Canada has issued a temporary Covid-19 policy for Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) holders. As per the policy, temporary residents who are in Canada with a visitor status can apply for a work permit from within Canada. The work permit application must be supported by a job offer from a specific employer. The pandemic measures originally came into effect in August 2020. These are now being extended until February 28, 2023.
The public policy allows those who held a work permit in the last 12 months to request for an Interim Authorization to Work. The authorization will allow eligible visitors to start working even before receiving the work permit.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for employer-specific work permits, the temporary visitors must
- be in Canada,
- have submitted an employer-specific work permit application using the Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker [IMM 5710],
- have stayed in Canada since application submission,
- submit a complete application before February 28, 2023.
This is a temporary regulatory change as normally foreign workers who are in Canada on a TRV cannot change status without leaving the country.
Interim Authorization to Work
Before the pandemic, TRV holders were not allowed to apply for a work permit from within Canada. They had to submit the work permit application to their origin country’s visa office while they stayed in Canada. Once the application gets approved, they have to physically leave Canada and re-enter for the work permit to take effect.
People were unable to flagpole in the recent time due to several Covid-19 measures. Flagpoling is referred to when a person leaves Canada and re-enters in order to activate a temporary status. Thus owing to the pandemic, IRCC started the policy which allows TRV holders to submit their work permit applications from within Canada from August 2020.
Although the policy allowed temporary residents to apply for work permits from within Canada, they still couldn’t start working until IRCC approved the application. Usually a work permit application is approved in about 132 days, as per IRCC website.
Hence, IRCC introduced an Interim Authorization to Work. It enables the applicants to begin working while IRCC processes their work permit application. The objective is to enable those with an employer-specific job offer to begin work immediately as applicants can get this authorization quickly.
It would also address the issue of labour shortage. IRCC usually takes a long time to process work permit applications submitted inside the country. An immediate authorization leads to instant joining of the workers leading to a continuous flow of market operations.
As many people got laid off during the pandemic, this policy would help them get back into the labour market more quickly. It is another reason why IRCC prioritized work permits to people who held one in the last 12 months.
It is still possible that a person’s work permit application gets rejected while they are working on an Interim Authorization. But if the application is approved, they would have started working even before waiting for the actual approval giving them extra time on the job.
Eligibility
Interim Authorization is not automatic. A visitor who is applying for a work permit in Canada and held a valid work permit in the last 12 months can ask for permission to work while IRCC processes their application.
To be eligible, an applicant must:
- be physically present in Canada when applying;
- be a visitor with valid status when apply for the work permit;
- an expired visitor status must be restore before applying for a work permit;
- have applied for an employer-specific work permit between August 24, 2020, and February 28, 2023; and
- have held a work permit that was valid in the 12 months before applying for a new work permit.
Process
There is a two-step process to get an interim authorization to work
The first step is to fill out the IRCC Web Form after applying for the work permit. When filling the “Your enquiry” section, copy the text: Message to request interim authorization to work
Make sure to fill out the sections in square brackets which include dates, work permit number (starting with “U”), name of the employer, and title of the job. If a temporary resident has applied on paper and doesn’t know the application number, they can include the courier tracking number instead. This will ensure IRCC finds their application.
The next step is to wait for IRCC’s response. IRCC will send an email stating the approval or rejection of the application. It usually takes up to 30 business days which is approximately six weeks. Only after the approval can a temporary resident start working even before getting a work permit.
Thus, the new public policy came as a relief for Canadian temporary residents who suffered loss during the pandemic. They can now continue working for another year without flagpoling. Along with that, they can start working immediately by the new Interim Authorization to Work option without waiting to receive their work permits.
