Visitors can no longer apply for work permits while in Canada – National [Video]

Visitors coming to Canada can no longer apply for work permits during their stay as the federal government tightens its rules for foreign workers amid abuse concerns.

On Wednesday, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) ended the COVID-19-era policy that was introduced to help visitors who couldn’t leave the country due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.

Foreign nationals can still apply for a work permit from outside Canada and in some special cases, inside the country.

The temporary policy, which allowed visitors in Canada to submit work permit applications from within the country, was introduced in August 2020 and was set to expire on Feb. 28, 2025.

But IRCC said it was scrapping it early as part of “overall efforts to recalibrate the number of temporary residents in Canada and preserve the integrity of the immigration system.”

This comes as Ottawa is moving to restrict the number of low-wage temporary foreign workersin Canada, with the exception of some …