As efforts to retain legal status are hampered by expanding backlogs and evolving regulations, thousands of migrants in Canada, especially Indians, are losing their work permits as a result of protracted delays in the paperwork renewal process.
Immigrants who pay taxes are unable to work lawfully or obtain healthcare and other services in the event that their legal status is revoked.
In the face of housing shortages and rising prices, Canada has traditionally held immigration responsible for placing a burden on services and resources, NDTV reports.
According to reports, Ottawa is attempting to lower the number of migrants and is depending on voluntary departures to reach its goals.
In part due to the difficulty in obtaining services without status, living without documentation is uncommon in Canada.
Since at least fall 2022, temporary workers wishing to become permanent residents of Canada have had to wait longer to complete their labour market impact assessments. From 58 business days in September 2023 to 165 business days in March 2025, it has nearly tripled.
As of April 1, 2025, the organisation that handles these applications, Service Canada, was still processing labour market impact assessment applications that had been filed a year earlier.
As long as they obtain the labour market impact assessment required to keep their status within 60 days of submitting an application to renew their work permit, immigrants are permitted to continue working, according to Canada's immigration department. However, the department lacks policies for those who lost their status due to lengthy wait times.
Although the government did not disclose the number of applications pending per month, it has partially blamed the longer wait times on an increase in applications.
According to figures from Canada's immigration department, both the quantity of work permit applications filed domestically and the percentage of those applications denied have increased since last year.
Canada's Liberal government committed to offering undocumented persons status but then backtracked and stated it would provide it on a modest scale for people working in specified sectors.
Ahead of an election on April 28, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to temporarily limit immigration.
