Work permit basics

Work permit (including extensions) per person: CAD 155.00. Work permit for a group of 3 or more performing artists: CAD 465.00. Open work permit holder fee: CAD 100.00 (in addition to the processing fee). Restore status as a worker: CAD 401.25 total (restoration 246.25 + new work permit 155). Biometrics per individual: CAD 85.00. Employer compliance fee (paid by employer under IMP): CAD 230.00. No effective dates shown on the fee list.

An officer shall issue a work permit only if, following an examination, it is established that the foreign national (a) applied in accordance with IRPR Part 11, Division 2; (b) will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay; and (c) fits a permit basis in IRPR 200(1)(c) (e.g. a positive LMIA determination under s. 203, or work described in s. 204/205/207 with a genuine offer where an offer is required). Dual intent: under IRPA s. 22(2), an intention to become a permanent resident does not preclude temporary residence if the officer is satisfied the person will leave Canada by the end of the authorized period.

All work permit applicants must show that they have enough money to take care of themselves and their family members during their stay in Canada and to return home. IRCC sets no fixed dollar amount for work permits; the inside-Canada eligibility page says the amount depends on family size, the community where the applicant will live and the work permit program, and points to Statistics Canada low income cut-offs as a general reference only (2023 data).

An application may be refused if the applicant is medically inadmissible, has a record of criminal activity (a police certificate may be requested), is a danger to Canada's security, or has misrepresented information. It may also be refused if the applicant plans to work for an employer with the status 'ineligible' on the non-compliant employers list, or for an employer who, on a regular basis, offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages. Applicants must give any other documents IRCC asks for to prove they can enter Canada.

Stays of 6 months or less: generally no immigration medical exam (IME) unless the person will work in a job where public health must be protected (e.g. health care settings, patient attendants in long-term care, clinical laboratories, medical electives, locum physicians, school or child-care work, in-home caregiving, domestic workers) or is an agricultural worker who lived/travelled in a listed country for 6+ months in a row in the year before coming. Stays of more than 6 months: IME required if the person lived in or travelled to a listed country or territory for 6 months or more in a row in the year before coming, or will work in a public-health-protected job. IRPR 200(1)(e) requires the medical requirements to be met where an exam is required. A temporary public policy may exempt certain people already in Canada until October 5, 2029 if their previous IME was within the last 5 years and showed low or no risk.

An officer shall not issue a work permit if: (a) there are reasonable grounds to believe the foreign national is unable to perform the work sought; (b) the person intends to work in Quebec without a Certificat d'acceptation du Québec where a section 203 (LMIA) determination is required and Quebec law requires one; (c) the work is likely to adversely affect the settlement of a labour dispute in progress or the employment of anyone involved in it; (e) the foreign national has engaged in unauthorized study or work in Canada or failed to comply with a condition of a previous permit or authorization (subject to the exceptions in that paragraph, e.g. passage of 6 months since the non-compliance ceased or a later temporary resident permit; under 200(3.1) it does not apply to vulnerable workers under 207.1(1)); (f) issuance would be inconsistent with an applicable federal-provincial agreement; (f.1) for an LMIA-exempt offer of employment under 200(1)(c)(ii.1), the employer compliance fee was not paid or the offer information was not provided before the application; (g.1) the employer, on a regular basis, offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages; or (h) the employer is ineligible under IRPR 209.95(1)(b) or is in default of an administrative monetary penalty (including failing to comply with a payment agreement).

Most people cannot apply for a work permit from inside Canada. Exceptions include: holding a valid work or study permit; spouse/common-law partner or parents hold a valid work permit; applicant, spouse/partner or parents hold a valid study permit; eligible for a PGWP while the study permit is still valid; applicant or family members are in Canada awaiting a decision on a permanent residence application in the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class or the overseas family class; recognized by the IRB as a Convention refugee or protected person; legally working without a permit but now needing one for a different job (business visitors excluded); made a refugee claim; holding a temporary resident permit valid for 6 months or more; CUSMA trader, investor, intra-company transferee or professional; Quebec skilled worker who applied under the PSTQ.

IRCC advises applying before travel. A POE application is possible only for visa-exempt travellers (from a visa-exempt country or territory, or e.g. a U.S. lawful permanent resident) who meet the requirements of the permit type (employer-specific: positive LMIA or offer of employment number; open: eligibility for an open permit). Not available to those who need a visitor visa, IEC applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents, SAWP applicants, or PGWP applicants. People already in Canada generally cannot leave and re-enter from the U.S. or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon to apply ('flagpoling'), with exceptions such as U.S. citizens/lawful permanent residents, certain free trade professionals and certain international truck drivers.

An extension/change application must be received before the current permit expires (online: before midnight UTC on the expiry day; paper received late is dated 7 days before receipt). If applied in time, the person is legally allowed to stay while the application is processed and can keep working under the same conditions of the current permit; employer-specific holders must keep the same employer, job and work location; open work permit holders can still change employers and jobs. TRP holders cannot maintain status. A work permit cannot be extended beyond the passport expiry date. While on maintained status, provincial documents and SIN cannot be renewed.

In most cases a worker should wait for the employer's positive LMIA decision letter before applying to extend. A worker may instead submit the extension application while the employer's LMIA or Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) application is being processed only if the current permit expires in two weeks or less and the employer submitted a complete LMIA or CAQ application; IRCC will not decide the work permit application until it receives the LMIA or CAQ. The applicant must type the code CPTS2026 in the Job Title field of the IMM 5710 form, include proof of a valid job offer, provide the LMIA receipt confirmation number (online LMIA applications) or a copy of the application sent to Service Canada or the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (paper applications), and state in the Details of intended work section the date the LMIA or CAQ request was sent, the office it was sent to, the employer's name and the confirmation number if available.

A worker must apply to extend or change conditions if the job is extended, the job changes, a different job is offered, or they want to work for a new employer. An employer-specific permit holder cannot start working at a different job or for a new employer until the work permit with the new conditions is issued (subject to the temporary public policy in WORK-STAT-003).

A foreign national may be exempted (by a delegated officer) from the permit conditions so they can work for a new employer or in a new occupation before a decision if they: are in Canada with valid temporary resident status (maintained status holders are among those expected to benefit); meet IRPR 199(a) or (b); have submitted a work permit renewal or new work permit application with no decision yet; intend to work under the job offer in that application; and applied for the exemption through IRCC's electronic means (or alternate format) requesting it apply until a decision is made. The policy (signed March 4, 2025, effective 12 weeks after signing) is in effect until revoked by the Minister. The exemption ends on the work permit decision or withdrawal.

IRCC must receive the restoration application no more than 90 days after status expired (online: before midnight UTC on day 90). The applicant must have met the requirements of their stay and all conditions on the expired permit before it expired. TRP holders are not eligible. The applicant may stay in Canada while the application is processed but normally cannot work until status is restored and a new permit is issued. After 90 days, the person must leave Canada and reapply from outside. Exception: a foreign worker applying for an open work permit with a letter of support from a participating province or territory (confirming placement in its Expression of Interest pool or PNP application inventory) is exempt from the 90-day limit and those conditions.

A worker may be eligible for an employer-specific work permit to keep working in Quebec for up to 12 months if they submitted a demande de sélection permanente to Quebec for an application under the Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ); currently hold, or recently held, an employer-specific work permit under the International Mobility Program or the Temporary Foreign Worker Program for a job in Quebec; and will work for the same employer in Quebec. A Quebec skilled worker who applied under the PSTQ is also among those who may apply for a work permit from inside Canada. IRCC's employer page for the same measure (Workers in Quebec) adds that Quebec must have invited the worker to apply under the PSTQ and the worker accepted; the worker must already work for the employer; the employer submits an offer of employment (LMIA exemption code R01, no $230 employer compliance fee) instead of a new LMIA; the worker's employer-specific permit must expire on or before December 31, 2026, or have expired after the worker applied to extend it (maintained status), or have expired between March 13, 2026 and December 31, 2026; and the worker must apply on or before December 31, 2026.