Wednesday, July 1, 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

New climate plan more detailed: Guilbeault

New climate plan more detailed: Guilbeault
Under the Liberals' net-zero accountability law passed last year, Guilbeault has until Tuesday to table a new Emissions Reduction Plan in Parliament. It's just the latest in a long list of climate plans Canada has created to hit ever-changing emissions targets, none of which it has met.

New climate plan more detailed: Guilbeault

Feds to launch negotiations to buy F-35

Feds to launch negotiations to buy F-35
While this doesn't mean a deal to purchase the stealth fighter is officially done, it does mean Canada is on the verge of finally choosing a replacement for its aging CF-18s.    

Feds to launch negotiations to buy F-35

Family court mediation expands to Surrey, B.C.

Family court mediation expands to Surrey, B.C.
The Early Resolution and Case Management Model, developed by the Ministry of Attorney General and the B.C. provincial court,was launched as a pilot project in Victoria in 2019.    

Family court mediation expands to Surrey, B.C.

218 COVID19 cases for Friday

218 COVID19 cases for Friday
There are 260 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 50 are in intensive care. In the past 24 hours, two new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,983.

218 COVID19 cases for Friday

Feds' bill could hit digital creators — YouTube

Feds' bill could hit digital creators — YouTube
The platform says proposed legislation obliging platforms to promote Canadian content risks downgrading the popularity of that content abroad — and the foreign earnings many Canadian YouTubers rely on.    

Feds' bill could hit digital creators — YouTube

Feds give another $2B to address health backlogs

Feds give another $2B to address health backlogs
The money, included in the newly tabled Bill C-17, follows a $4-billion top-up to the federal health transfer last summer and is expected to be a one-time payment, distributed equally based on population.

Feds give another $2B to address health backlogs