Finding Your PLace in the Canadian Job Market

Are you a foreign national looking to move your employment to Canada? Here is some information you might want to know!

Canada is a great country with many opportunities for growth and development. Hundreds of thousands of people immigrate to Canada every year to work for Canadian businesses.

To work in Canada, you must first receive a work permit. There are two types of work permits that allow you to work in Canada. An Open Work permit and an Employer-Specific work permit.

An Open Work Permit- allows you to work for any employer in Canada if they are do not fail to comply with the working conditions and do not offer any inappropriate services. Also, an open work permit can be either restricted with specifications on a field of occupation and location, or unrestricted, allowing a foreign national to work in any occupation and in any location within Canada.

The restrictions on an open work permit are not employer specific but might ask you to work in a specific field. For example, Construction or retail. An open work permit might also require you to work in a specific region or province. For example, your permit might say that you must work in Ontario or in the York Region area.

There are a few advantages to having a work permit. For example, the greatest benefit is the freedom to work in any occupation and for any employer of your choice. Another benefit is not having to need a job offer from specific employers to immigrate.

Employer-Specific Work Permit- allows you to work as long as the conditions on your work permit are met. By having an employer-specific work permit, you are only allowed to work for the one employer that you name when you file for the permit.

Some benefits of having an employer-specific work permit are that the foreign national is allowed to receive the benefits of the job and is also allowed to receive and be covered by OHIP coverage if the foreign national is working full time for a minimum of six months.

Work permits are typically given for a period of one - two years, or until the passport of the immigrant expires. If you decide to stay after the date of expiry on your work permit, you will need to reapply for a work permit within ninety days (about three months) of your expiry date, otherwise, you will be required to leave the country.

If you leave Canada to travel, you must bring your work permit with you to support your other documents when reentering the country. A work permit allows you to work in Canada, but you must also have a temporary resident visa or authorization from the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), along with a valid passport.

Contact Us

This material is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. To book a consultation with Buzaker Law Firm regarding reviewing your commercial lease agreement or other real estate-related or corporate documents, contact us at info@vblegal.ca or (905) 370-0484.