Canadian Work Permits

NAFTA Work Permit

Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter Canada must first obtain a visa. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created special economic and trade relationships for the United States, Canada, and Mexico. If your occupation is on the NAFTA list, your employer is not required to obtained a Labour Market Opinion (LMO).

Intra Company Transfer

If you are an employee (executives, senior manager and specialized knowledge workers) to the Canadian branch, subsidiary or affiliate of an international company, you can obtain a work permit without the involvement of HRSDC.

Labour Market Opinion

As an employer, you may need to apply for a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) before you can hire a foreign worker or get pre-approval to hire a large number of workers. A positive Labour Market Opinion will show that there is a need for the foreign worker to fill the job you offer and that there is no Canadian worker available to do the job.

Significant Benefit Work permit

These provisions are generally reserved for cases in which the business the applicant wants to open in Canada will have a significant social, cultural, or economic benefit to Canada.

Live in Caregiver Work Permit

Live-in caregivers are individuals who are qualified to provide care for children, elderly persons or persons with disabilities in private homes without supervision. Live-in caregivers must live in the private home where they work in Canada.

Open Work Permit

In some cases, work permits are not job-specific. That means no job offer or authorization from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (known as a Labour Market Opinion, or LMO) is needed. These types of permits are known as open work permits.

Off Campus Work Permit

The Off-Campus Work Permit Program allows certain foreign students to work off campus while completing their studies. To qualify, you must be a full-time student enrolled at a participating publicly funded post-secondary educational institution or in an approved program at an eligible privately funded institution.