Visitors Inside Canada Can Apply For Work Permit Until 2025

Canada Expands The Policy That Lets Tourists Apply For A Work Visa.

If they have a valid job offer, visitors to Canada can continue to apply for a work permit without having to exit the nation.

Those who are still in Canada as visitors but who held a work visa during the last 12 months are also subject to the legislation.

This short-term public policy from the COVID-19 pandemic was set to expire on February 28, 2023. It is now extended through February 28, 2025, through February 28, 2025, nevertheless. It makes it possible for tourists to find employment in Canada without leaving the nation.

Prior to the implementation of this policy, obtaining your first work permit would normally require you to travel to Canada. You would have to exit the nation in order to obtain your work permit if you were in Canada previously and only had a visitor's visa when your application was granted.

It is not required to leave Canada now that this policy is in place.

How To Change Your Canada Visitation Visa To A Work Permit?

An applicant hoping to take advantage of this temporary governmental policy must fulfil the following criteria in order to be qualified to apply to have their visiting visa converted to a work permit in Canada:

On the day of your application, you must be in Canada with valid visitor status. You also need to have a job offer backed by either an LMIA-exempt offer of employment or a labour market impact assessment (LMIA).

The deadline for submitting an application for a work permit particular to an employer is February 28, 2025.

Additionally, you have to fulfil all additional requirements for admission, such as those related to criminal and medical records.

Applicants who currently have visitor status but who have held a valid work permit in the past 12 months can follow special instructions on the IRCC website to get what’s called “interim work authorization” to start working for their new employer before their work permit application is finalized.