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

Under this arrangement, they could apply for a work permit without leaving Canada. In addition, anyone who had held a work permit in the previous 12 months but had changed their immigration status to “visitor” was entitled to “work legally in Canada while awaiting a decision on their new work permit application.”

The policy was originally scheduled to end on February 28, 2025, but it will now end early. According to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), this decision is part of its broader strategy to adjust the number of temporary residents and maintain the integrity of the immigration system.

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According to a report by CIC News, applications submitted under this policy before August 28 in Canada will continue to be processed.

Why did this step come about?
Canada explains that this early withdrawal was due in part to an awareness that “malicious actors were exploiting this provision to entice foreign nationals to work in Canada without authorization.”

Major changes in the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada
The end of the temporary arrangement allowing some visitors to apply for work permits came amid a week of major changes aimed at reducing the number of foreign workers temporarily employed in Canada, the CIC report said.

On August 26, the Department announced that it would suspend the processing of some Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications for some applicants in the low-wage bracket of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) until September 26, 2024. This will impact applicants in Census Metropolitan Areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or more.

Canada also announced limits on the number of foreign workers Canadian employers can hire under the TFWP (10% of their total workforce) and a reduction in the maximum employment period for low-wage workers from two years to one year.