Canada has discontinued the practice of enabling travellers on temporary visas to apply for work permits while in the country, effective immediately. This decision, released by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on Wednesday, represents a substantial departure in immigration policy.Canada has discontinued the practice of enabling travellers on temporary visas to apply for work permits while in the country, effective immediately. This decision, released by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on Wednesday, represents a substantial departure in immigration policy.

The IRCC emphasised that, while this temporary policy was originally set to expire on February 28, 2025, the government opted to end it early as part of measures to control the number of temporary residents in the nation and safeguard the integrity of the immigration system. "While the temporary policy was slated to expire on February 28, 2025, IRCC is discontinuing it as part of our overall efforts to rebalance the number of temporary residents in Canada and maintain the integrity of the immigration system.

IRCC is also aware that some bad actors were using the policy to mislead foreign nationals into working in Canada without authorization. IRCC will continue to process applications submitted before August 28, 2024, under the policy.

“IRCC is also aware that some bad actors were using the policy to mislead foreign nationals into working in Canada without authorization. IRCC will continue to process applications submitted before August 28, 2024, under the policy,” the statement partly read.

This policy was originally implemented in August 2020 to address the issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which left many tourists stranded in Canada due to worldwide travel restrictions and border closures.The interim provision enabled tourists to apply for work permits without leaving the country. It also allowed those who had previously held a work permit during the preceding 12 months and had changed their immigration status to "visitor" to work legally in Canada while they awaited a decision on their current work permit application.

The department emphasized its commitment to addressing these issues while continuing to process pending applications submitted before the policy’s end date.