Determine your eligibility — Work in Canada

If you need a work permit to work temporarily in Canada, you need to make sure you are eligible to apply. Your eligibility will depend on where you plan to apply for your work permit.

Eligibility to apply from outside Canada

Anyone may apply for a work permit before entering Canada. In some cases, you are required to submit your application to a visa office outside Canada, especially if you require a visa to enter Canada or if you need to complete a medical examination prior to coming to Canada. There are also situations where it is not required, but recommended that you apply at a visa office, depending on the complexity of your application, that is, investors coming in under NAFTA.

To apply for a work permit from outside Canada, see the Instruction Guide to find out what documents you must submit.

Eligibility to apply from inside Canada

You can only apply for a work permit from inside Canada if:

  • you have a valid study or work permit, or your spouse or parents have a study or work permit;
  • you are a postgraduate from a program at a Canadian university, community college, CÉGEP or publicly funded trade/technical school (or other eligible school or institution);
  • you have a temporary resident permit that is valid for six months or more; and
  • you are in Canada because you have already applied for permanent residence from inside Canada. You will have to pass certain stages in the main application process before you can be eligible for a work permit.

See the Instruction Guide, to find out what documents you must submit.

Eligibility to apply as you enter Canada

You can request authorization to work in Canada as you enter Canada but only if you meet the following requirements:

Note: if your job does need a labour market opinion, you can apply as you enter Canada as long as the positive opinion has been issued to you before you enter (except for live-in caregivers and seasonal agricultural workers).

Regardless of where you apply, you must:

  • satisfy an officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your employment;
  • show that you have enough money during your stay in Canada to take care of yourself and your family members and to return home;
  • be law-abiding and have no record of criminal activity (you may be asked to provide a Police Clearance Certificate);
  • not be a danger to the security of Canada;
  • be in good health and complete a medical examination, if required;
  • not intend to engage in employment with an employer on the list of ineligible employers;
  • not have worked in Canada for one or more periods totalling four years after April 1, 2011, (with certain exceptions); and
  • provide any additional documents requested by the officer to establish your admissibility.

Applying for a new visitor visa (to re-enter Canada)

If you are currently a temporary resident in Canada with valid status (that is, a valid study or work permit) and want to apply for a new temporary resident (visitor) visa to return to Canada before you leave, you may be eligible if:

  • your are a legally admitted temporary resident (student or temporary foreign worker only) in Canada with a Canadian residential address;
  • your current temporary resident status is still valid, and your existing counterfoil is expired and/or was valid for only one entry; and
  • you require a new temporary resident visa to return to Canada in the near future.

Find out more about temporary resident (visitor) visas.

Inadmissibility

Some people are inadmissible–they are not allowed to come to Canada. Several things can make you inadmissible, including involvement in criminal activity, in human rights violations or in organized crime.

You can also be inadmissible for security, health or financial reasons. Find out more about inadmissibility.

Related links

Come to Canada wizard

Come to Canada

Application form