Requirements for Canadian Temporary Work Permit

For the three hundred thousand or so workers that immigrate into Canada each year, the Temporary Work Permit is a new lease of life, a possibility of starting over, a ticket to a world full of myriad opportunities bursting with promise and prosperity. Those with job offers in Canada apply for this Work Permit and arrive resplendent with hope and thrive here.

A job offer is, of course, the prerequisite for a Work Permit, but besides that there are several requirements that are to be fulfilled by an applicant before the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) issues a work permit to him or her. These requirements and the several steps entailed in the application process have been laid out below:

1- Labor Market Impact Assessment:

An employer, who wishes to hire a foreign employer for a particular job, may have to, if necessary at that point of time, apply for a Labor Market Impact Assessment. This is in order to ensure that the employment of a foreigner does not adversely endanger the opportunities of Canadian citizens.

In accordance with certain laws, a Work Permit can be granted to an individual by the Canadian Immigration officials without the Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) under the following conditions:

• Individuals from countries entailed in international agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA);
• If the work of said individual will bring momentous social, cultural, economic or any such benefits to the citizens of Canada;
• If the individual is part of exchange programs that Canada or any of its provinces has entered into with other countries;
• If international students living in Canada have to fulfill academic requirements;
• To enable spouses or dependents of an individual with a Work Permit or certain Study Permits, to work and live in Canada;
• If the work is one of charity, or involves religious faith;
• If for reasons other than the aforementioned, such as a refugee claim, a person needs to support themselves.
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2- Offer of a Temporary Job:

If attested by an encouraging and positive Labor Market Impact Assessment, then a job offer can be extended by the Employer to the applicant by grant of the Canadian government. A copy of the positive LMIA test and the job offer must be sent to the foreign employee.

3- Work Permit Application:

The foreign worker has now fulfilled all the prerequisites in order to apply for a Work Permit. He or she will have to submit this information at their respective Canadian visa offices.

However, if the applicant is to work in the Canadian region of Quebec, it might also be required of him or her to obtain a Certificate Acceptation du Québec (CAQ) in order to perform the job. In Quebec, a number of professions are eligible for streamlined processing; therefore local recruitment efforts need not be performed by the employers so that they can hire foreign workers for jobs in Quebec.

4- Work Permit is issued:

When the foreign worker arrives in Canada, a CBSA officer will issue the Canada Temporary Work Permit.

When applying for a Canadian Temporary Work Permit, the above procedures are involved. However, in order to work in Canada, citizens from certain countries may also need to obtain a Temporary Residence Visa (TRV). While this involves many more of hassles, the fruit is well worth it, as is proved by several previously foreign workers, now Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents.

A new land means a plethora of fresh, exciting opportunities that will reap the seed of your skills. Thus, the Work Permit is a chance that should not be missed!