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Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant · RCIC

Temporary residence: visit, study and work

Work Permits

The permit that fits your situation, timed so you stay in status and planned around your next step.

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The short answer

Canada issues two kinds of work permits: employer-specific permits, which tie you to one employer and usually need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or an LMIA exemption, and open work permits, which let you work for almost any employer. Spouses of some workers and students, recent graduates, and PR applicants may qualify for an open permit.

Reviewed by Gurvinder Singh, RCIC ·

Employer-specific (closed) work permit

Work for a named employer, in a named job and location.

  • One named employer
  • LMIA or LMIA-exempt
  • Inside or outside Canada

About

Before you apply, the employer must either get a positive LMIA from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) or confirm the job is LMIA-exempt and submit the offer through IRCC’s Employer Portal. Exemptions include trade agreements, intra-company transfers, significant benefit (C10), Francophone Mobility for French speakers outside Quebec (C16), and religious or charitable work (C50 and C51).

How I help

  • Job offer and LMIA document review
  • LMIA versus LMIA-exempt pathway assessment
  • Your application, plus guidance on permit conditions
  • Foreign nationals with a valid job offer from a Canadian employer
  • Workers whose employer has a positive LMIA
  • LMIA-exempt workers under an international agreement or exemption code, such as C10, C16, C50 or C51

Spousal open work permit (SOWP)

For spouses and common-law partners of eligible workers and students.

  • Spouse or partner
  • Eligible worker or student
  • Open permit

About

Eligibility depends on the principal applicant. Spouses of workers in TEER 0 or 1 occupations, or in selected TEER 2 and 3 occupations, may qualify when the worker has at least 16 months left on their permit. Spouses of students in master’s programs of 16 months or more, doctoral programs, and certain professional programs may also qualify.

How I help

  • Principal’s occupation, permit length and program check
  • Relationship evidence review
  • Application timed with the principal’s own permit
  • Spouse or partner of a worker in an eligible TEER 0–3 occupation
  • Spouse or partner of an eligible master’s, doctoral or professional-program student
  • Couples who can show a genuine relationship

Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)

An open permit for graduates of eligible Canadian programs.

  • Program of 8+ months
  • Up to 3 years
  • Language requirement

About

Programs must be at least 8 months long at an eligible designated learning institution. Master’s graduates can receive up to 3 years even for shorter programs; for other programs under 2 years the PGWP generally matches the program length, and programs of 2 years or more can lead to 3 years. Applicants now also need to meet language requirements and, for many college programs, field-of-study requirements.

How I help

  • Program, school and field-of-study eligibility
  • PGWP length, including combined programs
  • Language, timing and the application itself
  • Graduates of eligible programs at Canadian DLIs
  • Students who have not held a PGWP before
  • Graduates planning to gain Canadian experience for PR

Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP)

Keep working while your PR application is in processing.

  • PR applicants in Canada
  • After your AOR
  • Outside Quebec

About

Available to principal applicants on eligible PR applications who live in Canada (outside Quebec), are working on a valid or maintained permit, and have an Acknowledgement of Receipt.

How I help

  • AOR and eligibility check
  • Status planning while PR is processed
  • Application preparation and submission
  • Principal applicants on an eligible PR application
  • Workers whose permit is about to expire

Vulnerable worker open work permit

A confidential route out of an abusive job.

  • Confidential
  • Apply from inside Canada
  • Open permit

About

Workers in Canada on an employer-specific permit who are experiencing abuse, or are at risk of abuse, connected to their job can apply for an open work permit. Abuse can be physical, sexual, psychological, financial or retaliatory. You must apply from inside Canada.

How I help

  • Confidential eligibility assessment
  • Guidance on documenting what happened
  • Application preparation and submission
  • Workers in Canada on an employer-specific permit (or awaiting an extension)
  • Anyone experiencing or at risk of abuse related to their job

What decides these files

Where applications go wrong, and how I prevent it

  • Maintained status

    Apply for an extension before your permit expires and you can keep working while IRCC decides.

  • Occupation and TEER evidence

    Many permits depend on the principal’s occupation. The duties, not the job title, must match an eligible NOC.

  • Next-step planning

    Every work permit should lead somewhere, so I plan it around your PR pathway.

Fees and timelines change: check IRCC’s current processing times (opens in a new tab).

Questions

Work Permits: common questions

Which work permit should I apply for to work in Canada?

It depends on your situation. A job offer from a Canadian employer usually means an employer-specific permit, often with an LMIA. Spouses of some workers and students may qualify for a spousal open work permit; recent graduates use the Post-Graduation Work Permit; and PR applicants may qualify for a Bridging Open Work Permit.

Can my spouse get an open work permit in Canada?

Possibly. Spouses and common-law partners of workers in TEER 0 or 1 jobs, or selected TEER 2 and 3 jobs, with at least 16 months left on their permit, and spouses of certain master’s, doctoral and professional-program students, may qualify. The rules changed in 2025, so check the principal applicant’s situation first.

Can I keep working while my work permit extension is processed?

If you apply for an extension before your current permit expires and remain in Canada, you generally keep your status and can keep working under the same conditions until IRCC decides.

How long is a Post-Graduation Work Permit?

It depends on the program. Master’s graduates can get up to 3 years. For other programs under 2 years the PGWP usually matches the program length, and programs of 2 years or more can lead to a 3-year permit. The program must be at least 8 months long and PGWP-eligible.

Can I get a work permit without an LMIA?

Sometimes. If you have an open work permit, such as a PGWP or a spousal open work permit, you don’t need one. For an employer-specific permit, some jobs are LMIA-exempt, for example Francophone Mobility (C16) for French speakers working outside Quebec, religious work (C50), charitable work (C51) and significant benefit (C10). The officer decides whether the exemption really fits your job.

Do you help with work permits for trades and construction workers?

Yes. I help skilled trades workers with employer-specific permits, LMIA questions, extensions and the move from a work permit to permanent residence.

Related services

Often part of the same plan

All services
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General information only, not legal advice.

Talk to an RCIC about work permits.

Book a consultation with Gurvinder Singh, RCIC, by video, phone or in person in Surrey.

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