Toronto: Foreign nationals who have gone to Canada on a visitor visa will now be able to apply for a work permit without leaving the country if they have a valid job offer.
The announcement was made by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The IRCC’s move is an extension of the temporary public policy issued during the Corona epidemic, which was ending today. This policy has now been extended for two years till February 28, 2025.
Visitors applying under this government policy, who have a work permit for the last 12 months, will now be able to file an application for temporary work authorization with a new employer.
Prior to this temporary change in the policy, those applying for work in Canada were required to apply for an initial work permit before coming to this country.
If they were already in Canada on a visitor visa, they had to leave the country to get their work permit. Now with this new policy, people coming on visitor visas will not be required to leave Canada.
Beneficiaries of this temporary policy must have a valid status of stay in Canada on the day of applying for a work permit and have a job offer, with a letter exempt from labor market impact assessment (LMIA) or LMIA.