Canada Work Permit
In Canada, work permits are not intended as a route to settlement and applications for visas of this kind are designed to help Canadian employers who are finding it difficult to fill positions with Canadian permanent residents or Canadian citizens.
If you intend to live and work in Canada permanently, you may wish to explore the Canadian Skilled Worker Visa for permanent residence or the various Business Immigration Program options such as the Immigrant Investor Program, (IIP), Entrepreneur Program or Self Employed Immigrant Program. These Canadian immigration routes offer permanent resident status and the opportunity to apply for Canadian citizenship after completing the 3-year residency requirement. Another approach may lie in the Provincial Nomination Program, a permanent residence visa which does not require a points assessment although it does restrict applicants to working in the Province which sponsored the application.
How Global Visas Can Help
As Canadian immigration consultants, Global Visas can assist your relocation to Canada by helping you to determine which of the broad range of visas for Canada is right for you. We provide a complete Canadian visa service and can take care of everything you will need for your move to Canada, immigration lawyer expertise, detailed information on immigration processes and more.
Benefits
Applying for a Canadian working permit makes provision for working in Canada without the need to undergo a points based assessment. In Canada Skilled Worker visas and Canadian Business visas require a points threshold to be met in order to qualify; this is increasingly the practice with immigration routes leading to permanent residency as with the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, HSMP, in the UK. Unlike a Canadian visit visa application, often referred to as a tourist visa for Canada work permits allow you to work in the country; however, they are dependent upon a job offer from a sponsoring company. Working permits are not transferable although you can apply for a Canadian visa for immigration of another type during your stay. Whilst in Canada, immigration status can only be altered in this way so long as your permit is still valid.
Eligibility
A permit for work in Canada rests upon a written job offer from an employer. Once you have received such an offer, in most cases it is then subject to confirmation by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) who will assess the likely impact of employing a foreign national in the position in question, to ensure that the employment is genuine and that it will not impact negatively on the domestic labour market.
HRSDC
Once HRSDC confirms that job offers may be filled by foreign nationals, applicants may request Canadian working permits from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Foreign workers seeking to work in Quebec will also require authorization from the Quebec immigration authorities.
Employers sponsoring a foreign national for a work visa for Canada in this way are responsible for ensuring that the candidate is in possession of the necessary permits and that they adhere to the appropriate conditions and limitations.
Spouse immigration/Partner immigration/Dependents immigration
In Canada visas of this type make provision for Marriage immigration and spouse immigration on a temporary basis, and your husband, wife, or common-law partner and dependant children may join you. However, if they wish to work they will need to submit their own working visa application. If you are travelling from a country whose nationals need a Temporary Resident Visa, or TRV, usually known as a visitor visa, you will also need to apply for one of these.
Exemptions
The Canada immigration service permits some instances in which members of particular professions may secure temporary immigration to Canada without requiring a Canadian work permit. These exemptions are listed below with their conditions.
- Business Visitors: Will not be permitted to enter the domestic Labour market.
- Foreign Representatives: Diplomats and representatives of nations or the UN. Their family members may also work if they possess a "no objection letter" from the Department of Foreign affairs.
- Military Personnel: Where movement orders state that they are entering the country under the terms of the Visiting Forces Act.
- Foreign Government Officers: Should bring a formal letter of agreement if their period of work is longer than three months.
- On-Campus Employment on a Canadian Study Visa: In some cases a student visa may permit its holder to work on campus. For more information please see our section on applying for a Canadian study permit.
- Performing Artists: Where artists are performing for a limited time and will not be working in bars or restaurants or for a TV, motion picture or radio broadcast.
- Athletes and Coaches.
- News Reporters: When reporting on events in the country.
- Public Speakers: Where events are no longer than 5 days.
- Convention Organizers.
- Clergy: Coming to perform religious duties or assisting a religious group.
- Judges and Referees.
- Examiners and Evaluators.
- Expert Witnesses or Investigators.
- Health-Care Students: To undergo training of no more than 4 months. They must possess written approval from the appropriate regulatory body for their profession. A medical exam is also required.
- Civil Aviation Inspectors.
- Accident or Incident Inspectors.
- Crew Members e.g. Flight Attendants: Where the vehicle is in the country for the purposes of transporting cargo or passengers.
- Emergency Service Providers.
