Have you been informed? You are now able to enter Canada as a tourist, find a job on your own, apply for a work visa inside Canada, and begin working and residing in Canada on a permanent basis. Yes, you can now convert your visitor visa to a work visa. This is now an option for immigrants who want to settle down and find employment in Canada permanently but are having trouble finding work in their home country. Those immigrants who are having trouble finding work in their home country may benefit from this new option. If you fulfill the necessary steps, you may be able to use the visitor visa, which has a lower cost, as an alternative path.
What Do the Authorities from Canada’s Immigration Department Say About How Convert Visitor Visa to A Work Visa?
The Canadian government has decided to make permanent a temporary provision that was intended to ease the process of applying for work permits for foreign people who were already in the country as tourists. The coverage, which was originally scheduled to lapse at the end of February 2023, has been renewed for a further period of two years as of right now.
Visitors who have had a work permit within the previous year are eligible to apply for interim work authorization under the policy. This will allow them to begin working for their new company in a more timely manner.
According to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), “leaving this temporary policy in place offers visitors an option for companies in Canada,” who are “suffering considerable labor shortages at this time of economic boom.”
This method is a significant departure from the conventional one, in which applicants would typically be required to apply for their initial work permit prior to arriving in Canada, and if they were approved while they were already in Canada on visitor status, they would be required to leave the country in order to be issued their work permit. This method is a significant departure from the conventional one.
Who is eligible to apply:
have a job offer that is supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or an LMIA-exempt offer of employment; submit an application for an employer-specific work permit no later than February 28, 2025; meet all other standard admissibility criteria; and have a valid status in Canada as a visitor on the day they apply.
On August 24, 2020, this interim public policy was put into action for the very first time. This was smack in the midst of the first year of the pandemic, which was a time when immigration to Canada was falling dramatically.
Why Is Canada Allowing Immigrants to Convert Visitor Visa to A Work Visa?
The extension of the temporary policy is being done with the intention of alleviating the problem of labor shortages that a large number of firms in Canada are facing during this era of economic boom. The number of open positions dropped from over one million at the beginning of the year to 848,000 at the end of 2022, as shown by the data collected by Statistics Canada in December of that year. In spite of this, the nation has added 326,000 new jobs since September, bringing the total number of working Canadians to above 20 million for the first time ever. The unemployment rate in Canada was 5% as of the month of January.
What Steps Are Included to Convert Visitor Visa to A Work Visa?
The first thing you need to do is get a visitor visa
Being a tourist in Canada is the obvious starting point for the process of changing a visiting visa into a work permit in that country. When submitting an application for a visiting visa (Temporary Resident Visa – TRV) to Canada, it is essential that you have a thorough understanding of the following criteria.
Visitor Visa Fees and Requirements
- The application price for a visiting visa is $100 CAD ( 5,200 INR), while the expense for collecting biometric information is $85 CAD ( 4,400 INR).
- To extend your guest visa, you will need to pay a fee of one hundred Canadian dollars (CAD) per person.
- To reclaim your status as a tourist, you are required to pay a visa fee of $200 CDN (about 11065.45 INR).
- Show that you have the intent to depart the country after your stay is over.
- You need to provide evidence that you will have enough money to support yourself and any family members that join you while you are in Canada.
- You should be in excellent health and willing to submit to a medical examination if one is requested.
- Have no history of criminal activity and be prepared to submit to a background check by the police.
- Be ready to provide any and all supporting documentation to the visa officer whenever they ask for it.
Visitor Visa Processing Hours
The processing period for a TRV application is typically between 16 and 20 days, however owing to the backlog of applications, the most recent processing time is about 135 days. Be careful to supply the appropriate documents in order to prevent any delays and the possibility of it being more than that. Contact us if you need assistance.
Procedures to Follow While Applying for a Visiting Visa
- Make a decision on whether you want to submit your application in person or online.
- Fill out a visa application form with all of the required information and attach all of the required documents.
- It is required that you pay the visa processing fee with either a bank draft or a certified check.
- Bring your passport, pictures, and any other supporting papers to the visa application location in Canada that is closest to you.
- You need to provide a picture of yourself in addition to your fingerprints (biometrics)
- You will need to submit your visa application form in person at the Canada visa application facility.
- You should ask for a receipt from the application center that has your personal tracking number on it.
- Make note of this number so that your application may be tracked online.
Step Two: Get an Offer of Employment
Receiving an Offer of Employment and an LMIA
When you first enter Canada, you have a short window of opportunity to look for work and get a favorable LMIA. Not to mention the fact that the process of actually receiving a job offer is quite challenging on its own. Hence, you should give your task your whole attention and do it correctly. Let’s clarify this subject in detail.
Investigate About the Position
- Get an understanding of the employment options available in your location.
- Find a job that corresponds to your NOC code that is in demand in the local region.
- Online job applications may be submitted using websites such as Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor, among others.
- You should submit your application on the employer’s website.
- Finding work prospects might be made easier with the assistance of friends and relatives.
Get an LMIA that is Favorable.
Even if you do a sufficient amount of research on available jobs, there is a good probability that a Canadian company will still decide not to extend a job offer to you. Since in order to recruit you, a company must first satisfy the LMIA Criteria, and a very small percentage of businesses are prepared to sponsor temporary visitors.
The following are some factors that can increase your chances of obtaining a work permit while you are in the country on a visiting visa:
- You possess extraordinary abilities that an employer won’t be able to discover anyplace else.
- You have a sufficient number of connections to ensure your success in Canada.
- You have retained the services of a third party to conduct your job search on your behalf.
Converting a Visitor’s Visa into a Work Permit (without LMIA)
Only if you meet these requirements can you acquire an open work permit without LMIA:
- You are eligible to apply for an open work visa as a temporary visitor in the event that your spouse or common-law partner already has a study permit and is currently enrolled in a DLI program.
- You are eligible to apply for a work permit even if you are in Canada on a visiting visa if your spouse or common-law partner already has a work permit and is employed in one of the professions listed in NOC 0, A, or B.
- You are eligible to apply for a work visa as a guest if your spouse or common-law partner is currently in the process of applying for PR and has “approved in principle” status.
- If you have submitted an application for permanent residency via your spouse’s sponsorship, you are eligible to submit an application for a work permit while you are awaiting a decision.
Step Three: Applying for a Work Permit in Canada After Holding a Visiting Visa
You are able to submit an application for a work permit from inside Canada if you have obtained a positive LMIA from a Canadian employer.
The Immigration and Refugees Coordination Commission (IRCC) made an announcement on February 28, 2023, that foreign nationals who are currently in Canada on a visitor visa and who have a legitimate job offer would continue to be able to apply for and receive a work permit without having to leave the country.
This was in response to a question that was posed by a member of the public. The implementation date of the interim public policy has been moved up by two years, to February 28, 2025.
After that, you will need to take part in something that is called Flagpoling. Visitors are required to exit Canada via the border with the United States, then enter the United States to apply for a work visa before returning to Canada.
