A new federal government measure gives foreign nationals working in the film and television industry access to 14-day Canada work permit processing.
The measure, announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on September 28, is open to candidates applying from outside Canada the U.S., or those applying from the U.S. who require a Temporary Residence Visa (TRV).
An IRCC statement said: “Though COVID-19 has posed challenges, IRCC remains committed to facilitating travel and maintaining high standards of client service while protecting the health and safety of Canadians.
“As part of this commitment, workers in the film and television industry entering Canada from outside the United States, or those entering from the United States who require a TRV, are eligible for priority processing.”
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Film and TV Industry Priority Processing: Who is Eligible?
Foreign nationals must:
- Submit a work permit application online.
- Apply from outside Canada and the U.S., or apply from the U.S. and require a TRV.
- Self-identify as a film and television industry worker after submitting their work permit application by sending a request to the IRCC.
IRCC has requested candidates write an exact sentence in the ‘your enquiry’ section of its web form to qualify for the expedited processing. This will allow applications that qualify to be identified more easily.
The sentence is: “COVID-19 FILM & TV INDUSTRY – Requesting priority processing for Film & TV Industry workers due to COVID-19”.
IRCC anticipates it could take up to five days to identify requests, and says the 14-day processing standard will only begin once requests are identified.