Foreign nationals will no longer be able to apply for a Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) at the U.S.-Canada border, according to an announcement made by Immigration Minister Marc Miller on Friday.
The new measure aims to stop the practice known as “flagpoling,” where temporary residents of Canada bypass the standard online application process by briefly leaving the country and re-entering to receive immediate immigration services. This method has been used to avoid the usual wait times associated with work or study permit applications.
Miller stated, “The time and effort required to process applications from ‘flagpolers’ takes officers on both sides of the border away from their crucial role in protecting the safety, security, and prosperity of Canadians and Americans. This measure will help prevent this practice while maintaining the integrity of our immigration system.”
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc added, “Flagpoling places an undue burden on our border services officers.”
When flagpoling, individuals exit Canada, report to U.S. border officials to indicate their intention to return to Canada, and then apply for the desired immigration service upon re-entry at a Canadian point of entry. This practice has been particularly taxing on border services, leading to recent reductions in flagpoling hours at 12 Canadian ports of entry to better manage peak period traffic and focus on other priorities such as high-risk travellers and trade facilitation.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) hopes to encourage temporary residents to apply for work permits within Canada. To facilitate this, IRCC is expediting processing times for in-Canada work permit applications, simplifying online forms and processes, and allowing workers to start new jobs immediately while their work permit applications are being processed.
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