Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is implementing measures for former international students with expired or expiring post-graduation work permits. Foreign nationals whose post-graduation work permit expired or will expire from September 20, 2021, to December 31, 2022, will have an opportunity to work in Canada for an additional 18 months by either extending their work permit or applying for a new one. Those currently in Canada will also have the ability to work in the interim period while their permit is being extended or a new one is being issued. All work permit applications for this public policy must be submitted online by December 31, 2022.
Starting August 8, 2022, such individuals will receive an email indicating that they are allowed to work in the interim. Recipients can attach the email received from IRCC to their post-graduation work permit to show an employer they are authorized to work temporarily in Canada. This one-time measure is intended to ensure that those eligible for the additional 18-month work period can remain working or can return to the workforce while they apply for a new work permit. This interim work period will be in effect until May 31, 2023.
An individual who is out of status must apply to restore their status at the same time they apply for a new work permit. Eligible applicants may apply for restoration even if it has been more than 90 days since their status expired.
If you do not receive an email from IRCC by mid-September, you are not eligible to have your work permit extended through this special process for another reason, such as information has been added to your file about your admissibility to Canada that will need further review. You may still apply online to extend your work permit. At NPZ Law Group, our U.S. and Canadian lawyers seek to assist clients with regard to employment and family immigration issues. If you or your friends or family should have any questions about any aspect of U.S. and Canadian Immigration Law, please feel free to contact us at info@visaserve.com or you can call our office at 201-670-0006 (ext. 104). We look forward to being able to assist you.