WORK IN CANADA

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You can also come to Canada as a temporary worker, and there are several pathways to achieving this. Generally, those pathways are grouped into two: the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP) and the International Mobility Program (IMP). 

The main difference between both is the additional requirement from an employer to obtain a positive or neutral Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) assessment decision from the department of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) before hiring, under the TFWP. This requirement does not apply under the IMP. In addition, and where applicable, a work permit or an authorization to work without a work permit is also required to work in Canada under either of the two previously mentioned programs. 

Before we proceed, let us explain provide a brief explanation of these 2 important terminologies:

• Labor Market Impact Assessment: Under the TFWP, a Canadian employer can only hire a foreign worker after having satisfied the ESDC that they have made attempts to recruit Canadian citizens or permanent residents unsuccessfully. In other words, the employer has to apply to the ESDC to get a positive/neutral LMIA document before they can go ahead to hire a temporary worker. The ESDC-issued LMIA proves that a foreign worker is indeed needed for the job as no Canadian worker was found to do it. Once obtained by the employer, the worker can then go ahead to apply for a work permit. The preceding notwithstanding, LMIA exemptions exists for some TFWP job types.

• Work permit: Is a document issued by Canada's Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship (IRCC) department to a temporary worker, authorizing such a person to work legally in Canada. Work permits could be of open (restricted or unrestricted) or closed type, meaning that the worker can work with any or just one employer, respectively. An open work permit, as an example, is issued based on an LMIA exemption. Work permits can also be LMIA or non-LMIA based, as with TFWP and IMP programs, respectively. A work permit specifies the type of work a temporary worker can do, the employer they can work for, the location(s) they can work in, and how long they can work for. In most cases, to work in Canada,  a temporary worker in Canada will require a work permit. Again, not withstanding the preceding, work permit exemptions, which allow a TFW to work without a work permit, also exist as well.  

With the foregoing, please find a non-exhaustive list of Canadian temporary foreign worker pathways below. Please contact us to know which of them is of interest to you, and we will advise on how to go about securing them, where applicable:

1. LMIA-Requiring job opportunities

Both employers and employees play important roles for such job opportunities, and we at Pilot Immigration work with both actors to facilitate the securing of the LMIA and work permits respectively, from the ESDC and IRCC. Therefore, both employers and employees should please contact us to help with their respective applications.  

Other LMIA requiring jobs opportunities include: 

    a. Caregiver programs

        i. Caring for children below 18.

        ii. Caring for people with high medical needs.

    b. Job offers at low skill (NOC C and D) levels.

2. LMIA-exempt job opportunities

   a. Canadian (local and international) Agreements-related jobs:

       i. International Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) like CUSMA, CETA.

       ii. Canada-International Non-Trade Agreements-related jobs, e.g. Airline personnel.

       iii. Canada-provincial/territorial agreements, e.g. Work permits for provincial nominees 

   b. Canadian Interests-related job types, including:

      i. Significant benefit-related jobs: include V and film production workers, bridging open work 

        permits, start-up business class PR visa applicants, etc.

     ii. Reciprocal employment-related jobs:  include International Experience Canada jobs

        Working Holiday, International Co-op, and Young Professionals), Performing arts, Academic

        exchanges etc.

  c. IMP (Open work permits): LMIA exemptions include:

     i.  Refugee claimants & persons under an unenforceable removal order.

     ii.  PR applicants within Canada.

     iii. Workers authorized to enter Canada on a reciprocal basis e.g. IEC Working Holiday

        participants.

     iv. Spouses/common-law partners of skilled workers

     v.  Spouses/common-law partners of foreign students 

     vi. Bridging work permits

     vii. Post-graduate work permits (PGWPs)

     viii. Secondary and Post-secondary Co-ops.

  d. Caregivers (with permanent residency pathway)

     i. Home Child Care Provider Pilot

     ii. Home Support Worker Pilot.

3. Authorization to work without work permits: applicable to Business visitors, Military personnel, On-campus employment, Religious leaders, etc.

Again, we should reiterate that the information we have provided above on working temporarily in Canada is by no means exhaustive; please contact us today to let us know how we can be of assistance regarding your plans to come work in Canada. 

We will be glad to hear from you!