By Seyi Babalola
Holders of Canadian visiting visas will be unable to apply for work permits within the country.
This follows previous immigration reforms, which have caused demonstrations among overseas students.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada announced on Wednesday that it will end the provision that permits visitors to get a work visa with immediate effect.
“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 program was implemented in August 2020 to aid tourists to Canada who were unable to return home due to border closures caused by the COVID-19 epidemic.
Visitors might apply for a work visa without needing to leave Canada. Also, anybody who had possessed a work permit during the previous 12 months but had altered their immigration status to “visitor” was able to “work legally in Canada while waiting for a decision on their new work permit application.”
Nonetheless, the IRCC reported that “some bad actors were using the policy to mislead foreign nationals into working in Canada without authorization.”
It, however, said it will continue to process applications submitted before August 28, 2024, under the policy.
Tens of thousands of international students marched throughout Canada earlier this week to protest the federal government’s new immigration policy, which might result in the deportation of around 70,000 of them.
As of 2023, overseas students accounted for 37% of study visa holders in Canada.
The new restriction on student visas is likely to lower the number of international students by 35%, a move that the government claims is required to relieve demands on housing, unemployment, and public services.
The Canadian government tightened requirements in June, saying that foreign nationals would no longer be allowed to apply for a PGWP at the border.