Work Permit

Thinks to Know 

Hiring a Temporary Foreign Worker in Canada - Work Permit

Temporary Foreign Workers can usually be classified under the following two groups and three
subgroups:

​

• Employer-Specific Work Permit

  • REQUIRE BOTH an Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and a Work Permit

  • REQUIRE ONLY a Work Permit

  • DO NOT REQUIRE a Work Permit

• Open Work Permit

Employer-Specific Work Permit

An employer-specific work permit lets you work in Canada according to the conditions on your work
permit, such as

• The name of the specific employer you can work for

• How long you can work

• The location where you can work (if applicable)

Before you can apply for an employer-specific work permit, your employer must give you the following documents:

​

• A copy of your employment contract

• A copy of a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)

REQUIRE BOTH an Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and a Work Permit

In Canada, for employers to hire foreign workers to work at their businesses, they must first receive officially approval from the Canadian government. This document is known as a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), and only when the employers received a POSITIVE result would it means that they are permitted to hire foreign workers to work for them at their businesses. A positive result would mean that the Canadian government ensured and believed that no qualified Canadians or Permanent Residents were passed up in favour of foreign worker, and that the hired foreign workers will be given a salary and benefits that comply to the Federal and Provincial Standards. A positive LMIA would sometimes also be called as a Confirmation Letter.

Occupations that will generally require an LMIA

• High and Low-wage Positions

• Primary agriculture positions

• Caregiver positions, etc.

​

REQUIRE ONLY a Work Permit (LMIA Exemptions)

• Worker under international agreements

• Workers under the International Mobility

• Program (IMP) Spouses of TEER 0, 1, 2, 3 (formally NOC 0, A, B)

• foreign workers with work permit of 6+ months

• Workers, their spouses and dependents eligible for work permit under a pilot project

• Workers nominated by a province for PR with job offer

• Entrepreneurs and workers transferred within a company

• Academics (researchers, guest lecturers, visiting professors, etc.), summer residential camp counselors

• Co-op students, religious workers, refugee claimants

• People in exchange program including IEC

• Spouses of full-time (non ESL/FSL/General courses) foreign students (spouse is enrolled in full-time studies)

​

DO NOT REQUIRE a Work Permit (Work Permit Exemptions)

​

• Academic examiners and evaluators

• Athletes and coaches competing in Canada

• Aviation accident or incident investigators

• Civil aviation inspectors

• Religious leaders

• Convention organizers (not hands on)

• Crew members

• Emergency service providers

• Expert witnesses or investigators

• Family members of foreign representatives (DFATD approved)

• Foreign government officers (formal letter required for 3+ months)

• Health care foreign students ( - 4 months internship + written approval)

• Judges, referees and similar officials for international amateur competitions

• Military personnel

• Business visitors

• News reporters, film and media crews for

• foreign news company

• Public speakers (up to 5 days)

• Students working on/off campus

Performing artists and key support staffs (limited time and not making a movie, television or radio broadcast)

​

• For examples: street performers, disc jockeys, traveling circus, guest artists working within a Canadian group, wrestlers, people who will perform at a private event (wedding), air show performers, rodeo contestants, artists attending/working at a showcase, film producers (business visitors), film/recording studio users (limited to small groups renting studios, and business visitors) and people doing guest spots in Canadian television and radio broadcasts (news programs).

​

Situations when Work Permits will not be issued:

​

• There are reasonable grounds to believe the applicant cannot do the work.

• The applicant intends to work in Quebec, but does not hold CAQ.

• The intended work would affect any labour dispute in progress or the job of any person involved in the dispute.

• The foreign national is engaged in unauthorized work/study of failed to comply with a condition within last 6 months.

Exception: 6 months have lapsed since infraction; unauthorized work was due to unauthorized time
of stay; type/location of work or study.

​

• The foreign national intends to work in erotic services.

• The employer is ineligible to hire foreign nationals.

• The foreign national no longer meets the requirements.

• The applicant is the spouse of a NOC C, D temporary worker.

​

Open Work Permit

An open work permit lets you work for any employer in Canada, except for one that

• is listed as ineligible on the list of employers who have failed to comply with the conditions, or

• regularly offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages

You may only be eligible for an open work permit if you fall under the following situations, if you:

​

• are an international student who graduated from a designated learning institution and are

• eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program

• are a student who’s no longer able to meet the costs of your studies (destitute student)

• have an employer-specific work permit and are being abused or at risk of being abused in

• relation to your job in Canada

• applied for permanent residence in Canada

• are a dependent family member of someone who applied for permanent residence

• are the spouse or common-law partner of a skilled worker or international student

• are the spouse or common-law partner of an applicant of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program

• are a refugee, refugee claimant, protected person or their family member

• are under an unenforceable removal order

• are a temporary resident permit holder

• are a young worker participating in special programs

​

Post-Graduation Work Permit

You may be eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) if you graduated from a Designated
Learning Institution (DLI) and want to stay in Canada temporarily to work. A Post-Graduate Work Permit is an Open Work Permit, in another word, it allows holder to work in Any types of hob, without
restrictions. An LMIA or a confirmation of a valid job offer is not needed in order to apply for a Post-
Graduate Work Permit.

* Please remember that graduating from a DLI does not necessarily automatically make you eligible for a PGWP.

​

Eligibility Requirements

​

• Have graduated from a designated Canadian post-secondary institution (ESL/FSL/General

• Interest/Preparatory program are not eligible)

• Distance learning is eligible if it was less than 50% of the program.

• Must apply within 180 days after written confirmation of completed studies and have a valid study permit at some point during these 180 days.

If your program was less than 8 months

• You are not eligible for a PGWP.

If your program was at least 8 months, but less than 2 years

• Would generally be issued for the same length as your study program.

• For example, if you completed a 9 month program, the visa officer may give you a work permit for up to 9 months.

If your program was 2 years or more

• The visa officer may give you a PGWP that is valid for 3 years.

​

If you completed more than 1 program

• The visa officer may issue you with a PGWP that combines the length of each program.

• Each of the programs you completed must be

  • PGWP-eligible and

  • At least 8 months in length

* You cannot get a PGWP if you already had one after completing an earlier program study.

​

Feel Free to Contact us for more information about Studying in Canada and for assistance in applying
for Study permit (Student Visa).

Work On-Campus

Full-time students who are enrolled at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) are permitted to work at that institutions campus without applying for a work permit. They are also permitted to work at more than one campus of an institution, as long as they are in the same municipality.

​

The permitted institutions are as following:

• Universities

• Community Colleges

• CEGEPs

• Publicly Funded trade/technical schools

• Private Institutions authorized by provincial statue to confer degrees

Eligibility Requirements

• Have a valid study permit

• Enrolled full-time at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI)

• Have a Social Insurance Number (SIN)

*International students must remember that they must stop working on-campus the moment that they no longer meet the above eligibility requirements.

Work Off-Campus

Eligibility Requirements

• Have a valid study permit

• Enrolled full-time at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) (ESL/FSL/General Interest/Preparatory program are not eligible)

• Program must be at least 6 months in duration

• Can work 20hr/week during academic sessions and full-time during holidays.

• Have a Social Insurance Number (SIN)

*International students must remember that they must stop working the moment that they no longer
meet the above eligibility requirements.

Co-op Work Permits

Eligibility Requirements

• Have a valid study permit.

• The intended employment must be an essential part of the academic program in Canada (ESL/FSL/General Interest/Preparatory program are not eligible), but no more than 50%.

Feel Free to Contact us for more information about Studying in Canada and for assistance in applying
for Study permit (Student Visa).

​