Work Permits

Work Permits / Work Visas

Persons who are neither Canadian Citizens nor Permanent Residents of Canada may be required to obtain Canadian Work Permits (WP) to work in Canada.

Depending on the work permit type requirements, an applicant may or may not have to first obtain an offer of employment to work in Canada before applying for a Canadian Work permit.

In some cases, an employer may be required to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) confirmation from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), also called Service Canada, before the prospective foreign employee can apply for a Canadian work visa to work in Canada.

Some applicants may be exempt from the requirement to obtain Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from ESDC / Service Canada before applying for a Canadian WP to work in Canada. Examples of LMIA exempt work visa categories include the following types of work visas:

• Work permits under international free trade agreements, such as NAFTA, Canada-Chile FTA, Canada-Colombia FTA, Canada-Korea FTA, Canada-Peru FTA, and under the provisions of World Trade Organisation (WTO);
• Open work permits;
• Work permits under significant benefits (economic, social, and cultural) to Canada;
• WP under bilateral exchange agreements;
• WP for students.

For advice and assistance, please contact our Canadian business immigration lawyer in Toronto, Ontario, Canada >