Work Permit

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A work permit allows you to work in Canada temporarily.

Employers may need to get a Labour-Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to hire. you.

You must meet the requirements to:

• enter the country,
  
• stay in Canada and
  
• get a work permit.
  

Eligibility requirements

No matter where you apply, you must:

• prove to an officer that you will leave Canada when your work permit expires,
• show that you have enough money to take care of yourself and your family members during your stay in Canada and to return home,
  
• obey the law and have no record of criminal activity (you may be asked to provide  a police clearance certificate),
  
• not be a danger to Canada’s security,
  
• be in good health and have a medical exam, if needed,
  
• not plan to work for an employer on the list of ineligible employers,
  
• not plan to work for an employer who, on a regular basis, offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages,
  
• not have worked in Canada for one or more periods that total four years after April 1, 2011 (with some exceptions), and
  
• give the officer any other documents they ask for to prove you can enter the country.
  

You can only apply for a work permit from inside Canada if you:

• are currently in Canada and have a valid study or work permit, or your spouse or parents have a study or work permit,
• have graduated from a program at a
  
  • Canadian university,
    
  • community college,
    
  • CÉGEP,
    
  • publicly funded trade/technical school or
    
  • other eligible schools,
    
• have a temporary resident permit that is valid for six months or more, or
  
• are in Canada because you have already applied for permanent residence from inside Canada (you will have to pass certain stages in the main application process to be eligible for a work permit).
  

If you are currently working or plan to work in Canada, you should keep track of the total time you have worked and plan to work in Canada. After you have worked temporarily for four years in Canada, you will not be eligible to work in Canada again until another period of four years has passed.

Before you are eligible to work again in Canada, you will need to spend four consecutive years either:

• outside of Canada; or
• in Canada but not working (i.e. with legal status as a visitor or student).
  

At that point, you can apply for a work permit and you can start another four years of working in Canada.