On December 23, 2024, the Government of Canada announced that foreign nationals could no longer obtain work and study permits through ‘flagpoling’ at ports of entry. This practice, which involved temporary residents briefly leaving and re-entering Canada to access immigration services, has been discontinued to optimize border resources and reduce wait times. The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) reports processing over 69,300 flagpolers in the past year, primarily in the Pacific, Southern Ontario, and Quebec regions. Applicants must now submit their permits through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), with limited exemptions for specific categories, including US citizens and certain free trade agreement professionals.
