COVID-19 program updates ease immigration restrictions
Oct. 10, 2020
By Robin Seligman, Seligman Law.
A series of recent COVID-19 related program updates by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada are helping keep Canada open for business.
Lights, camera, action for film production
On Sept. 28, IRCC announced that it would make film and television industry workers entering Canada eligible for priority processing that will see their work permit applications turned around in just 14 days.
I’m getting a lot of calls from clients in the film industry at the moment, and this is really going to help the industry keep ticking along.
The new measures will help local production companies capitalize on Canada’s relatively healthy COVID-19 infection rates, which have already made this country an attractive destination for film and television shoots that might otherwise have taken place south of the border.
For example, CNBC reports that a Ben Affleck-fronted movie recently switched its filming location from Los Angeles to Vancouver thanks to lower case numbers and better testing capability, while CBC News says the City of Toronto has issued around 400 film permits in recent weeks as part of the rejuvenation of its movie and television scene.
The priority processing eligibility applies both to those entering Canada from outside the U.S., or those entering from the U.S. who require a temporary resident visa. Applicants other than US citizens must submit their work permit request online, self-identifying as a film and television industry worker in a request via the IRCC web form.
Click here for more information: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/updates/2020-covid-film-tv-work-permit.html
Solutions for Foreign Nationals in Canada regarding work and study
Meanwhile, IRCC also had some good news for foreign nationals stranded in Canada with a letter of introduction (“LOI”) approving their study and work permit applications processed outside the country.
Under normal circumstances, LOI holders would simply leave the country and return to Canada to activate their permits, presenting their approval letter for inspection by officials at the border. Another option was “flagpoling,” the name given to the practice of travelling to the U.S. border, immediately turning around and re-entering Canada at the same port of entry, where officers would process the work permits on the spot.
However, since COVID these options are no longer available for applicants already in Canada, since such travel is not considered essential.
But in a recent program update, IRCC has provided a way around the problem. Under a temporary process in place until March 31, 2021, applicants with an LOI in Canada who are approved for work or study permits may now request permission via IRCC’s online web form, with documents issued via the mail.
Click here for more information: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/updates/2020-covid-work-study-permit-approval.html
Restrictions eased for visiting family members and extended family members
On a less commercial level, another IRCC will make it easier for the extended family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to visit the country.
Under IRCC rules, “immediate” family members – including spouses, dependent children, parents and guardians – were already eligible to make non-essential visits to Canadian citizens and permanent residents as long as they stay at least 15 days and have a plan to quarantine for the first two weeks.
However, from Oct. 8, 2020 eligibility has been opened up to “extended” family members of citizens and permanent residents, which means their adult children, grandchildren, siblings (including half-siblings and step siblings) and grandparents. In addition, the children, grandchildren, siblings or grandparents of a Canadian citizen’s or permanent resident’s spouse may travel in this bracket.
As well foreign nationals who have spent at least one year in an exclusive dating relationship with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident will also be eligible to travel as extended family members as long as they have spent some time in the physical presence of the person at some point in the relationship. The children and grandchildren of an eligible dating partner also meet IRCC’s definition of extended family members.
Unlike immediate family members, extended family members need a written authorization before they can travel, which IRCC recommends they obtain before booking any flights. A six-step application process is outlined on IRCC’s website.
Click here for more information: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/visitors/immediate-family.html#exclusive-lightbox