The IRCC announced in August 2024 the early termination of a public policy allowing visitors to apply for work permits from within the country, effective immediately.
The policy had been introduced in August 2020 to help visitors who were unable to leave the country due to pandemic-related travel restrictions apply for a work permit without having to leave the country.
Moreover, individuals who held a work permit in the previous 12 months but changed their status in Canda to ‘visitor’ could apply to work legally in Canada while waiting for a decision on their new work permit application.
While the temporary policy was set to expire on February 28, 2025, the IRCC has raised concerns that some “bad actors” were using the policy to mislead overseas nationals into working in Canada without authorisation.
“[The] IRCC is ending the policy as part of our overall efforts to recalibrate the number of temporary residents in Canada and preserve the integrity of the immigration system,” read an official government statement.
“I am glad to see the new policy changes. The loophole was exploited by many unethical RCICg s [regulated Canadian immigration consultants] and agencies to promote a pathway for entering Canada as visitors and offering LMIAs for work permits,” Canadian immigration consultant, Gautham Kolluri, told The PIE News.
The loophole was exploited by many unethical RCICs and agencies to promote a pathway for entering Canada as visitors
Gautham Kolluri
A LMIA refers to a labour market impact assessment document that certain employers in Canada must obtain to show that there is a need for an international worker to fill a job before they can apply for a work permit.
According to Kolluri, “thousands, especially Indians and Filipinos, used this loophole to enter Canada”, drawn by “unethical agencies” promoting the IRCC’s visitor visa policy.
“Unfortunately, the liberal government is taking all these steps too late as thousands have entered Canada already. It looks more like a pre-election agenda now,” noted Kolluri.
Immigration has become a hotly debated topic in Canada, where the 45th federal election is due to take place on or before October 20, 2025.
The IRCC has confirmed that it will continue to process work permit applications that were received before August 28, 2024, when the announcement was made.
The policy change comes after an announcement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau imposing further restrictions on the temporary foreign workers program, which was criticised by the UN for being a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery”, as reported by the BBC.
In 2023, over 180,000 temporary foreign work permits were granted in Canada, an 88% increase from 2019, according to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
As of September 26, regions with an unemployment rate of six per cent of higher will be required to refuse applications from low-wage temporary foreign workers.
Across Canada, employers will be allowed to hire a maximum of 10% of the workforce from the temporary foreign worker program, down from 20%, and workers hired through the scheme will be authorised to work for one year rather than two.
In 2023, Canada recorded the fastest population growth in 67 years, with the population surpassing 40 million for the first time, which the government said was largely driven by temporary immigration.
The past year has seen several policy changes to curb temporary migration, including a cap to limit the “unsustainable growth” of international students announced in January 2024.
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