August 28, 2024 – Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced the immediate termination of a temporary public policy that allowed visitors to apply for work permits while remaining in Canada.

Introduced in August 2020 to address COVID-19 travel restrictions, the policy enabled visitors who were unable to travel abroad to apply for work permits without leaving the country. It also permitted foreigners who had held a work permit within the past 12 months and had changed their status to “visitor” to apply for work authorization while waiting for a decision on their new work permit application.

Although the policy was initially set to expire on February 28, 2025, IRCC has decided to end it early. This move is part of broader efforts to manage temporary resident numbers and tackle issues related to unauthorized work. The IRCC has noted that some individuals were misusing the policy to work in Canada without proper authorization.

IRCC will keep processing applications submitted before August 28, 2024, under the existing policy. 

For more details, please visit the Canadian Government’s website.

Visit TWA Canada Immigration News for more related updates.