Canada Bars Visitor Visa Holders From Applying For Work Permits

Canada has barred holders of visitor visa from applying for a work permit within the country.

Disclosing this in a statement on Wednesday, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said the directive is with immediate effect.

“While the temporary policy was set to expire on February 28, 2025, IRCC is ending the policy as part of our overall efforts to recalibrate the number of temporary residents in Canada and preserve the integrity of the immigration system,” the statement read.

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“IRCC is also aware that some bad actors were using the policy to mislead foreign nationals into working in Canada without authorization. IRCC will continue to process applications submitted before August 28, 2024 under the policy.”

The policy was introduced in August 2020 to assist visitors in Canada who were unable to return home because of border closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the policy, they could apply for a work permit without having to leave Canada. Also, anyone who had held a work permit within the preceding 12 months but had changed their immigrations status to “visitor” became eligible to “work legally in Canada while waiting for a decision on their new work permit application.”