Visitors can now apply for work permit from Canada

International visitors who are currently in Canada with a job offer can now apply for a work permit without having to leave the country.

The new policy is effective immediately, according to a press release from IRCC. It will benefit temporary residents who are already in Canada with a job offer, but it does not apply to anyone arriving in Canada as a visitor after today, August 24.

Visitors who meet the eligibility criteria can apply to the new Temporary Immigration Policy, which includes super visa holders, business visitors, and people who have arrived in Canada through a Global Skills strategy work permit exemption. 

Before today, people applying for their work permit as temporary residents generally had to apply for their initial work permit before coming to Canada. If they already had visitor status when they were approved for a work permit, they would have to leave the country and come back to activate the permit.

The policy also benefits Canadian employers who hire foreign workers, some of whom have faced labor shortages throughout the pandemic.

“We have heard from employers who continue to face challenges in recruiting and hiring the workers they need during the pandemic,” Canadian Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said in the statement. “This exemption from normal temporary work permit requirements aims to remove barriers to create a more agile workforce that takes advantage of visitors with the skills and experience necessary to accelerate our economic recovery.

Canada encouraged temporary residents who remained in Canada to maintain their legal status. Since air travel was restricted around the world, some visitors were unable to leave, and some foreign workers had to change their status to “visitor” because their work permits were expiring and they could not. apply for a new permitted job because they did not have a job offer.

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• valid status in Canada as a visitor on August 24, 2020, to remain in Canada;
• a job offer;
• an employer-specific work permit application supported by a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or an LMIA-exempt job offer submitted by March 31, 2021; and
• meet all other standard eligibility criteria

Applicants who meet all of these criteria and who had a valid work permit within the past 12 months will be able to start working for their new employer before their work permit has been fully approved. IRCC says work permit applicants can contact them through their web form to apply for work authorization while waiting for their new permit.

Reference is taken from CIC News