In effect from 28 August, the temporary residents in Canada can not apply for a work permit within Canada. The old policy helped such candidates to change their visa status without having to leave the country which is now no longer possible. Furthermore, the department will continue to process applications submitted before August 28, 2024, under the policy.
In August 2020, Canada started allowing temporary residents in the country to apply for work permits without leaving the land if they were unable to leave due to COVID-19 restrictions. This policy was planned to expire in February 2025 but IRCC has already made it end now in August.
IRCC already wanted to overcome the increasing numbers of temporary residents to preserve the integrity of the immigration system. This is why the department also announced many other changes effective from 26 August with some of the main ones as follows:
- No more issuance of LMIAs for low-wage stream occupations in areas where the overall unemployment rate is 6% or above;
- Stopping employers from sponsoring more than 10% of the total employment force for the TFWP; and
- TFWP visa duration reduced to one instead of two years.
The country has already capped the international student quota for two years. Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller has announced that 292,000 permits would be approved for college and undergraduate students in 2024. These numbers are indeed less than the previously announced 360,000.
Why strict rules for temporary residents in Canada?
No doubt the current changes are the continuity of the new regulations implemented for the temporary residents. This is also because IRCC is aware that some bad actors were using the policy to mislead foreign nationals into working in Canada without authorization.
For example, according to previous regulations, a person with an expired work permit could change status to a visitor visa and still work legally even during application result waiting times. These all aspects have seriously undermined the credibility of the sound immigration system of the immigration-friendly North American country.
The influx of temporary workers also caused unemployment to rise badly (as of June 2024 it stands at 6.4%) continuously.