Immigration Announcement
Temporary Visa Holders from Iran Can Now Extend Their Stays in Canada
The Canadian government is introducing new immigration policies to assist Iranians as of March 1, 2023. The Canadian government declared that the measures will make it simpler for anyone who are in the country temporarily on a work, study, or visitor visa to submit an application for an extension from within the country. In addition, provided priority consideration to applications from Iranians residing in Canada.
The measures also offered a new open work visa route for Iranian residents already in this country. Also, foreign nationals with open work permits are free to work in any job and for any employer of their choosing. The citizens of Iran who wished to stay longer in Canada may be exempted from paying some procedural fees. Not only this, Canadian nationals and permanent residents in Iran who intended to depart are exempted from paying the passport and travel document fees.
On March 1, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has published more information on its website. On behalf of Minister of Immigration Sean Fraser, Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, announced these measures today in Vancouver. In a news release, the Canadian government stated that it closely monitors the ongoing needs of Iranians and will alter our response as necessary.
What is an Open Work Permit?
An open work permit is a permit which is unaffiliated with a specific employer or area. This means that a foreign worker who has a legitimate open work permit may work for several different companies within Canada. It should be noted that some open work licences may have extra conditions or limits that foreign nationals must abide by. Theses permits do need any Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
Iran is one of the top ten source countries for new immigrants to Canada
According to the most recent IRCC data, Iran was the seventh most common place of origin for immigrants who entered Canada in 2022. 11,105 Iranians arrived as new permanent residents overall the year. Iranian nationals are the sixth most common source of Canadians with study permits.
As of December 31, 2022, there were 21,115 Iranian students studying in Canada. The census of 2021 also projects a total number of Iranian people (200,000) living in Canada. In addition, it is estimated that about 68 percent of the Iranian population of Canada lives in Toronto and Vancouver.
