Work in Canada

Everything you need to know about working in Canada

Every year, over 90,000 foreign workers enter Canada to work temporarily. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, a work permit is needed for most temporary jobs in Canada, though for some positions and business people it is not necessary.

You may not need a work permit if you fall into one of the following categories:

• Business visitors
• Foreign representatives
• Family members of foreign representatives
• Military personnel
• Foreign government officers
• Students working on campus
• Performing artists
• Athletes and coaches
• News reporters
• Public speakers
• Convention organizers
• Clergy
• Judges and referees
• Examiners and evaluators
• Expert witnesses or investigators
• Health-care students
• Civil aviation inspectors
• Accident or incident investigators
• Crew members
• Emergency service providers 

For further information on temporary jobs in Canada that may not require a work permit see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/apply-who-nopermit.asp.

Certain categories of workers such as information technology workers, live-in caregivers or business people (mind that there is a difference between coming to Canada as a business visitor and coming to Canada as a business person) have their own eligibility requirements and may not require a work permit, or they may have work permits approved more quickly. In some cases, this may depend on the country in which they live. Remember, even if you do not need a work permit, you may need to meet other requirements.

If you want to work in Canada, you must understand the following important information:

• Your employer helps determine if you are eligible. Your employer may need to get a labour market opinion from Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC). A labour market opinion confirms that the employer can fill the job with a foreign worker.
• To work in Canada, you must meet the general requirements for entering the country and for staying here, in addition to those for getting a work permit. This means you may need a temporary resident visa.
• A work permit is not an immigration document. It does not allow you to live in Canada permanently. To live in Canada permanently, you must qualify under an immigration category, such as skilled worker. Live–in caregivers can stay in Canada permanently if they meet certain requirements.
• If you want your spouse or common–law partner and your dependent children to come with you to Canada, they must apply to do so.

If you are authorized to work in Canada, your accompanying family members may also be able to work here by virtue of the permit you have obtained yourself. No other authorization is required. If they intend to work while in Canada, they should find out if they are eligible for an “open” work permit. Open work permits allow them to work in any job with any employer. An open work permit also means that they may be hired without the employer having to obtain a labour market opinion (the normal authorization required). Certain jobs may require medical checks or licensing from professional organizations. Their work permits will be valid for the duration of your own work permit. Remember that your spouse’s (and in some cases your children’s) eligibility for open work permits depends on the skill level of your job. You must also be authorized to work in Canada for at least six months. Note that open work permits for dependent children are available on a trial basis in participating provinces only. Accompanying family members must always apply for their own work permit. They should apply for one at the same time as you, before entering Canada. If they only decide to work after they arrive, they can apply once they are here.

You almost always have to apply for a work permit from outside Canada. Sometimes, you can apply from inside or as you enter Canada. Many of the requirements are the same.

To apply for a work permit from outside Canada, you must submit the following documents:

• a job offer from a Canadian employer
• a completed application, that shows that you meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, and
• written confirmation from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) that the employer can hire a foreign worker to fill the job. This confirmation is called a positive labour market opinion.
• In most cases, it is up to your employer to get that written confirmation.
• In some cases, you do not need a labour market opinion.

You must also do the following:

• Satisfy a visa officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your work permit.
• Show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family while you are in Canada.
• Respect the law and have no criminal record.
• Show that you are not a risk to the security of Canada.
• Be in good health. (You may have to have a medical examination.)

You can only apply for a work permit from inside Canada if:

• you have a valid study or work permit, or your spouse or parents have a study or work permit
• you have a work permit for one job but want to apply for a work permit for a different job
• you have a temporary resident permit that is valid for six months or more or
• you are in Canada because you have already applied for permanent residence from inside Canada. You will have to pass certain stages in the main application process before you can be eligible for a work permit.

You must also have the following documents:

• a job offer from a Canadian employer
• a completed application, that shows that you meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, and
• written confirmation from HRSDC that the employer can hire a foreign worker to fill the job. This confirmation is called a positive labour market opinion.
  • In most cases, it is up to your employer to get that written confirmation.
  • In some cases, you do not need a labour market opinion.

You must also do the following:

• Satisfy an immigration officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your work permit.
• Show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family while you are in Canada.
• Respect the law and have no criminal record.
• Show that you are not a risk to the security of Canada.
• Be in good health. (You may have to have a medical examination.)

You can apply for a work permit as you enter Canada, but only if you meet the following requirements:

• you are temporary resident visa exempt and
• your job does not need a labour market opinion from HRSDC (some exceptions apply) or
• you hold a labour market opinion from HRSDC. 

Once we have received your application for a work permit, we will start processing it. You may be asked to go to an interview with Citizenship and Immigration Canada officials in your country or to send more information. You might need a medical examination to be allowed to enter Canada. If you do, an officer will tell you so and will send you instructions on what to do. A medical examination can add over three months to the time it takes to process your application. If you qualify for a work permit and have submitted all the necessary documents, your application for a work permit will be approved.

However, an officer may impose, change or cancel conditions when issuing a work permit. These conditions may include:

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

If you have been authorized to work by a visa office outside of Canada, you will receive a letter of authorization stating that you are allowed to work in Canada. That letter is not a work permit. When you arrive in Canada, you must show your letter of authorization to the immigration officer. You must also show your passport, your visa (if one is required) and any travel documents you are carrying (such as airline tickets). The immigration officer will then give you a work permit that sets out the conditions of your stay and work in Canada. These may include your job title, your employer and the length of time you can work in Canada.

In some cases, a temporary resident visa may also be placed on your passport. Remember that a work permit is not a visa to enter Canada and having authorization to work in Canada does not guarantee that you will be allowed to enter the country.

If you want to stay in Canada for any of the following reasons after your work permit expires, you must apply to do so:

• your job is extended or changes
• you are offered a different job in Canada
• you want to live and work in Canada permanently
• you leave Canada and then want to re-enter

If you have applied to extend your status and an emergency situation requires you to travel outside Canada before you get your new permit, please contact the Call Center to ensure you will be able to return to Canada.

Note for citizens and permanent residents of the United States

If you are a citizen of the United States, you do not need a passport or travel document to enter or return to Canada. If you are a permanent resident of the United States, you do not need a passport or travel document if you enter or return to Canada from the United States, Greenland or Saint-Pierre et-Miquelon. However, both citizens and permanent residents of the United States must provide documentary proof of citizenship or permanent residence, such as a national identity card or an alien registration card.

Work permits for students

As Citizenship and Immigration Canada informs, it is possible to work in Canada while you are here as a student, and there are opportunities for jobs on and off campus. You will need to apply.

You may work on campus at the institution where you study without a work permit if:

• you are a full-time student at:
  • a public post-secondary institution, such as a college or university, or a collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) in Quebec
  • a private post-secondary institution that operates under the same rules and regulations as a public institution, and receives at least 50 percent of its financing for its overall operations from government grants (currently only private college-level educational institutions in Quebec qualify) or
  • a Canadian private institution authorized by provincial statute to confer degrees and
• you have a valid study permit.

The Off-Campus Work Permit Program allows certain foreign students to work off campus while completing their studies. To qualify, you must be a full-time student enrolled at a participating publicly funded post-secondary educational institution or in an approved program at an eligible privately funded institution.

Participating publicly funded post-secondary educational institutions:

• are public post-secondary institutions, such as a college or university or a collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) in Quebec or
• are private post-secondary institutions that operate under the same rules and regulations as public institutions, and receive at least 50 percent of their financing for their overall operations from government grants (currently only private college-level educational institutions in Quebec qualify) and
• have signed an off-campus work agreement with their provincial or territorial government.

Eligible privately funded post-secondary institutions:

• are located in a province or territory that has signed a memorandum of understanding with CIC
• have signed an off-campus work agreement with their provincial or territorial government and
• have approval from their provincial or territorial government to grant specific degrees.

Please note that not all programs offered by private post-secondary educational institutions qualify. For more information on qualifying programs, contact the eligible institution directly.

For a list of participating institutions in the Off-Campus Work Permit Program, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/institutions/participants.asp.

To work off campus, you must apply for a work permit. Do not begin to work off campus until you have received your work permit. The work permit authorizes you to work up to 20 hours per week during regular academic sessions, and full time during scheduled breaks (for example, winter and summer holidays, and spring break).

A work permit does not guarantee that you will find a job. It is your responsibility to look for work. Even if you work off campus, your studies must be the main reason you are in Canada. If you are no longer a full-time student or do not maintain satisfactory academic results, you must return your work permit to a local Citizenship and Immigration Canada office.

For more information about the program and the application process, contact the international student adviser at your educational institution.

For some academic programs, work experience is part of the curriculum. Foreign students who wish to participate in a co-op or internship program must apply for a work permit as well as a study permit. To be eligible for a work permit, you must meet the following conditions:

• You must have a valid study permit.
• Your intended employment must be an essential part of your program of study in Canada.
• Your employment must be part of your academic program, certified by a letter from a responsible academic official of the institution.
• Your co-op or internship employment cannot form more than 50 percent of the total program of study.

If you want to work in Canada after you graduate from your studies, you must apply for a work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program. The Post-Graduation Work Permit Program allows students who have graduated from a participating Canadian post-secondary institution to gain valuable Canadian work experience. A work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program cannot be valid for longer than the student’s study program. For example, if you graduate from a four-year degree program, you could be eligible for a three-year work permit if you meet the criteria. If you graduate from an eight-month certificate program, you would be eligible for a work permit that is valid for no more than eight months.

To obtain a work permit after your graduation, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must have studied full time in Canada and you must have completed a program of study that lasted at least eight months. In addition, you must have graduated from:
  • a public post-secondary institution, such as a college, trade/technical school, university or CEGEP (in Quebec), or
  • a private post-secondary institution that operates under the same rules and regulations as public institutions, and receives at least 50 percent of its financing for its overall operations from government grants (currently only private college-level educational institutions in Quebec qualify), or
  • Canadian private institution authorized by provincial statute to confer degrees but only if you are enrolled in one of the programs of study leading to a degree as authorized by the province and not in all programs of study offered by the private institution.
• You must apply for a work permit within 90 days of receiving written confirmation (for example, a transcript or an official letter) from your institution indicating that you have met the requirements for completing your academic program.
• You must have completed and passed the program of study and received a notification that you are eligible to obtain your degree, diploma or certificate.
• You must have a valid study permit when you apply for the work permit.

A Post-Graduation Work Permit cannot be valid longer than the length of time you studied in Canada. For example, students graduating from a four-year degree program might be eligible for a three-year year work permit. Students graduating from an eight-month certificate program would only be eligible for a work permit of eight months.

You are not eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program if you:

• study in a program that is less than eight months long
• participate in a Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT)
• participate in a Government of Canada Awards Program funded by DFAIT
• receive funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
• participate in the Equal Opportunity Scholarship, Canada-Chile
• participate in the Canada-China Scholars Exchanges Program
• participate in the Organization of American States Fellowships Program
• participate in a distance learning program either from abroad or from within Canada or
• have previously been issued a Post-Graduation Work Permit following any other program of study.

Further information about working in Canada can be obtained on Citizenship and Immigration Canada website http://www.cic.gc.ca/.