Significant changes have been announced for visitors seeking work in Canada.
On Wednesday, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the end of the temporary policy allowing visitors to apply for a work permit. The change is effective immediately.
The policy was initially set to end on February 28, 2025, but the IRCC said it is changing the date to “recalibrate” how many temporary residents are in Canada and to “preserve the integrity of the immigration system.”
The policy was first introduced in 2020 as a way to help visitors who were unable to leave the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s travel restrictions.
It also allowed foreign nationals who had a work permit in the past year but changed their status to “visitor” in Canada to legally work in the country while they were waiting for the status of the permit they previously filed.
More immigration changes coming to Canada
There are other changes on the horizon for Canada’s immigration system.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hinted that his government is involved in “ongoing conversations” to tighten immigration into the country.
“This fall, we’ll be presenting for the first time an Immigration Levels Plan that doesn’t just talk about permanent residents, but also talks about temporary residents, whether that’s foreign workers or others,” he stated in an address to reporters at the Liberal cabinet retreat in Halifax.
He also said his government would be tightening the rules on Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program.
In March, Immigration Minister Marc Miller highlighted that Canada’s temporary resident volume has “increased significantly,” reaching up to 2.5 million or 6.2% of the population in 2023.
Miller said the federal government plans to decrease the temporary resident population by 5% over the next three years.
The government also announced in January that it would cap international student visas for two years.