To be legally authorized to work in Canada, applicants have to apply for a work permit which can be applied from within our outside of Canada.

There are 2 types of work permits.

Employer-specific work permit : With this type of work permit, the employee can only work with the employer named on their work permit. To apply for employer specific work permit, applicants require the following:

• •  labor market impact assessment (LMIA)
  • an offer of employment number (for LMIA-exempt workers)
  • The employment contract

Open work Permit: This work permit allows the foreign worker to work with any employer. This application can be submitted under certain eligibility conditions.

You may be eligible for an open work permit if you:

• are an international student who graduated from a designated learning institution and are eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program
• are a student who’s no longer able to meet the costs of your studies (destitute student)
• have an employer-specific work permit and are being abused or at risk of being abused in relation to your job in Canada
• applied for permanent residence in Canada
• are a dependent family member of someone who applied for permanent residence
• are the spouse or common-law partner of a skilled worker or international student
• are the spouse or common-law partner of an applicant of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
• are a refugee, refugee claimant, protected person or their family member
• are under an unenforceable removal order
• are a temporary resident permit holder
• are a young worker participating in special programs