Canada Reduces Approval Time Of Temp Workers By 85%; They Can Start Work In 10 Days Now!

The Canadian government has made a new government policy which allows temporary foreign workers, who already have a job offer in Canada, to start working while their application is being processed.

Read to find out more…

Temporary Changes Due to Pandemic!

The Canadian government says this will drastically reduce the time it takes for a temporary worker to start a new job from 10 weeks to 10 business days.

According to a media release, the temporary change is part of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) response to Canada’s labour market needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the last few months, many temporary foreign workers with employer-specific work permits became a prey to the layoffs and were unable to leave Canada due to travel restrictions. Meanwhile many employers in sectors such as agriculture, agri-food, and healthcare are facing labour shortages.

There are no changes in the hiring process of foreign workers. Employers need to obtain a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). They must name the worker in a position on the LMIA and notify Service Canada.

For employer-specific LMIA-exempt situations, employers need to submit an offer of employment through the International Mobility Program Employer Portal.

Waiting Time Reduced from 10 Weeks To 10 Days!

Under the earlier rules, temporary foreign workers with employer-specific work permits needed to apply for a new permit with the name of the new employer in order to work legally in Canada. They needed to wait for the work permit to be issued before they could start working at their new job which was upto 10 weeks. 

The current temporary regulations allow the temporary workers who have a job offer lined up to submit a request to IRCC to have authorization to work. The request will be reviewed in 10 days, and if approved the worker will be notified by email. They can then start working at their new job. 

The Eligibility Criteria!

1. The workers must be in Canada with valid status;
2. They must have an employer-specific work permit or have been working under a work permit exemption; and
3. They must have submitted an application for a new work permit with a valid job offer under either the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, or the International Mobility Program.

How To Change the Employers?

Temporary foreign workers must first apply for a new work permit from inside Canada. Most people must apply online, however if they can’t due to a disability or because there is a problem with the online application, it is possible to apply on paper.

After applying IRCC asks applicants to fill out the web form, which eases the communication between applicants and the Canadian immigration department. The government website provides more detailed information. The process differs depending on whether the worker is work permit-exempt or not.

Once this is done, IRCC will send an email confirming the applicant can start working for their new employer while they process the complete application.

The email will be sent in about 10 business days. It may take longer if the application was done on paper.