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Work permit
What is a work Permit?
A work permit is a legal document that allows a foreign national to work in Canada. Canada’s temporary immigration programs help Canadian businesses attract people with the talent they need to succeed in the global marketplace. The Global Skills Strategy supports Canadian business by providing a fast and reliable way to bring in the highly skilled foreign talent needed to succeed in the global marketplace when workers in Canada are unable to fill the need.
There are 2 types of work permits in Canada:
- open work permits and
- employer-specific work permits.
Open work permit
An open work permit lets the candidate to 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 be eligible for an open work permit 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
Employer-specific work permit:
An employer-specific work permit lets the candidate to work in Canada according to the conditions on their work permit, such as
- the name of the specific employer he/she can work for
- how long he/she can work
- the location where he/she can work (if applicable)
Before applying for an employer-specific work permit, the employer must give:
- a copy of employment contract
-
one of the following:
- a copy of a labour market impact assessment (LMIA)
- an offer of employment number (for LMIA-exempt workers)
