A double whammy of immigration policy changes is causing panic among many temporary residents in Canada.

One of these changes is the abrupt end in August of the temporary policy of allowing tourists to apply for work permits from within Canada.

The policy was originally scheduled to expire in February 2025, but Immigration Canada unexpectedly shut it down as the country continues to recalibrate the number of temporary residents in the country.

The government, however, said application for work permits submitted before Aug. 28 would still be processed under the discontinued policy. 

Regulated immigration consultant Kaede Kikumoto said that because of this, thousands of Filipinos may find themselves being sent back to the Philippines.

Many Filipinos who came here as tourists, she said, banked on the chance that an employer would hire them and help them become permanent residents.

But this policy change has dashed their hopes, and many "Kababayans" are now scrambling to earn just enough to be able to buy their return ticket home.

"Others are really desperate," Kikumoto said. "They [would] say, 'I’m one of those who took a risk and am looking for someone to help me so I can return to my home country.'"

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced that the government is cutting back on the hiring of low-wage temporary foreign workers as the country’s economy improves.

It was after the pandemic when businesses were allowed to hire low-wage temporary foreign workers to solve the looming labor shortage.

But Trudeau said there's less need now for TFWs, with exception in certain industries such as in healthcare, construction, and food security. 

A 10% cap on the number of foreign workers that an employer can hire will also be implemented.

Canada's jobs minister Randy Boissonnault said the change will affect more than 50,000 temporary foreign workers.

He said the move was important as "we want to see Canadians and permanent residents have access to entry-level jobs in what has been known as the low-wage stream."

The change also means that LMIA’s (Labour Market Impact Assessment) for temporary foreign workers will not be approved in areas with high unemployment rates.

"If a town or city has a 6% unemployment rate, they will no longer approve LMIAs for low-skilled workers in those areas," Kikumoto explained. "This is really difficult because the threshold is low. So, the purpose really is to give the jobs to Canadians and those with the proper status."

The new policy will also cut the period that temporary foreign workers in the low-wage stream can work here, from the previous two-year limit down to one year.

The number of temporary residents in Canada grew to almost 2.8 million in the second quarter of 2024, from just 1.97 million during the same period last year.