Citing the deteriorating security situation in Haiti, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced on November 20 that special measures first introduced in May 2024 will be extended indefinitely. Haitian citizens—along with foreign national family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents—may continue to apply for open work permits, study permits, temporary resident permits or status extensions without paying the usual government fees.
Since 2024 more than 4,700 Haitians have taken advantage of the fee waiver, enabling them to remain lawfully employed or enrolled in post-secondary education while violence and political instability plague their home country. IRCC says the extension prevents vulnerable migrants from falling out of status and entering the underground economy, a scenario that would strain social services and complicate future status regularization.
![IRCC Extends Fee-Exempt Work-and-Study Permits for Haitian Nationals in Canada]()
Employers who already rely on Haitian temporary residents benefit directly; open work permits issued under the policy are LMIA-exempt, saving businesses roughly CAD 2,000 per application and several months of processing time. HR departments should verify whether Haitian employees whose permits expire in the next six months can renew under the extended waiver, thus avoiding labour-market impact assessments.
The announcement also signals Ottawa’s continued use of targeted humanitarian carve-outs even as overall temporary-resident numbers are being reduced. Immigration practitioners expect similar extensions for other crisis-affected cohorts, such as Sudanese and Venezuelan nationals, whose fee-waiver windows close later this year.
Eligible Haitians should submit applications online using the special instructions on the IRCC website. Employers must still observe standard compliance obligations, including creating employment contracts and maintaining wage records, but no employer compliance fee is required for open permits.
Since 2024 more than 4,700 Haitians have taken advantage of the fee waiver, enabling them to remain lawfully employed or enrolled in post-secondary education while violence and political instability plague their home country. IRCC says the extension prevents vulnerable migrants from falling out of status and entering the underground economy, a scenario that would strain social services and complicate future status regularization.
Employers who already rely on Haitian temporary residents benefit directly; open work permits issued under the policy are LMIA-exempt, saving businesses roughly CAD 2,000 per application and several months of processing time. HR departments should verify whether Haitian employees whose permits expire in the next six months can renew under the extended waiver, thus avoiding labour-market impact assessments.
The announcement also signals Ottawa’s continued use of targeted humanitarian carve-outs even as overall temporary-resident numbers are being reduced. Immigration practitioners expect similar extensions for other crisis-affected cohorts, such as Sudanese and Venezuelan nationals, whose fee-waiver windows close later this year.
Eligible Haitians should submit applications online using the special instructions on the IRCC website. Employers must still observe standard compliance obligations, including creating employment contracts and maintaining wage records, but no employer compliance fee is required for open permits.
