Every year, more than 180,000 foreign workers enter Canada to work temporarily in jobs that help Canadian employers address skill shortages. A work permit is needed for most temporary jobs in Canada. Canada is absolute heaven for the immigrants looking to live, work, study or settle abroad for a better life and opportunities. Immigrants from all parts of the world want to get a Canada work permit to get settled on a permanent basis. Canada not only provides outstanding facilities and ideal settings for the people coming here to live and work, but it also offers one of the most organised immigration systems along with flexible immigration rules in the interest of applicants.

A work permit is a legal document that basically permits a foreign national to get a job and become employed in Canada. Every year Canada issues millions of work permits to workers around the world.

If you’re a foreign national then of course you require a permit to be eligible and to be officially able to work in Canada. To become eligible for a work permit, you might need a Canadian job offer supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) however, there are some exceptions to this requirement. Candidates who qualify all requirements then also need to meet the following eligibility criteria for Canada Work Permit Visa from India:

• Prove their sufficient funds to support themselves and their family
• Plan to work with an eligible employer
• Documents are ready to be presented if asked by the authority
• Provide proof that you will leave the country before or on the expiry of your work permit
• Must not have any criminal record
• Medical wellness via examination
• Assuring authority that you will adhere to the conditions of your work permit
• Meet eligibility conditions of language skills, biometric data, and insurance

Getting a work permit in Canada is the first step you will take to embark on your journey. Before you can apply, you must collect all the relevant documents. Let Oasis Resource Management answer every query you might have with regard to work permits.

The documents you need will depend on the type of work permit you are applying for. You, as an applicant, may need to provide the below-mentioned as part of your Canadian work permit application:

• A valid passport
• Two recent passport-sized photos
• Educational qualification certificates
• Application fee
• Proof of professional qualifications
• Proof of lawful status of your home country if it varies from your citizenship
• Proof of having sufficient financial resources to meet their expenses during their stay in Canada
• Medical examination from registered hospitals

There are obviously different options and types of work visas which are suitable for different situations. Like some Canadian work permits require a job offer from an eligible employer, in some cases, it requires a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from the employer, while other visas may require a connection to Canada. Thus, below here are some important work permits:

Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) required permits:-

• Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)
• Global Talent Stream
• Facilitated LMIA (Quebec)

Job offer or employment contract required permits but LMIA-Exempt:-

• International Mobility Program (IMP)
• NAFTA Work Permits
• Intra-Company Transfers
• CETA Work Permits

Open Work Permits, no job offer or LMIA required:-

• Spousal Sponsorship from Inside of Canada
• Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP)
• Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP)
• International Experience Canada (IEC) (working holiday visa)
• Spouse Accompanying International Student or Worker

What is NAFTA?

NAFTA is formed of North American Free Trade Agreement, it is a trilateral trade agreement negotiated between countries named as; Canada, the United States, and Mexico established in 1994. NAFTA provides unique and multiple job & work opportunities for people or citizens of the United States and Mexico. Those foreign nationals who apply and gain work permits under NAFTA are eligible to work without Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

NAFTA Professionals

The NAFTA provides the opportunity for professional workers to apply for a Canadian work permit without fulfilling the need for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). For this work permit type, one should be experienced in one of the NAFTA Professionals List of Occupations and have an offer of employment.

What are Intra-Company Transfers?

Canada’s International Mobility Program is another route for a Canadian work visa. It broadly outlines that high-skilled foreign nationals can work temporarily in the country whose company has itself transferred or recommended for intra-company transfer if they have a branch location in Canada. They also are eligible to get an LMIA-exempt work permit.

Requirements for the Employee:-

• Must be employed at a multinational company seeking entry to Canada to work at the company’s parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate.
• The enterprise in Canada must have a qualifying relationship as outlined below.
• The employee must be applying to work in Canada in a position at the executive level, senior managerial level, or in a position requiring specialized knowledge.
• Must have been employed with the company for at least 1 year (full-time) with the company within the previous 3 years.

The process for getting a Canadian work permit solely depends on which type of work permit you are aiming at. For stance, an international student studying in Canada will be able to automatically get authorization to work part-time because it’s very much a part of their study permit.

Whereas, closed work permit applications may require a candidate to have an official job offer from a permanent and eligible employer and also along with a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). But even in some cases where LMIA is exempted still some documentation is required to be done. To add to it, there are two generic ways for getting a Canada work permit:

A closed (restricted) work permit

Closed work permits are restricted to particular employers only which means a candidate has to be working with the same employer at the same location unless the current profile is updated and they change their work permit.

An open work permit

This is another Canada work permit which is not provided on the basis of a job or it’s not a job-specific permit. As it is not a job-specific visa that means you will not need:

1. An authorization from Employment and Social Development Canada (known as a Labour Market Impact Assessment, or LMIA), or
2. Proof that an employer has submitted the Offer of Employment form, and
3. Paid the employer compliance fee to Citizenship and Immigration Canada when you apply for your work permit.

Canada work permit processing time from India

It is sometimes dependent on the cases but generally, Canada’s work permit processing time from India is approx. 60 days. However, International Experience Canada (IEC) work permits are the exceptions because they have experience in Canada and thus it takes 56 days. In some cases, the work permit applications can take up to 120 days to process.