Work Permits

With some exceptions, most individuals seeking to enter Canada’s labour market will require a work permit.

Genral Eligibility Requirements

No matter where you apply, you must:

• prove to the officer that you will leave Canada when your work permit expires,
• obey the law and have no record of criminal activity,
• not be a danger to Canada’s security,
• be in good health and have a medica exam, if needed,
• respect the related law and regulations,
• respecting other rules and requirements

Generally obtaining a Canadian work permit is a two-step process. In most cases, applicants will first require a job offer before they can apply for a Canadian work permit.

Step 1

In the vast majority of cases, the first step towards obtaining a Canadian work permit is to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). Usually, the Canadian employer must undertake domestic recruitment efforts and demonstrate that no Canadian permanent residents or citizens are qualified for the position at hand.

Step 2

After a positive LMIA has been issued, the applicant can apply for a Canadian work permit on that basis.

Work permits are employer specific, unless a worker has an open work permit. If a worker wants to change employers, they must obtain a new Work Permit before performing another job in Canada. Canadian work permits are also limited in duration.

Duration of Work Permits

All Canadian work permits have an expiry date. The only way to work in Canada permanently, or for an unspecified length of time, is to acquire permanent resident (PR) status. Foreign workers working in Canada can apply for permanent residency in Canada under Canada Experience Class program.

The Canadian government puts limits on the length of Canadian work permits as well as the accumulated length of time that non-Canadians can work in Canada. The total number of months individuals may work in Canada—whether worked consecutively or with gaps between permits—is 48, or four years total.

Once the maximum of four years work has been accumulated, foreign workers will have to leave Canada and remain outside of the country for at least 48 months (4 years) before being eligible to work in Canada again.

Open Work Permit Canada

An open work Permit differs from a regular work permit in that it does not specify a particular job or employer. Generally, the job and employer are both indicated on Canadian Work Permits, thereby restricting the holder to those circumstances while in Canada. An Open Work Permit allows its holder to work for any Canadian employer, in almost any capacity.

Open Work Permits do not require the applicant to have either an offer of employment or a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

As per Canadian immigration regulations, Open Work Permits may be applied for by:

• Spouses or common-law partners of temporary foreign workers in a level 0, A or B occupation, according to the National Occupation Classification (NOC);
• The spouses or common-law partners of foreign students engaged in full-time study;
• International students who have recently graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution

If you received LMIA or a job offer from a Canadian employer, please contact us to complete your work permit application.

We, Academy Canada take care of the entire Canadian Work Permit process for both Canadian employers and temporary foreign workers.