published on 28 October 2024 @ 3:17 pm · COMMENT

Temporary Public Policy to Facilitate Work Permits for Prospective Provincial Nominee Program Candidates

The Canadian government has introduced a new temporary public policy aimed at facilitating work permits for prospective Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates. This policy seeks to streamline the transition from temporary status to permanent residency by offering key exemptions from current work permit regulations. In addition, it aims to ensure the retention of skilled workers who are already established and contributing to Canada’s economy and provide them with a more secure and defined pathway to permanent residency.

This temporary public policy, pursuant to section 25.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) granting exemptions to certain regulatory requirements, will allow eligible foreign nationals to be granted open work permits if they:

• have an employment offer
• hold a valid work permit or held a valid work permit which has expired as of May 7, 2024
• have been issued a support letter from a province or territory that has signed an agreement with IRCC, outlining their placement in an Expression of Interest pool or other application inventory process following an initial assessment of the candidate by the province/territory

While the public policy offers important exemptions, applicants must still meet all other applicable criteria under Canadian immigration laws. It is important to note that currently only Alberta, Manitoba and Yukon are participating.

This public policy will remain in place until December 31, 2024. It replaces a previous policy that was also aimed at facilitating work permits for foreign nationals in Provincial and Territorial Expression of Interest pools under the PNP. Previously, an applicant was required to have applied for permanent residence before they were able to apply for a bridging open work permit. The key difference under the new policy is that the applicant does not need to have applied for permanent residence, they need only to have received a provincial letter of support, thus allowing the applicant to continue contributing to the local economy while on a swifter and more secure path to permanent residence.

filed under: IMMIGRATIONPERMANENT RESIDENCE