How can you get a temporary work permit in Canada?

People who aspire to come to Canada for working has to invariably go through certain formalities for getting a temporary work permit. Here goes a detailed discussion of the whole process of applying and getting the required work permit and visa.

Stepwise guide for getting a temporary work Permit in Canada

Whenever a worker plans to go to Canada for employment purposes, he or she must obtain an offer of employment from a recognized Canadian employer because only then, it will be given by the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). This obviously requires the foreign worker to go through certain rules and regulations and sometimes a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) is also needed based on the country of citizenship of the concerned worker in question. The complete steps can be illustrated as under:

• Whenever a Canadian employer wants to hire a foreign worker, then it has to first apply for Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This assessment report must be certified as positive by the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) after thoroughly ensuring that there is no eligible Canadian candidate available for the job that is being offered to the foreign worker. However, in certain scenarios, LMIA is not necessary.

Exceptions to get LMIA for getting Temporary Work Permit in Canada:

1. Any case related to North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
2. The economic, social and cultural advantages that Canada will be gaining due to the employment of the foreign worker.
3. Youth, teacher exchange programs and other allied types of programs related to reciprocating agreements of Canada with its provinces or territories.
4. Facilitating co-op placements for helping the international students to effortlessly complete the academic requirements.
5. For permitting the spouse or law-partners of Work Permit and in some cases, Study Permit holders in Canada to engage in employment in Canada.
6. In case the work profile is something spiritual, religious or charitable.
7. In some special cases where humans are seeking refuge claims in Canada by getting to work and stay over there.

• After the process of LMIA is completed, the Canadian employer provides the Temporary Job Offer letter along with the detailed positive LMIA report attached to the offer letter.
• Once all the documents as stated above are received by the foreign worker, he or she has to then apply for a Canada Temporary Work Permit from the ESDC. If the Canadian employer who is hiring the foreign worker is located in Quebec, then an additional document known as the Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ) has to be obtained by the worker to temporarily work in Quebec except for the ‘facilitated’ professions that have streamlined recruitment process.
• The worker will then finally receive a Canada Temporary Work Permit from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) after entering into Canada.

Some crucial points about Temporary Work permit in Canada

The duration of this temporary work permit in Canada can range from few days to even few years. Moreover, it is valid for only that particular company which has applied for the work permit of the worker. If the worker wishes to take up any other job offer in Canada without having a permanent resident visa, then he or she has to apply for a fresh temporary work permit.

Although the basic steps for getting a temporary work permit are similar for all foreign workers, yet, these may differ sometimes depending upon the nationality, occupation and other factors related to employment in Canada. In some specific cases however, there are provisions of Open Work Permits as well that are not employer-based but these also are dependent on many factors based on the nature of work as well as the personal details and background of the worker.

A temporary work permit is given for a predefined duration only although that is subject to extension on requirement. Temporary work permits are applicable for temporary workers, contractual workers, business people like intra-company transferees, traders and investors, students, permanent workers, caregivers and agricultural workers as well. The process of application, fees, forms, processing times and other factors related to getting a temporary work permit in Canada however will vary to certain extent for the workers coming from these varying domains.

Related Read- How to Get Work Permit Visa in Canada

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Raima Sen

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