Work Permit

Work Permit is a “written authorisation to work in Canada issued by an officer to a foreign national”. There are circumstances stated in IRPR where a foreign national has right to work without work permit.

Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is required in most applications for work permit, which is issued by Service Canada. Service Canada must assess whether “employment of foreign national is likely to have a neutral or positive effect on the labour market in Canada” before issuing a LMIA. The prospective employer applies for LMIA and the prospective worker applies for work permit. Conditions have to be met by employer before and after issue of LMIA.

Certain factors affect the procedures and processing times for work permit applications. Work permits are issued by visa office abroad, but visa-exempt foreign national can also apply at port of entry and CPC in Vegreville, Alberta. In most cases work permits can be extended. In certain cases LMIA may not be required for work permit application.

Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) allows students who have graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution to obtain a work permit for up to three years if the program of study is two years or more.