Canada has announced that holders of visitor visas are no longer allowed to apply for work permits while in the country.
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made this known in a statement on Wednesday, stating that the new directive takes immediate effect.
“Although the temporary policy was originally scheduled to expire on February 28, 2025, IRCC is ending the policy early as part of our broader efforts to manage the number of temporary residents in Canada and maintain the integrity of the immigration system,” the statement read.
The IRCC also noted concerns that some individuals were exploiting the policy to mislead foreign nationals into working in Canada without proper authorization. “IRCC will continue to process applications submitted before August 28, 2024, under the previous policy,” the statement added.
The policy, introduced in August 2020, was initially intended to help visitors in Canada who were unable to return home due to COVID-19-related border closures. It allowed these visitors to apply for a work permit without leaving the country.
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Additionally, those who had held a work permit within the previous 12 months and had since changed their immigration status to “visitor” were permitted to work legally in Canada while awaiting a decision on their new work permit application.
With the policy now terminated, visitor visa holders will need to leave Canada if they wish to apply for a work permit.
