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Hello Future Neighbour,

We have received several mails asking this question; Can I get work permit in Canada with a visitor’s visa? The answer is YES! From now till February 28, 2025, visitor visa holders in Canada can apply for work permit if they meet the requirements to prove their eligibility status.

Now let’s not get it mixed up, you cannot just submit an application to IRCC for a work permit rather the individual needs to meet the work permit criteria below, including a supporting Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or a valid job offer by the Canadian employer.

On getting the job offer, visitor visa holders do not need to go back to their country and apply for a work visa as they would receive it in Canada. This policy is temporary as it was first initiated by the former Minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser for visitors present in Canada before August 24, 2020 who had a job offer and other requirements. It was later amended allowing all visitor visa holders that are eligible benefit from the policy.

Eligibility Criteria To Apply

An applicant looking forward to benefiting from this temporary public policy must:

• have a valid visitor status in Canada on the day they apply
• have a job offer backed by a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) or an LMIA-exempt offer of employment
• submit an application for an employer-specific work permit before February 28, 2025, and
• satisfy all other standard admissibility requirements

Candidates with visitor status who have already held a work permit in the last 12 months under this temporary policy are also eligible if they meet the below-listed criteria:

• When you apply, you must be physically present in Canada.
• You must remain in the country while your application is being processed.
• You will not be eligible for this public policy if you depart while your application is being processed.
• While applying for a work permit, you must be a visitor with valid status.
• If your visitor status has expired, you must restore it before applying for a work permit.
• applied for an employer-specific work permit between August 24, 2020, and February 28, 2025
• had a valid work permit in the 12 months before to applying for a new work permit

Also visitors inside Canada who have held a valid work permit in the last 12 months can follow particular steps to obtain interim work permit.

Need further assistance in creating a work permit profile, getting a visitor’s visa, preparing your application after receiving an invitation to apply or even just reviewing an application you prepared yourself? Send us an email on info@eseumohimmigration.com