In May 2021, Canada opened up new pathways to permanent residence for certain temporary residents of Canada. Some of the categories of people that could apply include international students, health-care workers, certain ‘front-line’ workers (e.g. cashiers), and a separate grouping for French-speakers. Details about the program can be found at http://www.kranclaw.com/2021/04/canada-launches-new-permanent-residence-pathways/.
Canada has now announced that effective July 26, 2021, those that have applied for permanent residence under one of the pathways established in May will be eligible to seek open work permits while their PR applications are pending. This is a very important fact for people in these pathways because otherwise, many of them would need to seek new work permits (or renew work permits) based on applicable ‘ordinary’ process (e.g. LMIAs), which may not always be that easy to secure.
As with all immigration programs, there are some details which must be considered, including that Applicants must:
- Have already successfully submitted an application under one of the new PR pathways
- Have been legally authorized to work at the time of their PR application under the new pathways
- Hold a valid work permit set to expire within the next 4 months
- Have temporary resident status, maintained status or are eligible to restore their status at the time their open work permit application is submitted
- Be in Canada at the time of application for open work permit
- Have been employed at the time of their PR application, and
- Meet the language requirements for their stream.
This new open work permit should allow both employers and applicable employees some flexibility in ensuring the uninterrupted right to continue to work while their PR applications are being processed.
The information in this article is for general purposes only, and not intended as legal advice for any particular situation.