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Work Permit

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Work Permit

Most of the foreign nationals planning to take up employment in Canada need a work permit prior to travelling to Canada.​.

Foreign nationals may be employed under 2 types of work permit:

  • Employer- specific work permit also known as closed work permit
  • Open work permit

Employer- specific work permit

An employer-specific work permit allows the foreign national to work in Canada according to the conditions on the work permit which may include:

  • The name of the employer making the job offer
  • The duration of the contract
  • The location where the person will be employed

In a number of cases, a Labour Market Impact Assessment is required prior to the offer of employment being made.

Openwork permit

An open work permit allows the foreign national to work for any employer in Canada, except for those employers listed as ineligible.


Foreign nationals who are eligible for an open work permit are:
  • International Students who graduated from a designated learning institution and are eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program
  • Students who are no longer able to meet the costs of their studies (destitute student)
  • Those with an employer-specific work permit and are being abused or at risk of being abused in relation to their job in Canada
  • Those who applied for permanent residence in Canada
  • Those who are a dependent family member of someone who Applied for Permanent Residence
  • Spouses or Common-law partners of a skilled worker or international student
  • Spouses or Common-law partners of an applicant of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
  • Refugees, Refugee Claimants, protected person or their family member
  • Those under an unenforceable removal order
  • Those who hold a temporary resident permit
  • Young workers participating in special programs


Mobilité Francophone

To promote Francophone immigration in Francophone minority communities, the government of Canada encourages foreign nationals who are planning to apply for a job in a province or territory outside Quebec and qualified under National Occupational Classification (NOC) 0, A or B may be eligible for an exemption from the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirement ).


Facilitating entry for these workers encourages the development of minority official language communities in Canada. Promoting the use of French outside Quebec strengthens and supports the social and cultural fabric of Canadian society, while respecting the federal, bilingual and multicultural character of Canada.