Can a mother who is studying in Canada switch to a work visa?

The questioner may have seen the recent news about the conversion of tourist visa to work visa. The answer to this question can be yes or no, depending on whether the accompanying mother meets the requirements for applying for a work permit.

Who can apply for a work visa in Canada

First of all, we need to explain this issue and find out the circumstances under which applicants can originally apply for a work visa in Canada. Commonly used situations mainly include the following:

If the applicant holds a valid study permit or work permit, he or she can apply for a work permit in Canada, provided that the requirements for applying for a work permit are met (for example: For example, conversion and extension between work visas can be completed in Canada (a typical example is a bridge work permit applied for while waiting for immigration)

If the applicant’s spouse holds a valid study permit or work permit. You can apply for a work permit in Canada, provided that you meet the requirements for applying for a work permit (for example: all spouses can apply for a work permit in Canada, and the success rate is much higher than applying in China)

< p>Those who hold a valid study permit apply for a PGWP graduation work permit

In the case of couple reunion immigration, applicants waiting for the immigration result can apply for a work permit in the country

Some matters related to refugee applications The situation is not commonly used, so I won’t go into details

Some situations involved in the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement are not commonly used, so I won’t go into details

That is to say, in addition to the above In these cases, even if the applicant meets the requirements for applying for a work permit, he cannot apply for a work permit in Canada and must leave Canada to apply. For example, we have many parent clients who accompany students in Canada. LMIAs with employer sponsorship can apply for an LMIA work permit. However, due to legal restrictions, they must leave Canada and return to their home country to apply for an LMIA work permit. This is actually a bit troublesome in normal times, but the epidemic has made this problem even more difficult. This policy adjustment actually facilitates this group of applicants. It’s not that the difficulty of applying for a work visa has been reduced, or now a tourist visa can be easily converted into a work visa.

New conditions for a tourist-to-work permit

Currently, if you want to apply for an employer-limited work permit as a tourist in Canada, you still need to meet the following requirements:

Still maintain valid visitor status when applying for a work permit

Be located in Canada on August 24, 2020 and maintain that status

Jobs supported by LMIA or LMIA exemption offer

Submit your work permit application before March 31, 2021

Generally speaking, this is not a major policy change. Applying for a work permit doesn’t get any easier. Only some people who meet the work visa application requirements can be spared the trouble of traveling abroad, that's all.