A Canadian work permit is the permission to take a job within Canada if you are from a foreign country. You usually need a work permit to work in Canada. In some cases, you can work without a permit or job offer in Canada.

No matter where you apply, you must:

• prove to an officer that you will leave Canada when your work permit expires,
• show that you have enough money to take care of yourself and your family members during your stay in Canada and to return home,
• obey the law and have no record of criminal activity (we may ask you to give us a police clearance certificate),
• not be a danger to Canada’s security,
• be in good health and have a medical exam, if needed,
• not plan to work for an employer listed with the status “ineligible” on the list of employers who failed to comply with the conditions,
• not plan to work for an employer who, on a regular basis, offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages, and
• give the officer any other documents they ask for to prove you can enter the country.
Global Skills Strategy applicants: You can only benefit from two-week application processing if you apply from outside of Canada.


Stages Guide

• Stage 1: Employer applies for Labour Market Impact Assessment
• Stage 2: Employer extends Temporary Job Offer
• Stage 3: Foreign Worker applies for Work Permit
• Stage 4: Work Permit is issued

"If you are currently working in Canada and you have applied for permanent residence, you may be eligible for a bridging open work permit if your work permit will expire in four months or less. This means you can keep working while we make a decision on your permanent resident application. To qualify, you must have applied under the:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program,
• Canadian Experience Class,
• Federal Skilled Trades Program,
• Provincial Nominee Program,
• Caring for Children Class, or
• Caring for People with High Medical Needs Class.
You must also:
• currently be in Canada,
• have valid status on a work permit that is due to expire within four months,
• select “Open Work Permit” as the type of work permit when you complete your work permit application, and
• pay the work permit processing fee and the Open Work Permit Holder fee.

Anyone may apply for a work permit before they enter Canada. In some cases, you must apply to a visa office outside Canada. This is usually true if you need a visa to enter Canada or if you need to have a medical exam before you come here.

Find out what type of work permit you can apply for and if you can benefit from the Global Skills Strategy’s two-week application processing. If you are applying for an open work permit, leave the employer section of the application blank.

• Can I Apply for a Work Visa While I Am In Canada?
• You can only apply for a work permit from inside Canada if you:<
• are currently in Canada and have a valid study or work permit, or your spouse or parents have a study or work permit,
• have graduated from a program at a
• Canadian university,
• community college,
• CÉGEP,
• publicly funded trade/technical school, or other eligible school,
• have a temporary resident permit that is valid for six months or more,
• have applied or been included in an application for permanent residence from inside Canada (you will have to pass certain stages in the main application process to be eligible for a work permit),
• have asked for refugee status in Canada and are waiting for a decision from the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada,
• have been recognized by the RPD as a convention refugee or protected person,
• have had your refugee claim turned down by the RPD but you cannot be removed from Canada for reasons beyond your control

The Work Permit processing time completely depends on the completion of your application and the office you applied at. We have found that it can take between 1-27 weeks to process a Canadian Work Permit. Visit our page on Canada Visa Processing Times for 2021 to learn more.

There are four basic steps to getting a temporary Canadian Work Visa: