With very few exceptions,
most individuals attempting to enter Canada as a worker will require a work permit. All work permits are specific to the terms and conditions of the temporary foreign worker’s employment, including job description, length of employment, employment conditions, etc. Upon arrival, or during the course of employment, should any of their employment terms and conditions change, the foreign temporary worker must notify the appropriate department to amend the conditions of their work permit.
How to Apply for a Work Permit?
Step 1
Other than few exceptions, in the 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). Normally, 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 securing a positive LMIA, the applicant requires to apply for work permit visa on the basis of LMIA and job offer letter. These work permits are usually employer specific, unless the Temporary Foreign Worker has a open work permit. If the worker wants to change the employer, then he/she requires to obtain a new work permit before starting another job in Canada.
Work Permit Duration
All Canadian work permits come with an expiry date. The only way to work in Canada permanently, or for an unspecified length of time, is to acquire permanent resident status. Temporary Foreign workers can not work more than 48 months or 4 years in Canada, whether they work consecutively or with gaps between permits. After that they require to wait 4 years before applying again for work permit.
What is Open Work Permit?
An open work permit does not specify a particular job or employer such as Employer Specific work permit. It means an open work permit holder can work for any Canadian employer almost in any capacity.
Open work permits do not require the applicant to have a valid job offer or LMIA. As per the Canadian Immigration regulations, the following categories can obtain an open work permit:
- Spouses or common-law partners of temporary foreign workers in a TEER 0, 1, 2, 3 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
Canadian Work Permit Exemption
In following circumstances, one may exempt from obtaining Canadian Work Permit:
- Foreign representatives
- Family members of foreign representatives
- Athletes and team members
- Performing artists
- News reporters, media crews
- Public speakers
- Convention organizers
- Business Visitors
- Clergy
- Judges, referees and similar officials
- Examiners and evaluators
- Expert witnesses or investigators
- Foreign government officers
- Health care students
- Civil aviation inspector
- Transportation Crew
- Aviation accident or incident inspector
- On-campus employment
- Military personnel
- Implied Status
How we can help-
We have several consultants on our processing team who are experienced with your work permit needs and specific circumstances. We take care of the entire Canadian Work Permit process for both Canadian employers and temporary foreign workers. Contact us today for a consultation and we can answer any work permit questions that you may have.
Professional Fees
These amounts below do not include disbursement (Government fees) or miscellaneous costs.
Initial Consultation starts from CAD 65 and goes onward as required.
- For 30 Minutes Consultation CAD 65;
- For 1 hour Consultation CAD 105;
Work Permit - Starts from CAD 1500 (Price may vary depending on the complexity of the file, or because of previous refusal(s) record)
- 1st installment CAD 750: At the time of signing the agreement.
- 2nd installment CAD 750: Before the submission of the application.
