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Canada ends policy allowing visitor visa holders to apply for work permits
Last year, 700 Indian students were found in Canada with fraudulent acceptance letters from Designated Learning Institutions.
These moves are part of a rollback of pandemic-era policies. / Pexels
Canada has terminated a policy that allowed temporary residents on visitor visas to apply for work permits from within the country on Aug.28. Introduced in August 2020 amid COVID-19 travel restrictions, this policy aimed to assist visitors stranded by border closures.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) stated that the policy’s early termination is part of a broader strategy to regulate temporary resident numbers and uphold immigration system integrity. "IRCC is aware that some bad actors were using the policy to mislead foreign nationals into working in Canada without authorization," the agency said.
The policy was originally scheduled to expire on February 28, 2025, but IRCC chose to end it ahead of time. This decision is part of the IRCC's broader strategy to manage the number of temporary residents in Canada and uphold the integrity of the immigration system. It allowed visitors to apply for work permits without leaving Canada and permitted those who had recently held a work permit to work legally while awaiting a new permit.
Applications submitted before Aug.28 will still be processed. However, the early end to the policy responds to reports of misuse, including cases of immigration fraud. Last year, 700 Indian students were found in Canada with fraudulent acceptance letters from Designated Learning Institutions. In response, IRCC now mandates verification of acceptance letters within 10 days and has introduced a cap on international student admissions over the next two years to combat fraud.
Additionally, on Aug.26, the IRCC announced a suspension of Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications under the Low-Wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). It will be effective from Sept.26, 2024. This pause targets areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher.
These moves are part of a rollback of pandemic-era policies, which had allowed Canadian employers greater flexibility in hiring through the TFWP.
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