Japa: Canada Ends Temporary Policy For Visitor Work Permits

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have ended the temporary public policy allowing visitors to apply for work permits from within Canada.

According to Immigration News Canada, the policy which was originally established to expire on February 28, 2025, is now seeing an early termination, effective August 28, 2024.

However, to the relief of some, applications submitted before August 28, 2024, will still be processed under the previous policy.

The Temporary Public Policy, introduced in August 2020, was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, when travel restrictions, lockdowns, and border closures left many visitors stuck in Canada.

Many Nigerians, and indeed people around have the world, have seized the window created by the policy to relocate to Canada in the bid to work opportunities in what Nigerians now referred to as ‘japa’ – meaning to relocate.
The policy supplied a means for many foreign nationals to stay in Canada and adjust because they could not return home. Now at its termination, foreigners must look to other pathways for their migration answers.

According to supplied reports, ‘ending the policy early is part of IRCC’s efforts to manage the number of temporary residents in Canada and maintain the immigration system’s integrity.’

Concerns were also raised on how the policy could have been used to allow people to work without proper authorisation.

IRCC further stressed on the need to adjust the number of temporary residents in Canada, which increased since the start of the pandemic.

“The government is now focusing on maintaining a balanced and fair immigration system that aligns with the country’s long-term economic and social goals,” further reports supply.

According to Immigration News Canada, visitors in Canada who planned to use this policy to apply for work permits will now need to source for other options which include leaving Canada to apply for a work permit from their home country or another location with legal status.

However, that should not take first place in consideration, as Canada plans to freeze the processing of the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) effective September 26, 2024.