How To Work In Canada: Guide To Canada Work Visa And Permit Requirements

Work Permits and Employment-Based Visas

To work in Canada, ex-pats will need a work permit and employment visa. There are only a few jobs for which you do not need a work permit.

There are two types of Canadian work permits:

Openwork permits: Allow you to work for any employer in Canada.

Employer-specific work permits: Enable you to work for only one specific employer.

You can find all of Canada’s work permit/visa application forms online. The Canadian work visa with a work permit costsaround 155 CAD (120 USD).

Canadian Work Visa Requirements

Work permits are issued to a variety of workers including temporary workers, business people, and permanent workers. You can apply for a work permit from outside Canada, within Canada, or at point of entry. The eligibility requirements for Canada will vary depending on where you apply from.

Canada Visa Requirements for Temporary Workers

For temporary workers, there are eligibility requirements to meet when applying for a Canadian work permit. For instance, you must provide proof of the following:

1. That you plan to leave Canada when your work permit expires.
2. Of sufficient funds to return home and to take care of yourself and any family members coming with you.
3. Police clearance certificate.

You must also:

• Be in good health (a medical exam may be required).
• Plan to work for an eligible employer (i.e., no strip clubs, escort services, or erotic massage places).
• Appropriate documents to enter Canada.

Requirements for a Business Visa

When it comes to business visas, Canada makes a distinction between business people and business visitors. Business people can work in Canada under the free trade agreement, meaning they fall under one of the following three agreements: Unites Sates-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA), Other Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), or General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).

USMCA applies to US and Mexican citizens. There are four categories:

Business visitors: Workers who come to take part in international business without being a part of the Canadian labour market. Business visitors usually stay for a few days or weeks, but they are able to stay up to six months without a work permit.

Professionals: Must have a job offer in Canada to partake in one of the specific jobs set out by USMCA (e.g., engineer, accountant, computer systems analyst). These workers need a work permit.

Intra-company transferees: Managers and executives sent to work for the same company in Canada. These types of workers must have been working on an on-going basis for at least one year for the same employer and have a work permit.

Traders and investors: Must be a supervisor or executive involved in the trade of large amount of goods or services between Canada and their home country; or they or their company must have made a substantial investment in Canada. These workers must have a work permit.

FTAs are agreements between Canada and other countries such as Chile, Panama, Peru, Colombia, and Korea. It is modeled after USMCA, covering the same types of workers: business visitors, professionals, intra-company transferees, and traders and investors.

For more than 140 World Trade Organizations, Canada came up with GATS to make it easier for foreign workers to access the Canadian services market. The groups covered are business visitors, professionals, and intra-company transferees.

Canada Visa Requirements for Permanent Workers

Permanent workers have to be skilled and will go through the online Express Entry system. There are three types of skilled worker immigration programs with specific requirements for each:

Federal Skilled Worker
Federal Skilled Trades
Canadian Experience Class
Keep in mind that if you plan to live in Québec, they have their own Québec-selected skilled workers process.

The documents you will need for the Express Entry application include:

1. Passport or travel document
2. Language test results
3. Education credential assessment report
4. Provincial nomination (if you have one)
5. Written job offer from a Canadian employer (if you have one)
6. Police certificate
7. Medical exam
8. Proof of funds

Canada’s Immigration Point System

Canada’s point system is called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). To qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you need a score of 67 points or higher (out of 100). You are evaluated based on:

English or French skills (maximum 28 points)
Education (maximum 25 points)
Experience (maximum 15 points)
Age (maximum 12 points)
Arranged Employment in Canada (maximum 10 points)
Adaptability (maximum 10 points)

Your language skills are tested based on listening, speaking, reading, and writing ability.

To earn points under the Education requirement, you must prove you have a Canadian diploma or certificate; or have any international education assessed by a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)-approved agency to show it is equal to a Canadian credential.

You earn points in Experience based on how many years you have spent doing full-time, paid work (at least 30 hours per week, or an equal amount of part-time experience).

Experience Points
One year 9
Two to three years 11
Four to five years 13
Six or more years 15
You will also earn points based on your age.

Age Points
Under 18 0
18-35 12
36 11
37 10
38 9
39 8
40 7
41 6
42 5
43 4
44 3
45 2
46 1
47 or older 0

If you have a permanent, full-time job offer from a Canadian employer before you arrive in Canada, you qualify to earn points in the Arranged Employment in Canada category.

If you have a spouse or common-law partner moving to Canada with you, they can earn points for Adaptability too. This category covers any past study or work in Canada.

Canadian Family Visas

For temporary workers, family can come along if they meet the requirements for temporary residents, can prove to customs they will only stay for the interim period, have no criminal record, and are able to get a temporary resident visa if they are from one of the countries that require a visa to enter Canada.

Dependent children, spouses, and common-law partners can come with permanent workers to Canada if they aren’t inadmissible to Canada, and the worker is able to meet the requirements for sponsoring their family.

Each member of the family needs to apply separately. Their form and documents required may include:

1. Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union form
2. Passports
3. Birth certificates
4. Marriage or divorce certificates
5. National ID cards
6. Military service documents
7. Other civil documents

Any spouses or dependent children wishing to work in Canada will need to apply for their work permit. They can apply from within the country.

Medical Exam

For more information on what to expect during your medical exam, read the relocating section of our guide.

For your appointment, make sure you bring: