, on Oct. 6, 2017.

Man guilty in gas-and-dash death gets day parole

Extreme heat threat rising in Canada: report

Extreme heat threat rising in Canada: report
Irreversible Extreme Heat, penned by experts at the Intact Centre on Climate Change at the University of Waterloo, says "Canadian alarm bells should be ringing" about the risk of intense heat.

Extreme heat threat rising in Canada: report

First deadline arrives for Conservative leadership

First deadline arrives for Conservative leadership
British Columbia MP Marc Dalton was the latest to make Tuesday's deadline for submitting a $50,000 registration fee and completed questionnaire, along with meeting other requirements set by the party.

First deadline arrives for Conservative leadership

B.C. announces new program to recruit nurses

B.C. announces new program to recruit nurses
The Health Ministry says some nurses trained outside the country can wait years to get registered and licensed as their credentials are assessed and their English language skills are tested.

B.C. announces new program to recruit nurses

Two men arrested at demonstration that caused delays, safety issues at Highway 1 off-ramp

Two men arrested at demonstration that caused delays, safety issues at Highway 1 off-ramp
The Burnaby Fire Department and officers trained in high-angle rescue were called to the scene to assist, and both demonstrators were safely removed. The two demonstrators were arrested for Mischief and Intimidation by blocking or obstructing a highway.

Two men arrested at demonstration that caused delays, safety issues at Highway 1 off-ramp

One-quarter of people say they had COVID-19: poll

One-quarter of people say they had COVID-19: poll
As the country grapples with its sixth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and less data is shared with the public, the poll by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies offers a picture of how many people have been infected.

One-quarter of people say they had COVID-19: poll