Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Hi, How Can We Help You?

Work in Canada

Working in Canada can be an exciting opportunity. If you work in Canada, your work visa will allow you to work in some professions.

Work in Canada is regulated by the work permit and work visa, which are issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Getting work in Canada requires you to have at least either of these visas. You can apply personally or hire an immigration representative to help you throughout the process, depending on how complicated your situation is. From this entry, you will learn about:

Foreign workers in Canada

Foreign workers in Canada make up a large part of the country’s workforce. In a 2011 study by Statistics Canada, it was found that a little over a million foreign workers worked in a Canadian business either in a managerial, professional, or technical field. One-fourth of this group was from an Asian country, while a third came from Europe and a tenth from Central America.

The largest group of temporary foreign workers in 2013, a little over a quarter, came from Mexico. Over a third were excluded from the study because they were in a teacher or student exchange program. The most common permanent residency for these individuals was through family sponsorship (40%), followed closely by independent immigrants (37%).

Canada’s current immigration policy is a multi-step process. A candidate must first be eligible to apply for work under a certain class, such as a skilled worker or a business immigrant. If a candidate is eligible, they must prove their proficiency in a second official language and provide a written job offer from a Canadian employer who has been unable to find a  suitable Canadian worker. A large number of foreign workers in Canada are a result of this policy.

Applying for work visa to Canada

Foreigners who are interested in work opportunities in Canada should work closely with their employers, who can help them get a work visa to Canada or a work permit. After that, candidates must apply for a Canada work visa, which is processed by the Canadian Embassy of the candidate’s home country.

Working in Canada involves a lot of paperwork and fees to cover a work permit for foreigners living abroad. Depending on your situation, there are several ways you can go about getting this type of documentation. The most common way is to hire an immigration representative, but this may cost more than applying yourself. It often depends on how risky it is for you to leave your job to process the documents too far away from home when they are processing your documents.

When applying for work in Canada, there are several conditions you must meet:

  1. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) requires that candidates need to be 18 or older to get this type of permission;
  2. Candidates can also apply if they are currently working in Canada on another kind of permit that allows working as a student on a work permit, employment contract, or on an intercompany transfer. Work in Canada requires a job offer, but if you are still looking for one of these offers on your own, you may still be able to apply;
  3. Candidates should also have enough experience in their field to take up the job they are offered. They may be asked for proof of education or work experience to prove eligibility.

Work permit in Canada

A work permit in Canada is a conditional authorization to work in the country issued by an officer at Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

All people who intend to work in Canada require a work permit, with few exceptions.  Typically, employers need to apply for work permits on behalf of individuals they intend to employ. The work permit is also known as employment authorization to work in Canada.

Applicants who want to apply for a work permit must show that they have a genuine offer of employment from a Canadian employer and the ability to perform that job. On top of this, applicants need to meet several requirements such as:

  • You need to be in good health and meet any other requirements of the Immigration Medical Examination (IME) as part of the work permit application process.
  • You must not be a risk to the security of Canada.
  • You have enough money for yourself and your family members to live on while you are in Canada. The amount of money you will need can vary depending on how long you want to stay in Canada.
  • You must be able to show that your family members, if they intend to come with you to Canada, have enough money for themselves and that they are not a risk to the security of Canada.
  • You must not plan to work for an employer listed with the Officer of the Immigration Program ( OIP ) as ineligible to hire foreign nationals.
  • You must not be coming to Canada to study or work on a Co-op Work Permit ( SWP ).
  • If you plan to work in certain occupations, such as those related to gambling and liquor sales, you must have written permission from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency.

‘Open Work Permits’ for PR Applicants

In the land of the maple leaf, a work permit in conjunction with permanent residence may be possible. This is true in cases where applicants have been approved as provincial nominees in Canada, as part of the skilled workers category in Express Entry. In such cases, an Open Work Permit can be secured to work in Canada while waiting for the processing for permanent residency to be complete.

There has been a great deal of discussion in Canada in recent months and years about the issue of work permits and temporary foreign workers in the country. While many people in other countries outside of Canada may be aware of an unofficial ban preventing all citizens from Mexico and several other Latin American nations from working in Canada in any capacity (due to a certain percentage of the workforce in some professions in Canada being filled by people from these countries), many other people in non-Latin American countries may be unaware of this prohibition which has been in effect for several years.

The facts are that while Canada is open to immigration, there are limits on how many foreign workers in any given field in Canada are allowed to work in the country. Additionally, before foreign workers can be hired in Canada in any profession, employers must show that no Canadians at all are available to fill the position in question. If an employer does not meet these requirements, they may face serious penalties including fines or criminal charges which could result in jail time in the case of repeated offenses.

Now that this has been established, it is important to state in clear terms that there are certain scenarios in which work permits in Canada are possible despite these restrictions against hiring foreign workers in many professions in the country. One such scenario is in cases where a provincial nominee applies for permanent residence in Canada.

How can Relocate Ltd. help you work in Canada?

Canada can be a difficult country to immigrate to. But, with the help of Relocate Ltd., all you need is a strong resume and your passport! With our many years of experience in immigration solutions for international workers, we have the tools and knowledge necessary to make this process as seamless as possible. Let us take care of all the details that could hinder you from achieving your goals.

Contact us via email or call 1-332 232-7443 right away!

CHECK ELIGIBILITY