Visitors can continue applying for work permits inside Canada
Darpan News Desk IANS, 02 Mar, 2023 11:50 AM
Toronto, March 2 (IANS) Foreign nationals who are in Canada as visitors and who receive a valid job offer will be able to apply for and receive a work permit without having to leave the country, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced.
The move, an extension of a Covid-era temporary public policy that was set to expire today, has now been extended by two years, until February 28, 2025.
Visitors applying under this public policy who held a work permit within the last 12 months will also continue to be able to request interim work authorization to begin working for their new employer more quickly.
Prior to this temporary policy change, those applying to work in Canada would typically need to apply for their initial work permit before they came to Canada.
If they were already in Canada with visitor status when they were approved for a work permit, they would need to leave the country to be issued their work permit.
With this policy in place, leaving Canada isn't necessary.
Those looking to benefit from this temporary public policy must have valid status in Canada as a visitor on the day they apply, and have a job offer that is supported by a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) or an LMIA-exempt offer of employment.
An LMIA is an application that an employer makes to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) to evaluate if hiring foreign workers will have a positive, neutral or negative impact on the Canadian economy.
If ESDC deems the impact is negative, the employer will not be eligible to hire foreign nationals, according to CIC News.
Under the policy, applicants must also submit an application for an employer-specific work permit no later than February 28, 2025.
IRCC said that continuing this policy makes visitors an option for employers in Canada, many of whom are facing significant labour shortages during a period of economic expansion.
There was an overall decrease in the number of vacancies to 848,000 from over one million, according to Statistics Canada data from December 2022.
However, key sectors like healthcare, food and social assistance still need more employees to fill in-demand positions.
Thunder Dennis, 20, was found deceased inside the West Hotel near East Hastings and Carrall streets shortly before 7 a.m. The file remains under investigation.
In the summer of 2021, the Coquitlam Drugs and Organized Crime Unit (DOC) initiated a proactive project call ENEVERMIND, targeting several known drug traffickers working within the Tri-Cities. 5 suspects ranging in age from 20 to 46 years old, were arrested without incident during the execution of the search warrants.
To help those impacted by these catastrophic earthquakes, Surrey based radio station CKYE 931 is doing a fundraiser on Feb 16, 2023. Funds raised will benefit the Canadian Red Cross.
On Tuesday, Police received a report of a man believed to be following a group of walkers and another report of a man performing an indecent act. In both instances, the man was described as Caucasian, 17 to 25-years-old with a slim build and dirty blonde hair.
Ottawa has offered more than $46 billion to provinces and territories to augment the Canada Health Transfer but the country's premiers say they're "disappointed" with the amount.
Rep. Brian Higgins is asking Secretary of State Antony Blinken to officially object to Canada's new federal tax on underused, foreign-owned housing, which is coming due in April. The one per cent levy applies to certain foreign non-resident owners of Canadian property located in areas with a core population of at least 10,000 people.
