You need a Canada working visa if you are a foreign worker who wants to temporarily work in the country. If you aim to permanently work in Canada, you can apply for immigration as a permanent resident.
The first step to work in Canada as a temporary worker is to get a work permit. There are two kinds of work permits – Employer Specific Work Permits (ESWP) and Open Work Permits. This blog will help you understand everything about the process of getting a Canada working visa.
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Canada Working Visa: An Overview
- What is a Canada working visa?
- Types of Canada Work Visa or Work Permit?
- Who can apply for a Canada Working Visa?
- Documents required for Canada Working Visa
- Steps to get Canada Working visa
- Processing time and Fee
- Occupations that offer a faster Working visa or Work Permit
- Difference between a Work Visa and a Work Permit
What is a Canada working visa?
A Canada work permit is popularly known as a work or working visa. Any foreign individual who wants to work in Canada needs a work permit unless they are allowed to work without one. It is mandatory for:
- Temporary Workers
- Agricultural Workers
- Caregivers
Types of Canada Work Visa or Work Permit?
There are four types of work permits:
- Employer Specific Work Permit (ESWP) or Closed Work Permit – This Canada working visa or permit authorizes you to work for a specific employer. In an ESWP, your employer, work duration, and location are fixed.
- Open Work Permit: You can work for anyone in Canada with an open work permit. However, you will need to meet several requirements to be eligible for this permit.
- Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP): You can continue to work in Canada till you wait for PR application results with a BOWP.
- Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP): The Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) allows eligible foreign students to temporarily work in Canada after graduating from a DLI.
Who can apply for a Canada Working Visa?
The eligibility requirements for a work permit depend upon the circumstances of the foreign worker. However, if you are applying for the first time, the basic eligibility requirements for Canadian work permit are:
- You can prove to an authorized Canadian officer that you will leave Canada as soon as your working visa expires
- Prove that you have enough money to completely support yourself and your family while you work in Canada
- Have a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)
- Be admissible. This implies that you must be in good health and not be any danger to Canadian security
- Ensure that you will not work for any unauthorized employers
- Can provide all documents required at the time of arrival in Canada
Documents required for Canada Working Visa
Generally, most applicants require the following documents to apply for a work visa
- Copy of a valid passport
- Two photographs
- Marriage certificate (if applicable)
- Employment Record
- Copy of a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
- Employment contract
- Offer of Employment number (if your employer is LMIA exempt)
- Resume, and referral letters, that demonstrate your eligibility for the job.
- Family information
The document checklist can vary according to your profile. Contact Talent Connected Worldwide to get the complete documents list and affordable legal assistance.
Steps to get Canada Working visa
Getting a working visa includes two main phases. First, apply for a work permit from outside Canada. Second – getting the work permit and work visa at the Canadian Port of Entry
Phase 1: Steps to apply for a work permit & get a POE Letter of Introduction
STEP 1: Prepare and gather paperwork
Ensure that you have all the documents ready before applying for the work permit. The document checklist will vary according to the type of work permit, your job, the country you are applying from, and whether you are applying from within or outside Canada. Consult your representative for an accurate document checklist
STEP 2: Create an IRCC account through GCKey or Sign-in Partner
Create an IRCC account using either a GCKey or a Sign-in Partner. This account is also used to create an Express Entry profile and apply for PR through Express Entry.
STEP 3: Initiate Work Permit application and Answer the Questionnaire
Once you begin your work permit application, you will need to answer several questions regarding your birth date, nationality, education, type of work permit required, duration of work, availability of LMIA, and many others. Based on this information, the online system will assess your eligibility and the documents you will need to submit.
STEP 4: Upload all Documents
Upload all the documents asked in your work permit application. Ensure that all the paperwork is updated and accurate. Any discrepancies will lead to immediate rejection.
STEP 5: Pay the fee and submit the application
You will be required to pay $240 online and upload the receipt with the documents. Submit the complete application and apply for a work permit.
If IRCC approves your work permit application, they will send a Port of Entry letter of introduction. Bring this letter while traveling to Canada.
Phase 2: Getting your work permit on arrival in Canada
- As soon as you land in Canada, make sure that you have your passport and letter of introduction that states that your work permit is approved.
- Primary inspection kiosks at Canadian airports will check your identity
- A border service officer will ask you some questions to assess and verify your eligibility. You will need to provide them with all documents like medical exam, PCC, letter of introduction, etc, and convince them that you have come to Canada as a temporary worker.
- If satisfied, the officer will print and issue you a work permit and will let you enter Canada as a temporary worker.
- A work permit is not the same as a visa. If you need to travel outside Canada, you will still need a visitor visa to return to the country. Thus, even after getting your work permit, make sure that you apply for a visa from within Canada at least 2 months before leaving the country.
Processing time and Fee
The processing time for a work permit from India is at least 21 weeks for priority occupations. It will take longer for workers who do not work in prioritized professions. The fee for a Canada work permit is $155 (CAD).
Occupations that offer a faster Working visa or Work Permit
IRCC prioritizes processing work permit applications for foreign workers who have a job offer in the listed healthcare and agricultural occupations. The jobs listed below will get you a work permit within 21 weeks.
Healthcare jobs with faster work permit
There are 17 healthcare jobs for which work permit is processed faster.
- NOC 31300 – Nursing coordinators and supervisors
- NOC 31301 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- NOC 31100 – Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
- NOC 31101 – Specialists in surgery
- NOC 31102 – General practitioners and family physicians
- NOC 31302 – Nurse practitioners
- NOC 31303 – Physician assistants, midwives, and allied health professionals
- NOC 32103 – Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists, and cardiopulmonary technologists
- NOC 31209 – Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
- NOC 31120 – Pharmacists
- NOC 32120 – Medical laboratory technologists
- NOC 33101 – Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
- NOC 32121 – Medical radiation technologists
- NOC 32123 – Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists
- NOC 32101 – Licensed practical nurses
- NOC 32102 – Paramedical occupations
- NOC 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
Agricultural and Agri-food jobs with faster Work Permit
Canada working visa is processed faster for the 11 NOC codes listed below
- NOC 63201 – Butchers – retail and wholesale
- NOC 65202 – Meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale
- NOC 82030 – Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors
- NOC 85100 – Livestock labourers
- NOC 84120 – Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators
- NOC 85101 – Harvesting labourers
- NOC 85103 – Nursery and greenhouse labourers
- NOC 94142 – Fish and seafood plant workers
- NOC 95106 – Labourers in food and beverage processing
- NOC 95107 – Labourers in fish and seafood processing
- NOC 94141 – Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
Difference between a Canada Work Visa and a Work Permit
A Canada working visa is not the same as a work permit. A work permit is an authorization for a foreign worker to temporarily work in Canada and leave the country after their permit expires. A work permit will not allow that worker to re-enter Canada if they leave the country. Canada working visa or a Temporary Resident Visa is a travel authorization stamped in the worker’s passport. It allows them to re-enter Canada till the validity of their work permit.
In simpler words, a work permit allows you to work while a Canada working visa allows you to enter and re-enter the country to work.
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