Chat with agent

Edit Template

Work Permit Visa

Work Permit Visa to Canada: Your Gateway to Employment

A Work Permit Visa allows foreign nationals to work legally in Canada for a specified period. This visa is essential for anyone looking to pursue employment opportunities in Canada, whether temporarily or as a pathway to permanent residency.

Bridge to Canada Certified Immigration Consultant

If you’re looking to work in Canada, obtaining a Work Permit Visa is a crucial step. Canada is a land of opportunities, offering a diverse and dynamic work environment that attracts skilled workers from around the globe. At Bridge to Canada Certified Immigration Consultant, we specialize in guiding individuals through the process of securing a Work Permit Visa to Canada, ensuring a smooth and successful transition.

 

What is a Work Permit Visa to Canada?

A Work Permit Visa to Canada is a legal document issued by the Canadian government that allows foreign nationals to work in Canada for a specific period. This visa is essential for anyone seeking to gain employment in Canada, whether temporarily or as a pathway to permanent residency.

 

Types of Work Permit Visas

There are several types of Work Permit Visas available, each catering to different employment situations:

  1. Employer-Specific Work Permits: These permits are tied to a specific employer, job, and location in Canada. To obtain this type of permit, the employer must first obtain a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

  2. Open Work Permits: Unlike employer-specific permits, open work permits are not job-specific and allow the holder to work for any employer in Canada. These are typically issued under specific conditions, such as for spouses of skilled workers or international students, and for individuals with post-graduation work permits.

 

Benefits of a Work Permit Visa to Canada

Obtaining a Work Permit Visa to Canada offers numerous benefits:

  • Career Advancement: Canada provides a wealth of job opportunities across various industries, allowing professionals to advance their careers.
  • Pathway to Permanent Residency: Gaining work experience in Canada through a Work Permit Visa can pave the way to permanent residency under programs like the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).
  • High Standard of Living: Canada is known for its high quality of life, excellent healthcare system, and safe environment, making it an attractive destination for workers and their families.
  • Cultural Diversity: Working in Canada allows individuals to experience its rich cultural diversity, fostering personal and professional growth.

 

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for a Work Permit Visa to Canada, applicants must meet several criteria:

  • Job Offer: A valid job offer from a Canadian employer is essential for employer-specific work permits. The employer must obtain an LMIA unless exempt.
  • Qualifications: Relevant qualifications, skills, and work experience matching the job requirements.
  • Proof of Funds: Demonstrating sufficient funds to support yourself and any accompanying family members during your stay in Canada.
  • Medical Examination: Depending on your country of origin and the nature of the job, a medical examination may be required.
  • Security Clearance: A background check to ensure you have no criminal record.

 

Application Process

The process of applying for a Work Permit Visa to Canada involves several steps:

  1. Job Offer and LMIA: Secure a job offer from a Canadian employer and ensure they obtain a positive LMIA, if required.
  2. Prepare Documentation: Gather all necessary documents, including proof of job offer, qualifications, identity documents, and proof of funds.
  3. Submit Application: Apply online or through a visa application center. Ensure all information is accurate and complete to avoid delays.
  4. Biometrics and Medical Exam: Provide biometrics and undergo a medical exam, if required.
  5. Interview: Attend an interview at the Canadian consulate or embassy, if requested.
  6. Wait for Decision: Once submitted, your application will be reviewed, and a decision will be made.

 

Why Choose Bridge to Canada Certified Immigration Consultant?

Navigating the complexities of the Work Permit Visa application process can be challenging. This is where Bridge to Canada Certified Immigration Consultant comes in. Our expertise and personalized approach ensure that you receive the best guidance and support throughout your immigration journey.

  • Expert Guidance: Our team of certified immigration consultants possesses in-depth knowledge of the Canadian immigration system, ensuring you receive accurate and up-to-date advice.
  • Personalized Service: We understand that every applicant’s situation is unique. We provide tailored solutions to meet your specific needs and maximize your chances of success.
  • Comprehensive Support: From assessing your eligibility to preparing your application and providing post-arrival support, we are with you every step of the way.
  • Proven Track Record: With a history of successful applications, Bridge to Canada Certified Immigration Consultant has established itself as a trusted partner for those seeking to work in Canada.

 

Success Stories

Here are a few success stories of individuals who have successfully obtained their Work Permit Visa to Canada through Bridge to Canada Certified Immigration Consultant:

  1. John D., IT Specialist: “Bridge to Canada guided me through the entire process, from securing a job offer to obtaining my work permit. Their expertise and support made my dream of working in Canada a reality.”
  2. Maria S., Nurse: “As a healthcare professional, I needed a reliable partner to help me navigate the complex application process. Bridge to Canada provided invaluable assistance and ensured a smooth transition.”
  3. Ahmed K., Engineer: “The team at Bridge to Canada was instrumental in helping me secure a work permit. Their knowledge and dedication made all the difference.”

Conclusion

A Work Permit Visa to Canada is your gateway to a world of opportunities. Whether you seek career advancement, a pathway to permanent residency, or the chance to experience life in one of the world’s most welcoming countries, Bridge to Canada Certified Immigration Consultant is here to help you every step of the way.

Contact us today to start your journey towards obtaining a Work Permit Visa to Canada. Our team of experts is ready to assist you in achieving your goals and making your Canadian dream come true.

Work Permit Visa Canada

FAQs for Work Permit Visa to Canada

Normally, you must apply for a work permit before you enter the country. In some cases, foreign nationals can apply at the border.

Due to COVID-19,IRCC is temporarily allowing visitors to apply online for a work permit from inside Canada.

Some conditions will be written directly on your work permit.

These may include:

  • the type of work you can do,
  • the employer you can work for,
  • where you can work, or
  • how long you can work.

Regulation 185 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations lists all the conditions that may be put on your work permit.

There are also standard conditions that apply to all work permit holders. Even if you have no specific conditions on your work permit, you still must:

  • not work for an employer in a business where there are reasonable grounds to suspect a risk of sexual exploitation of some workers, specifically:
    • strip clubs,
    • massage parlours, and
    • escort agencies,
  • leave Canada at the end of your authorized stay.

Processing times vary, depending on the type of application you submit. Information on processing times is available online for applications submitted inside and outside of Canada. This information is updated frequently, so check often.

See also checking processing times questions.

COVID-19 restrictions: Who can apply at the port of entry

There are restrictions on who can apply for a work permit or give their biometrics at a Canadian port of entry right now due to travel restrictions.

You should only apply at the port of entry if you’re eligible.

Before you travel to Canada

All travellers entering Canada must follow testing and quarantine requirements to keep everyone safe. Under certain conditions, you may be exempt from some of these requirements.

Find out if you’re exempt from any testing or quarantine requirements.

Yes. Due to COVID-19, we’re temporarily allowing visitors to apply online for a work permit from inside Canada.

You can help avoid delays or a refusal if you:

You must fill out an application and pay a fee to replace the permit.

An open work permit is a work permit that is not job-specific. Because it is not job-specific, you will not need the following when you apply for your work permit:

  • a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada, or
  • proof that an employer has submitted an offer of employment through the Employer Portal and paid the employer compliance fee

In most cases, you will have to pay the open work permit holder fee at the same time that you pay the work permit fee. Check the fee list for the most up-to-date application fees.

See also the COVID-19 travel restrictions and exemptions for foreign workers to find out how some steps in the application process may be affected.

A job offer letter is a document that a Canadian employer gives you (as a temporary worker). It explains the details of your job.

Generally, a job offer letter (or “employment letter”) is less detailed than a contract.

The letter includes information about:

  • your pay and deductions from your pay
  • your job duties
  • conditions of employment, such as hours of work

If you need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), include a copy of your job offer letter with your work permit application.

An “offer of employment” is not the same as a “job offer letter”. If your employer doesn’t need an LMIA to hire you for the job, they need to submit the offer of employment in the Employer Portal. Once submitted, the portal generates an offer of employment number that you need when you apply for your work permit.

Yes. Your name on your work permit should be exactly as it is on your passport.

If we made a mistake and the name on your permit does not match the name on your passport, submit a Request to Amend the Record of Landing, Confirmation of Permanent Residence or Valid Temporary Resident Documents.

Read the instruction guide to find out how to fill out the form and where to submit

You may be eligible for an open work permit if you

In each of these situations, you must meet additional criteria to be eligible.

Answer a few questions to find out if you’re eligible for an open work permit.

No, you can use the same application to apply for an employer-specific or open work permit.

Find out how to apply for a work permit.

No. However, your work permit cannot be valid for longer than your current passport’s validity. If you renewed your passport after coming to Canada, when you apply for a renewal of your work permit, you must include a photocopy of the new passport.

Under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, there is no formal right of appeal on temporary resident decisions. Instead, you can reapply. If possible, a different officer will examine the application.

You can also ask for a judicial review through the Federal Court of Canada, if you think the process was not fair. A lawyer in Canada would act on your behalf.

You can only extend your work permit in very specific situations. Find out if you can extend your work permit.

No. The rules for the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) differ from those for other work permits. Under the SAWP, you may remain in Canada for a maximum of 8 months between January 1st and December 15th. You must leave Canada no later than December 15th. Your employer must request authorization from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) to hire you each season. This is known as a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment. More information is available from ESDC and the Quebec’s Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion. Your employer may want to rehire you. Even so, you must go back to your home country before you can apply for another work permit.

You may need a medical exam to get a work permit if:

  • you wish to work in a job where it is important to protect public health, such as
    • health services,
    • child care or
    • primary or secondary education, or
  • you will be working in an agricultural job and you have lived in a designated country or territory, or
  • you want to work in Canada for more than six months, and you lived in a designated country or territory for six consecutive months during the year right before the date you intend to enter Canada.

If you need a medical exam, an officer will tell you so and send you instructions on how to proceed. The officer’s decision is based on the type of job you will have and where you lived in the past year.

Only a panel physician authorized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada can do the immigration medical exam.

You can choose a panel physician anywhere in the world. You have to tell him or her where your application will be processed, so that the medical results can be sent to the right office. You will have to pay for the medical exam. The cost can differ from one doctor to another.

See the list of panel physicians to find a doctor in your area. You cannot choose your family doctor if his or her name is not on this list.

Employers of some types of temporary workers need to get a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) before the worker applies for a work permit. An LMIA is a document from Employment and Social Development Canada that gives the employer permission to hire a temporary worker.

If you are an employer, find out if you need an LMIA.

If you are a worker, you can answer a few questions to find out:

  • the kind of work permit you can apply for, and
  • the steps your employer needs to take before you submit your work permit application

In most cases, both workers and employers must pay fees before a work permit can be issued.

Check the fee list for the most up-to-date application fees.

Workers

If you are applying for an employer-specific work permit, you must pay the work permit processing fee.

If you are applying for an open work permit, you usually have to pay the open work permit holder fee and the work permit processing fee at the same time.

Employers

If you need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), you usually need to pay a processing fee to Employment and Social Development Canada. In this case, don’t need to pay the employer compliance fee.

If you don’t need an LMIA, you have to pay the employer compliance fee when you submit the offer of employment using the Employer Portal.

It’s a letter you may receive from IRCC if you’ve been approved for a

Officially, it’s called the port of entry (POE) letter of introduction. But this letter is sometimes called the

  • correspondence letter
  • introduction letter
  • introductory letter

The letter of introduction is not your study or work permit.

You’ll get this letter if you were approved and you

  • applied online or
  • gave us your email address in your study or work permit application
COVID-19: proof that your application was approved

Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, you must have proof that you’ve been approved for a work or study permit to board your flight. You can show the airline staff your

  • letter of introduction or
  • visitor visa, if you have one (also called a temporary resident visa)
    • your visitor visa will say that you are approved for a study or work permit
If you didn’t get a letter or a visitor visa

Once we start processing your application, you can link your paper application to your online account to get a copy of the letter. If your application is approved, you’ll find the letter in the “Messages about your application” section in your online account.

There is a box titled “Permit validity” on your Port of Entry (POE) Letter. You must come to Canada prior to that date.

If the validity date has passed and you have not yet come to Canada, you must submit a new application.

You cannot extend the validity date on your POE Letter.

Your POE Letter will be valid for the requested length of your work permit, study permit or super visa. You may be eligible to extend your work permit once you are in Canada.

International Experience Canada participants only

Your POE Letter will normally be valid for 12 months. If you underwent a medical exam, it will be valid until the expiry date of your medical exam or for 12 months, whichever is less.

You can only extend your International Experience Canada work permit in very specific situations. Find out if you can extend your work permit.

To change employers, you must apply to change the conditions of your work permit.

Before you apply, you need some information and documents from your new employer. What you need will depend on if the employer needs a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to hire you.

If your employer needs an LMIA

Your employer must give you:

  • a new job offer letter
  • a new LMIA number, and
  • a new contract signed by you and your future employer

If you work in Quebec, you will also need a new Certificat d’acceptation du Québec.

If your employer doesn’t need an LMIA

Your employer must give you the offer of employment number they received when they submitted your offer of employment.

Employer compliance exemptions

Some LMIA-exempt employers don’t need to submit an offer of employment. Find out how to get a work permit for these jobs.

Free Assessment

Free Assessment Form

Personal Information


Education


Professional Background


Language Proficiency


Family Information


Immigration History


Intentions and Preferences


Additional Information


Your Personal Net worth


+1 (416)-800-9134