Work Permit (For Foreign Employees)
Work Permit (For Foreign Employees)
Expand Your Opportunities in Canada!
In most cases, foreign workers need a job offer from a Canadian employer to apply for a Work Permit. This process will also require the employer to have a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
Even though a job offer is necessary, some positions are LMIA exempt if they classify under one of the following categories:
Jobs included in an international trade accord such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): North America, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Korea, and The General Accord on Trades and Services.
Positions included in an agreement between the federal and provincial governments.
Positions evidently required by Canada.
Intercompany Transferees.
Working Holiday Applicants.
Work Permit Conditions
A work permit process can vary depending on several factors: your job position, your civil and immigration status, whether or not your employer has an LMIA, etc.
For example, if your spouse is already working in Canada in a high-skilled trade, you could apply for an open work permit.
Also, all permits are temporary and have an expiry date. In certain situations, you can apply for an extension or change of status.
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We offer an initial free phone call assessment to inform you of the immigration pathways that best suit you.
Get a FREE Assessment!
We offer an initial free phone call assessment to inform you of the immigration pathways that best suit you.
Closed Work Permit
You can obtain a closed work permit if your employer is willing and able to apply for an LMIA. A positive LMIA means that the government considers that hiring you as a foreign worker will have a neutral or positive impact on the labour market. Your employer will need to justify this need.
To apply for a closed work permit, you will also need supporting documents that prove your educational level and work experience, as well as a detailed job offer letter from your employer. These indicate that you are a worker qualified for the position.
A closed work permit will allow you to only work for the company named on the positive LMIA. The job description will be limited to the tasks outlined in the approved LMIA. If these guidelines are not followed, it can lead to the cancellation of the work permit and the company may not be allowed to submit another LMIA application.
After working for one year as a foreign worker in Canada, it is usually possible (in certain cases) to qualify for Permanent Residence depending on the position, province and other factors.
If you are interested in obtaining permanent residence services, Castle & Co. can help you submit your profile in the Express Entry system.
Open Work Permit
An open work permit grants you more freedom when working in Canada. Normally you can apply without a job offer as it is not a job-specific work permit.
This permit can be regulated in one of two ways:
Unrestricted: allowing the foreign worker to work anywhere in Canada in any job position.
Restricted: limited to the job position and/or the province of employment.
You can apply for an open work permit if:
You live in Canada with your Canadian or permanent resident spouse and will submit a sponsorship application
You are the spouse or common-law partner of a foreign temporary worker in a high-skilled position.
You are the spouse or common-law partner of a foreign student.
You are an international student who recently graduated from a qualifying Canadian post-secondary institution.
You have already submitted your permanent residence application and are at the stage where it is permitted to apply.
You meet the LMIA exemption conditions.
Open work permit expiry dates are tied to other processes. For example, if you are the spouse or partner of a temporary worker or international student (the main permit holder), your open work permit will expire on the same date as your partner’s work or study permit.
Extend Your Work Permit!
You can extend your work permit before your current status expires. If your extension is still in process when your current work permit expires, you will have implied status until your application comes back with a decision.
If you want to extend your closed work permit, your employer will also need to file a new LMIA.
If your work permit has expired within the last 90 days, you might be able to restore your status without having to leave Canada.
For more information regarding your particular case, call us to learn about the options available to you.
Job Seekers
If you are a temporary foreign worker and need a job or lost your job in Canada, you can apply to positions available on our partner foreign worker placement agency’s job board.
Job Seekers
If you are a temporary foreign worker and need a job or lost your job in Canada, you can apply to positions available on our partner foreign worker placement agency’s job board.
Frequently Asked Questions
As a licensed immigration consultancy firm, Castle and Co is not only authorized to provide you with advice and guidance. We can also represent you before the Canadian Government as your third party to minimize any errors or omissions with your applications. We work mainly with IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) for any immigration application and ESDC (Service Canada) for any foreign worker-related LMIA application.
Our many years of experience have taught us how to prepare solid applications and communicate effectively and efficiently with government institutions.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Castle & Co is a consultancy firm that can provide services for the following immigration applications:
Permanent Residence through Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Programs, or Quebec programs.
Family Reunification through Spouse Sponsorship (spouse, conjugal, common-law), Parent & Grandparent Sponsorship, Dependent Children reunification, or others.
Temporary Residence to acquire tourist visas, as well as study and work permits & visas.
Citizenship preparation for permanent residents who have lived in Canada for more than three years.
Consultations and expert reviews on your application if you are preparing it on your own.
We also help Canadian employers prepare a solid LMIA application to hire the foreign workers they need.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Not always. You can apply for a work permit without an LMIA if:
1) You are the spouse of an international student or TFW in a high-skilled position.
2) You have a permanent residence application in process.
3) You recently graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution.
4) You have a job offer classified as “LMIA exempt” through one of these programs: entrepreneurs & self-employed, intra-company transferees, French-speaking skilled workers, international trade agreements, or international youth exchange programs.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Under certain conditions, you may continue with the same legal status as the one that just expired while you wait for the outcome of the application you already submitted. This is called implied status.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Under certain conditions, restoration of status is granted after an officer assesses an application to restore your legal status in Canada. For example, if you had a work permit that has already expired, you will need to apply to restore your status (this can be done within 90 days of the expiry date) along with applying for the new immigration document.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
As part of our service, we will walk you through this process and send you the proper instructions on how to pay these fees. We give you the option to pay them yourself or include the costs in our service payments so that we can pay this on your behalf.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
It will depend on the program, the country of residence and the processing times in effect by the Canadian immigration offices when the application is submitted. You can find the approximate current processing times here.
Please keep in mind that these processing times are estimates. Sometimes offices process cases, prioritizing applications depending on several factors. Also, at times applications are forwarded to other processing centers that may have a lower work backlog, thus, reducing processing times considerably. If your application was not professionally prepared or contains errors or omissions, the processing times will be increased for several months or even years.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
If you are in Canada as a visitor, you might have to leave the country before your study or work permit is approved and your status is changed. If you are in Canada studying or working, you may be able to change your status.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
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