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5 Alarming Ways Dummy Work Permits Exploit Canada’s Immigration System

June 5, 2025
11:01 am

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Last Updated On 5 June 2025, 8:33 AM EDT (Toronto Time)

In recent years, Canada’s immigration system has faced a growing challenge: the rise of “dummy work permit extensions” and this practice has now increased significantly.

These applications, often filed by temporary foreign workers to exploit a loophole in the system, allow individuals to extend their stay in Canada under “maintained status” while awaiting decisions on work permit extensions for which they may not be eligible.

This practice, driven by limited permanent residency prospects, has surged, clogging Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) processing system and raising concerns about fairness and efficiency.

With IRCC now cracking down by triaging and cancelling these applications faster, the stakes are higher than ever for temporary residents.

This article delves into the mechanics of dummy work permit extensions, their impact, and why they’ve become a controversial tactic in the Canadian immigration landscape.

“Dummy work permit extensions” refer to applications submitted by temporary foreign workers primarily to maintain their legal status in Canada, rather than for genuine employment purposes.

These applications exploit the “maintained status” provision, which allows individuals to remain and work in Canada under the conditions of their existing permit while awaiting a decision on a new application.

The term “dummy” arises because these applications are often filed without a legitimate job offer or intent to work under the applied conditions, making them a strategic manoeuvre to extend one’s stay.

The practice has become increasingly common due to the lengthy processing times for permit extensions, currently averaging 158 days as of the June 2025 IRCC Update on Immigration Backlog.

During this period, applicants can legally stay and work, even if their application lacks merit.

This loophole has been exploited by temporary residents facing limited pathways to permanent residency, such as those awaiting Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nominations, Express Entry invitations, or seeking additional work experience to qualify for programs like the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or Federal Skilled Worker (FSW).

Several factors have fueled the surge in dummy work permit extensions:

Limited Permanent Residency Prospects: The Canadian immigration system has tightened in recent years, with the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan aiming to reduce temporary residents to 5% of the population by 2026 Supplementary Information for the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan. With fewer permanent residency spots, temporary workers are turning to dummy applications to extend their stay while pursuing alternative pathways.
Lengthy Processing Times: The 158-day average processing time for permit extensions provides a window for applicants to remain in Canada legally. This delay is particularly appealing to those who need time to secure a job offer, nomination, or additional work experience.
Maintained Status Loophole: Under maintained status, workers can continue working under their existing permit’s conditions while their extension is processed. This allows individuals to file applications without immediate scrutiny, as many may not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or Offer of Employment Number.
Strategic Immigration Goals: Common scenarios include:
- Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Applicants: Workers awaiting a provincial or territorial nomination use dummy extensions to stay in Canada during the lengthy nomination process.
- Express Entry Candidates: Those in the Express Entry pool awaiting an Invitation to Apply (ITA) file extensions to maintain status and improve their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores with additional work experience.
- Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Holders: Graduates with PGWPs working on a skilled job for less than one year use dummy extensions to gain the required one-year work experience for CEC or FSW eligibility.

These factors have led to a significant increase in applications, inflating IRCC’s inventory and causing delays for legitimate applicants.

The stakeholders across have flagged this trend, noting its impact on processing efficiency.

The process of filing a dummy permit extension is deceptively simple, exploiting gaps in the current system and sometimes even recommended by immigration consultants:

Eligibility for Maintained Status: Applicants must have a valid permit and apply for an extension before it expires. This grants maintained status, allowing them to stay and work under existing conditions during processing.
No LMIA or Offer Number Required: Many dummy applications are for open work permits, which do not require an LMIA or Offer of Employment Number. This makes them harder to flag at intake, as they appear legitimate on the surface.
Exploiting Processing Delays: With a 158-day processing time, applicants can remain in Canada for months, even if their application is unlikely to be approved. This period is often used to pursue other immigration goals, such as securing a job offer or nomination.
Risk of Misrepresentation: If IRCC determines the application was filed without genuine intent (e.g., claiming a job offer that doesn’t exist), it may be rejected as misrepresentation. This can lead to severe consequences, including loss of status, deportation, or a five-year ban from applying for Canadian visas.

Despite these risks, the lack of immediate scrutiny at the intake stage has made dummy applications an attractive tactic for temporary residents desperate to stay in Canada.

IRCC has clarified that the only acceptable scenario for applying for a work permit without LMIA approval is when:

The employer has submitted an LMIA application.
The LMIA is likely to be decided within 1-3 months.
The applicant is eligible to submit a work permit application from within Canada.

This strict criterion aims to curb frivolous applications, ensuring that only those with legitimate employment prospects use the system.

However, dummy applications often bypass these requirements by leveraging open work permits or vague job offers, exploiting the lack of upfront verification.

IRCC has recognized the strain dummy permit extensions place on the immigration system. Recent efforts to address this include:

Faster Triaging and Cancellation: IRCC is implementing stricter triage processes to identify and cancel dummy applications early. This involves enhanced scrutiny of applications lacking clear evidence of employment or eligibility, reducing the backlog’s inflation.
Stakeholder Feedback: Feedback from employers, immigration consultants, and community organizations has highlighted the prevalence of dummy applications. This has prompted IRCC to prioritize processing efficiency and fairness.
Proposed Intake System: Experts suggest creating a triage system to flag and return ineligible applications at intake. This would deter future dummy applications and reduce processing delays for legitimate applicants.

As of May 2025, IRCC processed 491,400 work permits from January to April, with a backlog reduction to 35% of total inventory, as per the latest IRCC Update on Immigration Backlog.

However, dummy applications continue to challenge these efforts, with stakeholders warning of further delays if the issue isn’t addressed comprehensively.

The following scenarios illustrate how temporary residents exploit the loophole of dummy work permit extensions, highlighting the creativity and risks involved:

PGWP Holders Seeking CEC Eligibility: Graduates with short-term PGWPs (less than one year) file dummy extensions to gain the one year of skilled work experience required for the Canadian Experience Class. By working under maintained status, they bolster their Express Entry profiles, even if their application is later rejected.
PNP Applicants Buying Time: Workers awaiting provincial nominations, which can take months, file dummy extensions to stay in Canada legally. This allows them to continue working and improve their nomination chances without risking status loss.
Express Entry Candidates Boosting CRS Scores: Candidates in the Express Entry pool file extensions to accumulate additional Canadian work experience, increasing their CRS scores. This tactic is particularly common among those with borderline scores awaiting an ITA.
Open Work Permit Misuse: Open work permits, which don’t require an LMIA, are a popular choice for dummy applications. Applicants claim vague or non-existent job prospects, knowing the lack of upfront verification allows them to stay for months.
Bridging Financial Gaps: Workers facing job loss or permit expiration use dummy extensions to maintain income while searching for new opportunities. This provides a financial cushion but risks severe consequences if flagged as misrepresentation.

These tactics, while strategic, undermine the integrity of the Canadian immigration system, prompting IRCC’s intensified efforts to close the loophole.

While dummy applications offer temporary relief, they carry significant risks:

Rejection and Loss of Status: If IRCC determines an application lacks merit, it will be rejected, and the applicant may lose their legal status, facing removal.
Misrepresentation Penalties: Submitting false information or non-genuine job offers can lead to a five-year ban from applying for Canadian visas, severely impacting future immigration prospects. IRCC has now become strict on such dummy applications.
Backlog Inflation: Dummy applications contribute to IRCC’s backlog, delaying processing for legitimate applicants. This creates a ripple effect, frustrating employers and workers alike.
Reputational Damage: Applicants caught using dummy extensions may face scrutiny in future applications, both in Canada and internationally, as immigration records are shared across borders.

Immigration consultants and employers have voiced concerns about dummy work permit extensions. “This practice undermines the system’s fairness,” says a Toronto-based immigration lawyer.

“It delays processing for those with genuine applications and burdens employers who rely on timely approvals.”

Community organizations note that temporary workers often resort to dummy applications out of desperation, highlighting the need for clearer pathways to permanent residency.

Employers, particularly in sectors like healthcare and construction, report delays in hiring due to backlog inflation.

“We need workers now, not in six months,” says a British Columbia employer.

The consensus among stakeholders is that while dummy applications address immediate needs for workers, they create long-term challenges for the system.

To curb dummy work permit extensions, experts suggest:

Enhanced Intake Triage: Implement a system to flag ineligible applications at intake, such as those lacking verifiable job offers or LMIA progress. This would reduce backlog inflation and deter frivolous submissions.
Faster Processing for Legitimate Applications: Streamlining processing for eligible applicants would reduce the incentive to file dummy extensions, as workers could transition jobs or statuses more quickly.
Clearer Pathways to Permanent Residency: Expanding PNP and Express Entry opportunities would reduce reliance on dummy applications by providing viable long-term options.
Public Awareness Campaigns: Educating temporary workers about the risks of misrepresentation could deter dummy applications, encouraging compliance with immigration rules.

Dummy work permit extensions have emerged as a controversial tactic for temporary foreign workers seeking to extend their stay in Canada.

By exploiting the maintained status loophole and lengthy processing times, these applications allow individuals to pursue immigration goals but at significant risk.

IRCC’s crackdown, with faster triaging and cancellations, signals a shift toward stricter enforcement.

While temporary workers face limited permanent residency prospects, the misuse of dummy applications undermines the immigration system’s integrity, delaying processing for all.

Stakeholders urge systemic reforms, including enhanced triage and clearer pathways, to address this loophole and restore fairness.

For now, temporary residents must weigh the short-term benefits of dummy extensions against the long-term risks of rejection and misrepresentation.

What is a dummy work permit extension?

A dummy work permit extension is an application filed by temporary foreign workers to maintain legal status in Canada, often without a genuine job offer, to extend their stay while awaiting other immigration outcomes.

Why do people use dummy work permit extensions?

They exploit the 158-day processing time and maintained status provision to stay and work in Canada legally, especially when facing limited permanent residency options or job transitions.

How is IRCC addressing dummy work permit extensions?

IRCC is triaging and canceling these applications faster and exploring an intake system to flag ineligible submissions, reducing backlog and deterring misuse.