Work in Canada

Apply to work in Canada, extend a work permit or hire a foreign worker.

Obtaining Canadian work experience is considered a valuable asset for individuals who intend to apply for permanent residence in the future. To be legally employed in Canada, most people require one of the two valid work permits. These types of work permits include open work permits and employer-specific work permits.

Watts Immigration Consulting assists clients by providing a clear breakdown of their eligibility requirements followed by a careful examination and review of their application package. We offer professional expertise concerning the procurement of all types of work permits. Generally, these applications can range from 30-90 days to be processed by IRCC.

Open Work Permit

Open work permit allows individuals to work for any employer in Canada. This type of work permit includes: bridging open work permit, post-graduation work permit, sponsorship open work permit, and accompanying spouse open work permit.

Bridging Open Work Permit

A bridging open work permit allows for qualified individuals whose work permits are about to expire to continue working while they await the results of their permanent residence application.

You may be eligible for a bridging open work permit if:

You are currently living in Canada;
Your current work permit expires in 4 months or less;
You have a valid status on their work permits and;
Your permanent residency application has been found complete or has received a positive eligibility assessment or Acknowledgement of Receive (AOR) letter from the IRCC.

Post-graduation Work Permit

Post-graduation work permit is for those international students who have completed their post-secondary education and willing to work legally in Canada to gain valuable experience. Gaining a year of valuable work experience after graduation may also make you eligible for permanent residency under the Canadian Experience Class Program.

You have 180 days after your University/College issues your final marks to apply for the post-graduation work permit. The validity of your permit will vary (8 months to 3 years) depending on the length of your study program in Canada. Applicants must also demonstrate that they have been continuously enrolled on a full-time basis during the course of their studies.

We strongly encourage international students to get in contact with our office as soon as they graduate or are in their final term so that we can provide further guidance and maximize their possibility to apply for permanent residency in the future.

Sponsorship Open Work Permit

If you are being sponsored by a spouse or common-law partner under family sponsorship inland category, you can apply for an open work permit at the same time. Our firm will assist your application for sponsorship and the open work permit by submitting them both collectively in one package. While your application is being processed, you must maintain legal status as a visitor, student, or worker in Canada. The processing time for such applications typically takes 3-4 months from date of submission.

Accompanying family member Open Work Permit

Individuals who are the spouse or common-law partner of a skilled worker (holding valid work permit) or international student (holding valid study permit) may be eligible for an open work permit as well.

If your spouse is holding valid work permit, he/she must be a skilled worker in an occupation under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill type 0, A or B approved to work in Canada six months or more. Please note that your permit will not be valid longer than your spouse’s work permit.

If your spouse is holding valid study permit at a public post-secondary school, such as a college or university or collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) in Quebec, you may also be eligible to apply for an open work permit.

Employer-specific work permits

An employer-specific work permit allows individuals to work based on the conditions of their work permit, which include:

the name of the employer they can work for;
the duration of their work and;
the location of where they can work (if applicable)

Watts Immigration Consulting offers expertise on different areas of employer-specific work permits including LMIA work permits and Provincial Nominee work permits.

LMIA Work Permit

A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document from Employment and Social Development Canada that permits Canadian employers to hire temporary workers. An employer may need to apply for this permit before hiring a foreign worker. A positive LMIA will prove that there are no Canadian workers available for the job which necessitates hiring a foreign worker to fill the job position. Once an employer gets the LMIA, the worker can now apply for a work permit.

Provincial Nominee Work Permit

Provincial nominees who obtain the Certificate of Nomination from provincial government along with a job offer from an employer based in the same province may also be eligible for an employer-specific work permit.

We can provide quality assistance towards your application for a work permit, so that you may continue to work while you await the final decision pending your permanent residence application.