Canadian Work Permits
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Individuals who are neither Canadian Citizens nor Permanent Residents of Canada will, in most cases, require a work permit to work in Canada.
Canadian work permit may be issued at the Canadian Border or within Canada, depending on circumstances. Many foreign nationals from countries that do not have visa waiver agreement with Canada will also require a work visa to come to Canada.
The first step in the process of applying for Canadian work permit will generally be a job offer to work in Canada that an employer extends to a foreign worker.
Canadian immigration officials will often require an employer to obtain a positive Labour Market Opinion from Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) before they would consider a work permit application from a foreign worker.
Due to labour shortages in certain occupations, Canadian government simplified some of the procedures for obtaining Labour Market Opinion for “Occupations Under Pressure”.
Some of the work permit applications are exempt from the general requirement to obtain Labour Market Opinion from HRSDC. Here are some of the examples when such exemption may be applicable:
- Work permit application for business people and professionals under the provisions of international free trade agreements, such as:
- North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
- Canada – Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA)
- General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
- “Open” work permits for spouses of some of the work permit holders and student permit holders
- “Student” work permits
- Work permits under the significant economic, social and cultural benefits to Canada category
- Under Canada’s bilateral exchange agreements
- Under facilitated processing program for highly skilled IT professionals
Intra-Company Transfer
The following categories of foreign workers may be transferred from a foreign company to its branch, subsidiary, parent or affiliate without Labour Market Opinion Confirmation from HRSDC:
- Senior Executives and Managers
- Specialized Knowledge Workers
Certain requirements have to be met for an Intra-Company Transferee to be eligible for a work permit under Intra-Company Transfer provisions of Canadian immigration law.
Jobs in Canada
Most foreign workers will need to get a job offer from a Canadian employer before they can apply for Canadian work permit.
Here are some of the Canadian web-sites that may be of assistance to foreign workers interested in finding jobs in Canada:
