EMPLOYER-SPECIFIC WORK PERMIT
Foreign nationals who are looking to work in Canada are most likely to obtain a closed work permit with or without Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This is also called and referred as Employer-specific Work Permit.
This work permit allows foreign nationals to work according to the conditions or limitations on the work permit. It limits a foreign national to one employer and is only authorized to work for one employer, in one position, in Canada.
Limitations of Employer-specific Work Permit:
An employer-specific work permit allows you to work according to the conditions on your work permit, which include:
- Name of the employer you can work for
- How long you can work for this employer
Location where you can work (if applicable)
Canadian employers hire temporary foreign workers to fill their specific needs. Although this work permit limits the person to one employer, it provides an opportunity to come to Canada temporarily and have Canadian work experience before applying for permanent residency.
Are you eligible for an Employer-specific Work Permit?
There are a number of ways to be eligible for an employer-specific work permit. This includes:
- Academic credentials
- Applicants who are part of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP)
- Dancers, actors, orchestral musicians, opera singers or someone in a related field
- Entrepreneurs
- Film or television production workers
- French speaking skilled workers who intend to work in a Francophone community outside Quebec
- Intra-company transferees
- Professional Athlete or coach
- Provincial Nominated applicants who have a job offer
- Religious worker or someone doing charitable work
- Repair or maintenance worker for industrial or commercial equipment
- Researchers at certain Canadian institutions
- Start-up Visa program applicants
- Workers under a federal-provincial/territorial agreement
It is not usually required to have Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) if the occupation is listed above. If the person does not fit in any of the categories listed, they are still eligible to obtain an employer-specific work permit. However, they will need to have LMIA beforehand.
The LMIA is a document that an employer in Canada need to get before hiring a foreign worker. It shows that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the job and the employer was not able to find a Canadian worker or permanent resident for that specific job. Know more about LMIA here.
Do you want to know if you are eligible to apply for an employer-specific work permit? Feel free to contact us!
