Work Permit
Foreign national requires Work Permit to work in Canada. Canadian employer wishing to employ a foreign worker in Canada must obtain LMIA Labor Market Impact Assessment from ESDC Employment and Social Development Canada.
Employers must demonstrate that by employing a foreign worker will not have any negative impact on the Canadian Labor market.
There are number of LMIA exempt work permits which allow a Canadian employer to hire a Foreign national without obtaining LMIA. These are part of Foreign Trade Agreements such as (NAFTA) North American Free Trade Agreement.
Programs like Working Holiday, Post-graduation work permit and Spousal open work permit are exempt from the LMIA requirements.
Types of Work Permits
LMIA based work permits
These work permits require the employer to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment as part of the process.
LMIA exemptions
Certain circumstances allow individuals to work in Canada without first obtaining a Labor Market Impact Assessment.
NAFTA Work permits
These permits are issued under the North American Free Trade Agreement, allowing the worker work without a LMIA.
Intra-Company Transfers
These permits will allow a company to bring certain employees to Canada from its offices abroad without a LMIA.
Business Visitors
In many cases, visitors may work in Canada without work permit, as long as they don’t enter Canada’s labour market.
Post-Graduation Work permits
After graduating from a designated institution, international graduates may work in Canada for up to three years.