It has been announced by IRCC that they extend the visitors work permit policy for foreign nationals who obtain job offers while in Canada. And will be eligible to apply for and receive a work visa.
An extension has been granted to the temporary policy that was supposed to expire today.
For this visitors work permit policy to be applicable, applicants must:
- Must have valid status in Canada on the day of application.
- In order to be eligible, it is required to have a job offer that is either backed by an LMIA or exempted from LMIA requirements.
- Before February 28, 2025, an application for an employer-specific work permit must be submitted.
- Must satisfy all other requirements for eligibility.
If you are recognized as a permanent resident and get a positive or negative LMIA. It is a written offer of full-time, non-seasonal work for one year or more is deemed genuine.
As part of the LMIA process, employers submit their estimates of the economic impact on Canada of hiring foreign labor to ESDC. ESDC will not permit the company to hire foreign nationals if it determines that the impact would be adverse.
If a person is visiting Canada with a valid work permit, they can obtain temporary work authorization. To be eligible for this authorization, the person must have held a work permit within the past 12 months. As well as follow certain instructions. The temporary work authorization permits them to commence employment with their new employer prior to the approval of their work permit application.
A work permit was typically required for anyone looking for employment in Canada before the initial regulation change. The foreign citizen with visitor status must leave the country to be granted their work permit once they arrive in Canada. By implementing this policy, this action will no longer be necessary.
High job vacancy rate in Canada
A travel restriction related to COVID was initially implemented to assist Canadian firms in filling acute labor shortages when COVID-related travel restrictions were in place. It is taking steps to reduce the unemployment rate and fill open positions in Canada. Historically, the unemployment rate in Canada is low, at 5% as of January.
The number of job openings reduced from over a million to 848,000 in December 2022, according to Statistics Canada. In some sectors, more workers are still needed to fill high-demand jobs. In the healthcare and social support industries, there were 149,800 open positions, in the lodging and food services industry. There were 108,000 open positions, and in the retail trade industry, there were 100,200 open positions.
