Canadian Work Permits

No, and this is the single most useful thing on this page. The International Mobility Program covers every work permit issued without a Labour Market Impact Assessment, and it accounts for a very large share of all permits granted in Canada.

Exemptions exist for significant benefit to Canada, free trade agreements such as CUSMA and CETA, intra-company transfers within a multinational group, reciprocal employment including International Experience Canada, Francophone Mobility for French speakers destined outside Quebec, and spouses of certain workers and students. Employers and applicants routinely spend months on an LMIA they never needed simply because it is the route they had heard of. Testing for an exemption is the first thing we do on any work permit file.

On an open work permit, yes, subject to the limited exceptions printed on the document. On an employer-specific permit, no. You must obtain a new work permit naming the new employer before you begin working for them, and starting early is working without authorisation.

A point that catches many people: maintained status lets you keep working while an extension is pending, but only under the conditions of your existing permit. It does not permit you to start with a different employer. If you are in an abusive or exploitative workplace, an open work permit for vulnerable workers may be available, and that is an urgent conversation rather than a routine one. Tell us immediately if that is your situation.

Your dependent children may generally attend primary and secondary school in Canada without needing their own study permit while you hold a valid work permit. That part is relatively settled.

Spousal open work permits are a different matter because eligibility was significantly narrowed in recent policy changes. It is no longer available to spouses of all workers or all students. It now depends on the occupational category of the working spouse, or on the specific programme of the studying spouse. A great deal of outdated advice on this is still circulating online, including from otherwise reputable sources. We check the current criteria against your partner's actual occupation or programme rather than relying on what applied a year ago.

It varies by category. An LMIA-based permit is generally issued for the duration supported by the LMIA. A post-graduation work permit is issued to match the length of your study programme, to a maximum of three years. Treaty and intra-company transfer permits have their own limits with defined extension possibilities.

Two constraints frequently override the expected duration. A permit will not normally be issued beyond the expiry of your passport, so a passport with eighteen months left can cost you years of permit validity. Medical examination validity can also cap the period granted. Renewing your passport before applying is one of the cheapest and most overlooked ways to protect your position.

Graduates of eligible programmes at eligible designated learning institutions, where the programme was at least eight months long. You must apply within the deadline following confirmation of completion, commonly 180 days, and you must hold valid status or restore it. The permit length matches your programme length up to three years, and it is a once-in-a-lifetime document.

The rules have tightened considerably. Field-of-study requirements now apply to many non-degree programmes, and language test requirements have been introduced at different levels for university and college graduates. The consequence is serious: students enrol in programmes on the assumption of a work permit and discover after graduating that the programme never qualified. Check eligibility before you choose a programme, not after you finish it, and confirm the current lists because they are revised.

You may apply from inside Canada if you already hold eligible status, typically as a worker or student. Visitors generally cannot apply for a work permit from within Canada, and assuming otherwise is a common and costly error.

Flagpoling, which means leaving Canada briefly at a land border and immediately re-entering to have a permit issued, has been heavily restricted and is no longer generally available for work permit applications. People who attempt it can find themselves outside Canada without status and unable to return. If any part of your plan depends on flagpoling, it needs to be revisited before you travel, not at the border.

If you apply to extend your work permit before your current one expires, you have maintained status. You may continue working under the same conditions while the decision is pending, even past the original expiry date. This is why the application date matters more than the expiry date.

Two limits are frequently misunderstood. It only preserves your existing conditions, so on an employer-specific permit it does not let you change employers. And if you leave Canada while on maintained status, you may not be able to resume working on return until a decision is made. If your permit has already expired, you may apply for restoration within ninety days, but you may not work during that period at all.

Not automatically, but it is the most efficient foundation available. One year of skilled work experience in Canada qualifies you for the Canadian Experience Class, earns substantial Comprehensive Ranking System points, feeds skill transferability combinations, and opens a stream in nearly every province reserved for people already working there.

Two practical points. Experience gained while studying full-time generally does not count toward the Canadian Experience Class, and self-employment usually does not either. And secure your reference letters before leaving any employer, stating duties, hours per week, salary, and exact dates, because obtaining them years later is far harder than people expect. See our Express Entry and Provincial Nominee pages for the routes that experience unlocks.