Temporary residents: overview

The Temporary Resident Program aims to design, develop, and implement policies and programs to facilitate the entry of temporary workers, students, and visitors in a way which maximizes their contribution to Canada’s economic, social, and cultural development and protects the health, safety, and security of Canadians.

Table of contents

A full listing of operational instructions related to general visa requirements and temporary foreign workers.

Visitors

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations, temporary residents include visitors, students, workers and temporary resident permit holders. Depending on the foreign national’s citizenship, a Temporary Resident Visa, or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), is required for temporary residents seeking to come to Canada temporarily.

Students

Foreign students are now a prescribed class of persons who may obtain temporary resident status and who have been issued study permits or who are authorized by the Regulations to study.

A study permit is a written authorization issued to foreign nationals authorizing them to engage in studies in Canada.

Therefore, foreign students have the same obligations as temporary residents.

Education is a provincial/territorial jurisdiction and provinces/territories are responsible for regulating education in Canada. It is the responsibility of students to enquire about the quality of the schools in which they intend to enrol. They may verify whether a school complies with the provincial/territorial regulations. The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC), a unit of the CMEC, is a reference point on referrals and resources on all aspects of postsecondary and higher education in Canada.

Workers

Foreign workers are a prescribed class of persons who may obtain temporary resident status and who have been issued work permits or who are authorized by the Regulations to work.

A work permit is a written authorization issued to foreign nationals authorizing them to engage in work in Canada.

Therefore, foreign workers have the same obligations as temporary residents.

Inadmissibility (Temporary resident permits)

Normally, persons who do not meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act are refused permanent resident or temporary resident visas abroad, denied admission at a port of entry, or refused processing within Canada. In some cases, however, there may be compelling reasons for an officer to issue a temporary resident permit to allow a person who does not meet the requirements of the Act to enter or remain in Canada.