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.
A statement from Coquitlam RCMP says officers were called to an armed robbery at a car dealership in Port Coquitlam just before 4 p.m., Tuesday. Police say four suspects fled in a stolen vehicle and responding officers were involved in an exchange of gunfire before the stolen sedan crashed along Highway 1 in Coquitlam and the four fled.
Premier Eby made the announcement on Tuesday, during a speech to about 1,400 attendees at the Housing Central Conference at the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel in Vancouver. The minister of housing will be named when Premier Eby announces his cabinet on Dec. 7, 2022.
The 18-year-old victim was transported to hospital, however despite all attempts to revive the individual he succumbed to his injuries. Police located and arrested one possible suspect.
Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon says Eby must launch independent reviews at BC Housing and Atira Women's Resources Society after leaked reports indicated mismanagement.
Lana Popham says normally avian flu aligns with bird migration seasons, but the latest infections in farms of the H5N1 virus have been consistent all year. She says the situation isn't as bad as it was in 2004, when 17 million farm birds were destroyed.
The teen was immediately arrested by Vancouver Police, who discovered five additional guns, including a loaded 357 Magnum and two loaded revolvers. Officers also seized body armour, machetes, ammunition, fake guns, and a variety of controlled drugs.
