Work in Canada

An open work permit lets you work for any employer in Canada, except for one that

• Is listed as ineligible on the list of employers who have failed to comply with the conditions, or
• Regularly offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages.

You can only get an open work permit in specific situations.

If you want to bring your family with you

Your spouse or common-law partner and dependent children may be able to work, study or live with you while you work in Canada.

Extend or change the conditions on your work permit

What to do if your work permit is about to expire, or if you want to change jobs, and open work permits for permanent resident applicants. Contact us and we can help.

Travel and work in Canada as a youth

To find out if you can apply for the International Experience Canada Program, how to become a candidate, and what to do after you’re in the pool, contact us and we can help.

Work as an international student

To find out how to work while studying and apply for a post-graduation work permit to stay in Canada after you graduate, contact us and we can help.

Hire foreign workers and recent graduates to fill labour or skills shortages. Support an employee in their journey to permanent residence.

You can hire skilled foreign workers or tradespeople through Express Entry when you can’t find Canadians or permanent residents to fill jobs. Hiring through Express Entry could benefit you as an employer, because it will allow you to

• Have a direct role in recruiting skilled workers
• Be matched with candidates through Job Bank
• Apply for a free Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)

If you’re a Canadian employer with a business outside Quebec, you can hire Express Entry candidates to meet your needs when you can’t find Canadians or permanent residents to fill job vacancies.

The International Mobility Program (IMP) allows entrepreneurs or self-employed foreigners, seeking to open a new business in Canada or buy an existing one, to temporarily work and operate the business while in Canada without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Under the Entrepreneur or Self-Employed category of IMP, qualified applicants will be granted a two-year work permit. As this is temporary authorization to work in Canada, applicants must convince Immigration Officers they will leave the country at the end of the period permitted for their stay.

Work permits issued under this Program can be extended, provided the entrepreneur meets certain criteria to stay in Canada for a long-term.

Applicants must show that their admission to Canada to operate their business would generate significant economic, social or cultural benefits or opportunities for Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) consider the following factors to determine if the benefit is significant:

• The work is likely to create a viable business that will benefit Canadian or permanent resident workers or provide economic stimulus
• The applicant has a particular background or skills that will improve the viability of the business
• There is a business plan that clearly shows the applicant has taken steps to initiate their business
• The applicant has taken some measures to put the business plan in action, showing evidence of having the financial ability to begin the business and pay expenditures, renting space, having a staffing plan, obtaining a business number, showing ownership documents or agreements, etc.

Employers who want to hire a foreign worker must submit the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application, along with all the required supporting documentation, to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)/Service Canada.

In essence, employers are applying for an opinion on the impact hiring a foreign worker would have on Canada’s job market. Therefore, it is important that employers follow all the necessary steps and submit all the required documentation.

Please contact us for more information Contact Us

Submit your free Assessment Form