Blue Bird Blog

Open-work permits available for spouses, partners and children of sponsors

During the processing of a family class sponsorship application, some sponsored spouses, partners, and their dependent children, will come to Canada as temporary residents to be with their sponsor. Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced at the end of May a temporary public policy allowing these individuals to work in Canada while their application is being processed.

This public policy facilitates the issuance of an open work permit to foreign nationals applying to live and work in Canada under family class sponsorship including dependent children over 18 years old.

These open work permits were previously only allowed for the inland spousal sponsorship program and is now being extended to those who are applying from outside Canada.

IRCC says issuing open-work permits will not only help the financial stability of families and their ability to integrate into their communities but will help address national labour shortages and the economy.

What are the eligibility requirements?

IRCC officers may grant an open work permit to foreign nationals who meet either one of the following conditions.

The foreign national is

A principal applicant who has a submitted a permanent residence application under the spouse or common law partner in Canada or as a spouse, common law or conjugal partner under the family class that has been accepted for processing by IRCC
Has submitted a work permit application, where the duration of the work permit requested is a maximum of two years
Is the subject of a sponsorship application submitted by their Canadian citizen or permanent resident spouse, common law or conjugal partner
Has the same residential address as their sponsor in Canada at the time of the application, and
Has valid temporary resident status in Canada or is eligible for and has applied for restoration of status

The foreign national is

A dependent child that has been included as an accompanying family member in the application for permanent residence
Has submitted a work permit application where the duration of the work permit requested is for a maximum of two years
Has the same residential address as the principal applicant and their sponsor in Canada at the time of the application, and
Has valid temporary resident status in Canada or is eligible for and has applied for restoration of status

Announcement of family reunification measures

On May 26, Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced improvements to strengthen family class immigration and family reunification in Canada.

On top of the new open work permit option, these measures include:

Faster temporary resident visa (TRV) processing times for spousal applicants
New and dedicated processing tools for spousal TRV applicants
Open work permit extensions for open work permit holders expiring between August 1st and the end of 2023

He said these measures echo IRCC’s dedication to reuniting families and the importance of family reunification as part of Canada’s immigration strategy.

Source: cicnews.com

Visitors no longer allowed to apply for work permits from within Canada

As of August 28, temporary residents in Canada on a visitor visa are no longer permitted to apply for a job-supported work permit from within Canada.
The temporary policy allowing visitors to apply for these work permits was introduced in August 2020 to assist some visitors in Canada who were unable to return home because of border closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic—with the further aim of aiding employers to fill key labour gaps, by allowing some visitors who met certain conditions to apply for an job-supported work permit from inside Canada.

Quebec announces suspension of LMIA processing for some low-wage temporary foreign workers

Starting September 3rd, the processing of Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) to applicants in Montréal will be suspended for job offers with hourly wages below $27.47 CAD (the Quebec median hourly wage). This measure is expected to be in place for the next six months and has been approved by the federal government of Canada.

How long will it take to become a permanent resident of Canada in 2024?

Foreign nationals seeking permanent residence (PR) in Canada often look for the fastest pathway to achieving their goal and starting a new life in this country.
On a basic level, Canada has four primary immigration classes: economic immigration, family-class sponsorship, humanitarian/compassionate immigration and immigration for refugees/protected persons.
However, within those four general classifications, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provides foreign nationals with more than 100 ways to immigrate to Canada.

Finding a job in Ontario

Recently the Ontario provincial government chose to make it illegal for employers to require Canadian work experience in their job advertisements, in addition to making it mandatory for all job postings to feature salaries.
Both steps represent victories, not just for the Ontario labour force (who will now be able to see how the potential salary of a job compares to provincial and national averages); but especially for newcomers to Ontario—who are often held back from roles and professions they are qualified for, based on their lack of Canadian experience.
Considering these two changes, CIC News has compiled the following guide for newcomers looking for a job in Ontario.

Ontario looking to ban employers from requiring Canadian work experience on application forms and in job postings

In a first-of-its-kind move among all Canadian provinces and territories, Ontario has announced its intention to introduce new legislation that would, if passed, ban employers from requiring “Canadian work experience … in job postings or application forms.”
Announced today, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development hopes this new legislation will help more newcomers fill in-demand labour shortages across the province.