Volunteering

[Lucio]

Hi i have just applied to restore my status in canada as an LMO never came through in time it means a 75 day wait to be restored can i volunteer in canada while awaiting restoration of status?

[Wattekinson]

Hi Portia

Section 30 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act states:

30.(1) A foreign national may not work or study in Canada unless authorized to do so under this Act.

Section 2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations define "work" as follows:

“work” means an activity for which wages are paid or commission is earned, or that is in direct competition with the activities of Canadian citizens or permanent residents in the Canadian labour market.

The second part of the above definition includes unpaid activity.

Without going into the specifics of your particular situation, a foreign national generally requires a work permit for any activity for which wages are normally paid, regardless of whether or not wages are in fact paid, unless there is a regulatory or statutory exemption.

Steven Tress, Barrister and Solicitor, 425 University Avenue, Suite 500, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1T6, Canada, tel: 416-977-3657, email: [email protected]