CanadaWork permit

Employer-specific work permit in Canada

The permit allows a person to work in Canada for a particular employer, in a particular position and at a particular location; any of those conditions can only be changed by obtaining a new permit. Most employers have to prove that they could not find a suitable candidate in Canada, and obtain a labour market impact assessment — an LMIA. Some vacancies are exempt from that assessment. Work experience under the permit opens the way to permanent residence.

Source: canada.ca — Employer-specific work permits: eligibility, LMIA, and application steps

What determines your route to a permit

The procedure differs depending on whether a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) is needed for your vacancy or the position is exempt from it.

A vacancy with an LMIA — most offers

The employer advertised the vacancy to Canadians and permanent residents under the prescribed rules and within the required period
The employer obtained a positive LMIA for your particular position and place of work
You accept that the permit will tie you to that employer, that position and that place of work

A vacancy without an LMIA — the International Mobility Program

The position falls under an international trade agreement, an intra-company transfer or a similar category
The employer registers the job offer and obtains an offer number for it instead of an LMIA
The arrangement brings significant economic, cultural or other benefit to Canada

When this programme is not suitable

You do not yet have a job offer from a Canadian employer

Look for an employer first, or consider the programmes for individual applicants without an offer — for example International Experience Canada, if your age and country qualify

You want to change employers freely while in Canada

An open work permit — where you are entitled to one, for example as the spouse of a worker or as a graduate of a Canadian institution

The employer appears on the list of employers who have breached the hiring rules (non-compliant employers list)

Look for another employer — an application with an employer from that list will not be approved

The employer is not prepared to go through the LMIA procedure — weeks of advertising the vacancy and paying the assessment fee

Look for a vacancy exempt from the LMIA under the International Mobility Program, or consider another immigration programme

What it costs

Work permit — application processingpaid by the applicant for each permit, including a renewal	155 CAD
Biometrics — one applicant	85 CAD
Biometrics — a family filing togetherthe overall cap on the biometrics fee for a spouse and children where they file at the same time as you	170 CAD
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. the “Biometrics — a family filing together” branch replaces the “Biometrics — one applicant” line — 325 CAD. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	240 CAD

Paid separately

The LMIA processing fee — CAD 1,000 per position, paid separately by the employer when applying for the LMIA; it is not part of the applicant's work permit fee and is not refunded if the application is refused

Documents to gather

From the employer, papers about the vacancy and the LMIA decision where one is required; from you, proof of identity and experience

A valid passport or other travel document
A CV and proof of work experience — for example pay statements
Reference letters from current and former employers
Proof of the right to practise the occupation where it is regulated by a licence or certificate — or an express statement that this is not required
From the employer for a vacancy with an LMIA — a copy of the positive LMIA with the file number and Annex A, the employment contract and the offer letter setting out the pay and working conditions
From the employer for a vacancy without an LMIA — the employment contract and the number of the registered job offer
A Quebec acceptance certificate, where paid work in Quebec lasts longer than 30 days

How the process runs

The route from the employer's search for a candidate to your entry into Canada

1
The employer looks for a candidate among Canadians and permanent residents
from 4 to 8 weeks of advertising within the 3 months before filing — the period depends on the type of vacancy
For positions paying at or above the median wage the minimum is four consecutive weeks, and for low-wage positions eight consecutive weeks, with a posting on the Job Bank portal and at least two other recruitment methods. The employer must keep evidence of where the advertisement ran and for how long.
2
The employer applies for an LMIA
no earlier than 6 months before the intended start date of the work
Evidence of the search for candidates is attached to the application, and a separate LMIA processing fee is paid, which is borne by the employer and not by you.
3
The employer receives the LMIA decision and passes it to you
a positive decision is valid for up to 6 months
The employer must notify you and send the letter about the positive decision together with its annexes. If you do not manage to file the work permit application within that time, the decision ceases to be valid and the employer has to apply for an LMIA again.
4
You file the work permit application
You attach the LMIA letter and annexes — or the number of the registered job offer for vacancies without an LMIA — and your own documents, pay the fee and give biometrics on request.
5
IRCC considers the application
The processing time depends on the country of filing and on the workload of the visa office; current timescales can be checked with the tool on the IRCC website.
6
You receive the permit and enter Canada
If you filed from abroad, the permit is issued at the border on entry. After that you can obtain a social insurance number (SIN) and arrange health insurance.

Timelines and rights

Work

The permit is tied to the employer named in it

Who you can bring with you

Some family members can obtain a separate open permit, but this depends on your occupation and is not granted automatically

A spouse or common-law partner

May apply for a separate open work permit if your position falls into the management or professional category (TEER 0 or 1) or into certain TEER 2 and 3 positions — for example in trade, transport, resource extraction or agriculture. At the time your spouse applies, your own permit must still be valid for at least a further 16 months. For an open permit the spouse pays two separate fees — CAD 155 for the work permit itself and the CAD 100 open work permit holder fee.

Minor children

Since 21 January 2025 children no longer receive an open permit under this measure for skilled specialists; those already issued with a permit may extend it where the transitional conditions are met.

Trips, renewal and the grace period

There is no mandatory number of days in the country. Lose your job and you may stay in Canada, look for a new offer and apply for a new permit.

A renewal is possible while staying with the same employer, in the same position and at the same place of work — otherwise a new permit is issued rather than an extension. The application must be made online no later than 30 days before the permit expires: documents have to be scanned, the fee paid and an account created to track the status. If the application is filed before expiry, status is preserved while it is being considered (maintained status) and work may continue on the previous terms — but during that period it is not possible to change employer, position or place of work, to renew local documents such as a driving licence or health insurance, or to update the social insurance number (SIN).

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	Employer-specific work permit	Asylum and refugee status	Refugees referred by the UN
Visa term	The period is set by the job offer	Not a status that is renewed; if the claim is accepted the person becomes a protected person	Arrivals come straight in as permanent residents (PR)
Grounds	Authorisation to work for a particular employer	Persecution	Persecution
Money	The work permit costs CAD 155 per person	No income or savings requirement	GAR: government support for about 1 year; PSR: sponsors for about 12 months
Work	The permit is tied to the employer named in it	The 2026 reforms speed up the issue of a work permit	As a PR — the right to work immediately, with no permit
Residence	There is no mandatory number of days in the country	The claim is made from inside Canada or at a port of entry	The PR obligation: 730 days in every 5 years

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

The permit itself does not give permanent residence. A year of work in Canada under it opens up the Canadian Experience Class and the provincial programmes.

Route to citizenship

Days on a work permit count as half, up to a maximum of 365 days. The remaining 730 days of presence must be accumulated as a permanent resident.

Frequently asked questions about Employer-specific work permit

Can an employer hire me without an LMIA?

Yes, if the vacancy falls under the International Mobility Program — for example an intra-company transfer, a position under an international trade agreement or another category of significant benefit to Canada. In that case, instead of an LMIA the employer registers the job offer and obtains an offer number, which is attached to the permit application.

For how many weeks must an employer advertise the vacancy before applying for an LMIA?

The period depends on the type of vacancy: for positions paying at or above the median wage, a minimum of four consecutive weeks within the three months before filing; for low-wage positions, a minimum of eight consecutive weeks over the same period, and at least one of the recruitment methods must be kept active right up to the LMIA decision.

What happens if I lose my job while the permit is valid?

The permit is not cancelled automatically, but it cannot be used to work for a new employer. You may stay in Canada until the date given as the limit of your authorised stay, look for a new job offer and apply for a new permit — you cannot work until it is approved, unless you obtain separate authorisation to work while the application is being considered.

Does a year of work on this permit give the right to permanent residence?

The work permit itself does not give permanent resident status, but a year of skilled work experience in Canada — in categories TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, gained with a lawful right to work — opens up the right to apply through the Canadian Experience Class in the Express Entry system, as well as through a number of provincial nominee programmes.

How do days on a work permit count towards a citizenship application?

Each day lived in Canada on a work permit before permanent resident status is granted counts as half a day of physical presence, and no more than 365 days can be accumulated in that way. The remaining days of the 1,095 required over the five-year period before filing must be accumulated as a permanent resident.

Other ways to move to Canada

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Canada.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.