A temporary public policy now lets many temporary workers in Canada start working for a new employer sooner, without waiting for their new employer-specific work permit to be approved. The policy took effect on May 27, 2025 and will stay in place until the immigration minister revokes it.
What this new policy does
The goal of the policy is simple: allow temporary workers already in Canada to begin working in a new job before IRCC finishes processing their new employer-specific work permit. This is meant for people who are changing employers or occupations and already have a valid job offer under either the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) or the International Mobility Program (IMP).
Instead of being “stuck” with old work permit conditions while a new application is in the queue, eligible workers can get an email authorization from IRCC confirming they may start working for the new employer while they wait.
Who this policy is meant to help
IRCC expects three main groups to benefit:
- Workers with maintained status whose old employer-specific permit expired, but who are still bound by the old employer/occupation until the new permit is decided.
- Workers who still have a valid employer-specific work permit, but need to switch jobs—often due to layoff, better offer, or changed circumstances.
- Workers who were work-permit exempt under R186(b)–(x) and now need a permit to work for a different employer or in a new occupation.
Business visitors and Global Skills Strategy work-permit-exempt workers are not eligible under this policy.
Basic eligibility conditions
To benefit from the exemption, a foreign national must:
- Be inside Canada and have valid temporary resident status (or maintained status).
- Have held a valid work permit or been authorized to work without a permit when they submitted their new employer-specific work permit application or renewal.
- Have already submitted an in-Canada application (online or paper) for an employer-specific work permit, which is still pending.
- Intend to work for the new employer/occupation listed in that application.
- Send an IRCC web form request using the specific public policy wording and Priority Code PPCHANGEWORK2020.
- Clearly ask that the exemption apply until IRCC makes a decision or the application is withdrawn.
If any of these conditions are missing, the policy won’t apply and the worker must wait for normal processing.
How to request the exemption (worker side)
Workers must first submit an employer-specific work permit application from inside Canada (IMM 5710). This can be online or paper, and may have been filed before the policy existed.
Then, they send an IRCC web form with the exact template message provided by IRCC, including:
- Priority Code PPCHANGEWORK2020
- Their old employer and NOC code, and the expiry date of that authorization
- New employer’s name and NOC code
- Confirmation that they’ve submitted a work permit application (with tracking number for paper)
- An acknowledgment that giving false or misleading info is a violation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
There are two slightly different versions of this template: one for current/former work-permit holders and one for previously work-permit-exempt workers.
How IRCC processes these requests
Step 1 – Web form intake
The Client Support Centre (CSC) filters web forms containing “PPCHANGEWORK2020” and forwards them to the Immigration Operations Branch. CSC does not assess eligibility.
Step 2 – Officer assessment under the policy
An officer checks:
- Is there a clear request under the public policy?
- Is there enough information to locate the work permit application in GCMS?
If the request is incomplete (no explicit request, no link to a permit application), a short rejection reply is sent, and a note goes into GCMS if the client file is found.
If the request is complete, the officer confirms that there is a pending employer-specific work permit application. If it is not an employer-specific application, the request fails eligibility and can be refused using a “negative public policy decision” template.
Positive decision:
The officer emails the worker confirming they meet the temporary public policy and tells them to:
Print the email and attach it to their current work authorization as proof they can work for the new employer/occupation until a decision is made.
Negative decision:
If eligibility is not met (no status, no employer-specific permit, not actually changing employers/occupations, not eligible to apply in-Canada, etc.), the officer sends a refusal email explaining which criteria are not met. If the person already holds an open work permit, IRCC simply reminds them they can change employers at any time without this policy.
What happens to the work permit application itself
Once the public policy decision is made:
- If the work permit application is incomplete, the officer may request missing documents and give 30 days to respond, while still issuing a positive/negative public policy response.
- If the application is complete, it continues in the normal processing queue.
If IRCC ultimately refuses the work permit, the refusal letter will also state that the public policy coverage has ended because a final decision has been made and that the client does not meet the public policy eligibility anymore.
Why this policy matters
This update modernizes and extends what was originally a COVID-era facilitation, but now without any COVID-specific language. For employers, it reduces downtime between hires. For workers, it reduces income gaps and uncertainty when switching jobs inside Canada.
In short, eligible temporary workers can legally move to a new job faster, as long as they follow the exact public policy process and remain honest and compliant throughout.
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