Canada Extends Work Permit Relief for Haitians, Sudanese

Canada has extended temporary work permit measures for eligible Haitian and Sudanese nationals, allowing certain foreign workers already in the country to apply for more time to work.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the extension on October 27, 2026, through a notice in its online newsroom. The measures were due to expire that day. They will now remain in place until December 30, 2027.

The decision gives workers who qualify under the existing measures another opportunity to seek an extension rather than face the end of the special application period.

Who Can Apply?

The extension does not apply automatically to every Haitian or Sudanese national living in Canada.

According to IRCC, applicants must hold a valid work permit that they received under the earlier temporary measures introduced for people affected by crises in Haiti and Sudan.

Those who meet this requirement can apply to extend their permits under the renewed measures. The department has not described the extension as a general work permit program for all nationals of either country.

Workers should check their current permit and the eligibility requirements before submitting an application.

Regular Application Fees Apply

IRCC confirmed that applicants must pay the standard processing fees for work permit extensions.

The renewed measures therefore provide access to an extension process for eligible workers, but they do not remove the usual application charges.

Applicants also need to pay attention to the expiry date printed on their existing work permit. That date matters because submitting an application before a permit expires can affect a worker’s ability to stay employed while waiting for a decision.

Working While an Application Is Processed

Eligible foreign workers who apply to extend their work permits before their current permits expire may benefit from what Canadian immigration rules call maintained status.

This allows them to continue working under the conditions of their existing permit while IRCC reviews their application, provided they meet the applicable requirements.

In practical terms, workers who apply on time may not have to stop working simply because their existing permit reaches its expiry date before the department decides their case.

Maintained status does not mean that IRCC has approved an extension. It allows qualifying applicants to continue under their previous work conditions while the application remains under review.

When the Measures Began

Canada first announced temporary immigration measures for Haitian nationals on May 23, 2024, as the country faced an ongoing crisis.

The measures supporting Sudanese nationals began earlier. IRCC announced them on April 24, 2023, and they came into effect on April 30, 2023.

Both sets of measures were introduced in response to crises affecting people from those countries.

With the latest announcement, IRCC has extended the relevant work permit provisions until the end of 2027, giving eligible permit holders additional time to apply while keeping the established eligibility and fee requirements in place.

The new deadline concerns the availability of these measures, not a promise that every applicant in Canada will receive a permit valid through December 2027.