Holders of Canadian visitor visas will not be able to apply for a work permit within the country.
This is happening in the wake of recent immigration reforms that have provoked protests, particularly from overseas students.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said it will immediately end the program that permits travelers to obtain a work permit.
“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.
The goal of the August 2020 policy was to help Canadian tourists who were stranded at home due to border closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is not necessary for visitors to depart Canada in order to apply for a work permit. Additionally, people who had held a work permit during the previous year but had converted to a “visitor” immigration status were qualified to “work lawfully in Canada while awaiting a decision on their new work permit application.”
Nevertheless, according to the IRCC, “some bad actors were misrepresenting foreign nationals as being able to work in Canada without authorization by using the policy.”
It did, however, state that it will still handle applications filed in accordance with the policy before August 28, 2024.
Tens of thousands of foreign students protesting in the streets of Canada earlier this week against new immigration policies introduced by the federal government that could result in the deportation of roughly 70,000 of them escalated tensions.
In Canada, 37% of study visa holders were foreign students as of 2023.
The government claims that this action is required to ease pressure on public services, housing, and unemployment, but the recent cap on student visas is expected to lower the number of foreign students admitted by 35%.
The Canadian government announced in June that foreign nationals would no longer be able to apply for a PGWP at the border, further tightening regulations.
Students who are worried about their future in Canada are afraid as a result of this decision.
The Naujawan Support Network and other student advocacy organizations have issued warnings that many international graduates may be deported when their work permits expire at the end of the year.
