Work Permit
How to get a Work Permit in Canada?
In Canadian immigration law, work is an activity for which wages are paid or
commission is earned, or one that is in direct competition with the activities of Canadian
citizens or permanent residents in the Canadian labor market. One cannot work in
Canada without a legal authorization or work permit given to a foreign national.
So, we will take you through all these complexities to make sure that you are properly
placed with the right permit or work authorization.
Work Permit:
It is a written permission given by IRCC to a foreign national to perform work under
specified set of conditions, like the type of employer, job or location. Usually the
employer has to obtain a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) approval from the
Ministry of Economy and Social Development, ESDC which is different from the Ministry
of Immigration.
In some situations / exemptions, work can be done without a work permit, and these
exemptions are legally permitted.
Open work permit, when the foreign national can be employed without any restriction
of the employer, job or location. An example is the spouse of a person who has a Study
Permit or the Spouse of work permit holders in NOC O, A, B occupations. In these
cases, the work permit is exempt from the LMIA requirement. But if the worker is of
NOC C, D jobs, then the spouse cannot get this open work permit, although she can
reside in Canada with his / her partner.
A person can stay and work in Canada for a temporary duration till the expiry date
written on the permit, and afterwards must leave Canada or have it renewed from the
same or a different employer.
Temporary Foreign Worker Program, in this a work permit can be obtained mostly
from outside Canada, and sometimes inside Canada too. We can assist you to get both
types of work permits.
International Mobility Program, Here no LMIA is required, and foreign corporates
having a subsidiary or affiliate in Canada can transfer their business executives and
managers to Canada. In this program citizens of the USA and Mexico are also eligible,
under the CUSMA treaty which Canada has signed with these two countries. Previously
it was called the NAFTA agreement.
Work Permit under International Mobility Program:
Under CUSMA treaty (NAFTA earlier), citizens of US and Mexico can obtain
Work Permit under International Mobility Program:
Under CUSMA treaty (NAFTA earlier), citizens of US and Mexico can obtain
this permit without an LMIA. We also assist companies from other countries who can
transfer their employees and make application to IRCC for work permits without LMIA.
You can contact us for more details and know your eligibility under these options