Most people need a work permit to work in Canada. There are two types of work permits:

Open Work Permit (OWP) or Employer-specific work permits

An Open Work Permit allows a foreign national to work in any job/occupation in Canada, without restrictions. The holder of an OWP does not need an LMIA or confirmation of employment first.

Here are the eligible categories:

• Foreign spouses/common-law partners of temporary foreign workers
• Foreign students and spouses/common-law partners being sponsored through the inland spousal/Common-law Sponsorship
• Graduating international students under Post-Graduation Work Permit Program.
• International Experience Canada (EIC) Candidates under the Working Holiday category

To apply in one of these categories, you must check the general eligibility requirements and the application process for each program.

The Employer- specific work permits concerns a person who can only work for the employer for the length of time specified, and if applicable, at the location shown on the permit. In that case, your employer must get a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) before you submit your application for a work permit.

A LMIA is a document from Employment and Social Development Canada/Service Canada that allows an employer to hire a foreign worker through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) to fill labour shortages in Canada. Before you submit your work permit application, your employer must give you:

• A copy of the positive LMIA, and Your job offer letter or contract

In order to obtain a positive LMIA, a Canadian employer must prove that there is no Canadian or permanent resident worker available to complete the job in question and a foreign worker is therefore required.

LMIA applications should show the following:

• The number of foreign workers in your company are within the cap established by the government.
• The job offer and the company are genuine.
• The wages and working conditions are in line with those offered to Canadians (NOC wages).
• Employers conducted reasonable efforts to hire or train Canadians for the job.
• The foreign worker is filling a labour shortage OR if hiring a foreign worker will directly create new job opportunities or help to retain    jobs for Canadians OR the foreign worker will transfer new skills and knowledge to Canadians.
• This hiring will not affect a labour dispute or the employment of any Canadian worker involved in such a dispute.

Note that employers who wants to hire a foreign caregiver with a work permit through the Live-In Caregiver Program, must get a Labour Market Impact Assessment and go through the application process to hire them.

LMIA Exemptions

Work permit for a worker does not necessarily require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Here you can find some information about The LMIA exemption codes with the following links: .

• R204: International agreements
• R205: Canadian interests
• R206: No other means of support
• R207: Permanent residence applicants in Canada
• R208: Humanitarian reasons

In addition, you must meet all criteria for the category under which you applied.

Whether you are a worker who has an offer of employment or the employer who wants to hire a foreign worker, we will help you with processing the application for the LMIA and/or the application for a work permit.

For more details concerning your case, please contact us.

Except for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, all individuals require permission to enter Canada as a visitor through a temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or an electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).

eTA: Travelers with passports from countries that are visa-exempt who enter Canada by air will need an eTA. The authorization is electronically linked to your passport and is valid for five years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.

TRV: A Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) is an official counterfoil document issued by a visa office that is placed in a person’s passport to show that they have met the requirements for admission to Canada as a temporary resident. Holding a TRV does not guarantee entry to Canada. The admission of foreign nationals into Canada as temporary residents is a privilege, not a right.

Tourists, Temporary foreign workers (with work permits), business Visitors or International students on study permits need either TRV or an eTA. Canadian Immigration and citizenship gives you online the list of countries whose citizen need an eTA or a visa.

If you do not need a visitor visa to enter Canada, you can still use the parent and grandparent Super Visa to stay in Canada for up to two years.

To do so, you need to do the following steps:

• Complete and submit the requested documents to prove your eligibility.
• If we approve the application, we will issue you a letter to give to a border services officer when you arrive in Canada.
• If you travel by air, you need to apply for an eTA separately to allow you to travel to and enter Canada.
• The eTA will be electronically linked to your passport, so you need to travel with the passport you use to apply for your eTA, and your letter to facilitate your travel to Canada.
• The officer at the border may approve a visit to Canada for up to two years.