how to apply for a work permit.

how to apply for a work permit.
Remember that in most cases, you have to apply for a work permit from outside Canada.
Your employer also has a role in the application process.
If you apply to work temporarily in Quebec, you must meet all the federal requirements and you must get a Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (Certificate of acceptance) from the province. See the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

1. Check the application processing times.
How long it takes to process your application varies depending on where you applied.
You can speed up the process by:
a) including all the necessary information with your application
b) notifying the visa office of any changes to the information on your application
c) avoiding unnecessary inquiries to the visa office
d) providing photocopies and documents that are clear and legible
e) providing certified English or French translations of documents, where required, and
f) applying from a country where you are a citizen or permanent resident.

Your application will take longer to process if the visa office has to take extra steps to assess your case. For example, extra steps are required if:
there are criminal or security problems with your application
your family situation is not clear because of an event, such as a divorce or an adoption that is not yet complete or child custody issues that have not been resolved
the local visa office has to consult with other Citizenship and Immigration Canada offices in Canada or abroad you require a medical examination.
2. Obtain an application package.
The package includes the application guide and all the forms you need to fill out

Before you fill out the application, you will need:

* a written job offer from your employer
* proof that you meet the requirements of the job (for example, proof of certain education or work experience) and
* the positive labour market opinion on your job offer from Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), if one is required. In some cases, you can submit your application while you wait for the positive labour market opinion. See Concurrent processing in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

If you need an HRSDC opinion, it is up to your employer to get it and send it to you. For more information about HRSDC opinions, go to Frequently asked questions in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.
Remember, even if HRSDC has given a positive labour market opinion, there is no guarantee that you will get a work permit.

Some jobs do not require an HRSDC opinion. For more information on those jobs, go to Work permit: Who can apply in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

For these jobs you will require:
*Proof of identity in the form of a valid passport or travel document that guarantees that you will be able to return to the country where it was issued and
* if you are not a citizen of the country in which you are applying, you must also provide proof of your present immigration status in that country.
After your employer gets confirmation that you can be offered a job, the employer will send you the labour market opinion confirmation letter. You must submit the detailed job offer with the application.
Now you can apply for a work permit at a Canadian mission abroad.

3. Determine where you will submit your application.

You must submit your application to the visa office responsible for the country or region where you live. You must have legal status in your country of residence.

In some cases, you can apply for a work permit when you arrive in Canada, or from within Canada.

4. Determine if you need a passport and a temporary resident visa.
If you want to work in Canada, you must meet the requirements for a work permit. You must also meet the general requirements for entering Canada. This means that you might also need a passport and a temporary resident visa.
A temporary resident visa is an official document that is placed in your passport. If you require a temporary resident visa, you do not have to apply for it separately or pay a separate fee. If your work permit is approved, the visa will be issued at the same time as the documentation you need to enter Canada as a worker.
If you are a citizen or a permanent resident of the United States, Greenland or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, you do not need a passport or a temporary resident visa to enter Canada. You must, however, provide proof of citizenship or permanent residence, such as a national identity card or an alien registration card.
5. Pay the correct processing fee.
There is a fee for applying for a work permit.
In many countries, the fee can be paid in the local currency.

Your fee will not be refunded, even if your application is not accepted.
6. Submit the application form.
Once you are sure your application form is complete, sign and date it, and check that you have included all the required documents and fees. Make sure you have the right receipt for the fees.
Remember, your application will be returned to you if it is not properly completed or if documents are missing.

Occupational basis for medical examination of temporary foreign workers

Depending on their intended occupation while in Canada, certain temporary foreign workers are required to undergo medical examination regardless of their intended duration of stay. The following list provides examples of such occupations. This list is not all-inclusive.

1. Occupations which bring the incumbent into close contact (more than three hours per day and/or risk of exchange of body fluids) with people, namely:
a) workers in the health sciences field, including staff and employees, clinical laboratory workers, patient attendants in nursing and geriatric homes, medical students admitted to Canada to attend university, medical electives and physicians on short-term locums;
b) teachers of primary or secondary schools or other teachers of small children;

c)domestics;
d)workers who give in home care to children, the elderly and the disabled; and

e)day nursery employees.

Medical examination requirements

Medical examination requirements for visitors (tourists, students and temporary foreign workers)
Tourists
Duration of visit to Canada
Less than six months: Generally, no medical examination is required.

Greater than six months: A medical examination is required if an applicant has resided or sojourned for six or more consecutive months in a designated country/territory in the one year immediately preceding the date of seeking entry to Canada.

Students

Duration of visit to Canada

Less than six months: Generally, no medical examination is required.
Greater than six months: A medical examination is required if an applicant has resided or sojourned for six or more consecutive months in a designated country/territory in the one year immediately preceding the date of seeking entry to Canada.

Temporary foreign workers

Duration of visit to Canada
Less than six months: Generally, no medical examination is required. However, a medical examination is required if an applicant is to work in an occupation in which protection of public health is essential.
Greater than six months: A medical examination is required if an applicant has resided or sojourned for six or more consecutive months in a designated country/territory in the one year immediately preceding the date of seeking entry to Canada or an applicant is to work in an occupation in which protection of public health is essential. A medical examination is required if an applicant is to work in an occupation in which protection of public health is essential. Please see Occupational Basis for Medical Examination of Temporary Foreign Workers for more information

Eligibility to apply from outside Canada

To apply for a work permit from outside Canada, you must submit the following documents:

• a job offer from a Canadian employer
• a completed application,

that shows that you meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations,

• written confirmation from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) that the employer can hire a foreign worker to fill the job. This confirmation is called a positive labour market opinion.

In most cases, it is up to your employer to get that written confirmation. Information on the labour market opinion is found under Information for Canadian employers on the right-hand side of this page.
In some cases, you do not need a labour market opinion.

You must also do the following:

1. Satisfy a visa officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your work permit.
2. Show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family while you are in Canada.
3. Respect the law and have no criminal record. (You may have to provide a police clearance certificate. See Have a medical exam or criminal check done in the I Need To… section on the right-hand side of this page.)
4. Show that you are not a risk to the security of Canada.
5. Be in good health. (You may have to have a medical examination.)

Some temporary foreign workers can have Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) start processing their work permit applications before a Canadian visa office has an approved labour market opinion.

If your family members want to work in Canada

If you are authorized to work in Canada, your accompanying family members may also be able to work here by virtue of the permit you have obtained yourself. No other authorization is required. If they intend to work while in Canada, they should find out if they are eligible for an “open” work permit.

Open work permits allow them to work in any job with any employer. An open work permit also means that they may be hired without the employer having to obtain a labour market opinion (the normal authorization required). Certain jobs may require medical checks or licensing from professional organizations. Their work permits will be valid for the duration of your own work permit.
Your spouse’s (and in some cases your children’s) eligibility for open work permits depends on the skill level of your job. You must also be authorized to work in Canada for at least six months. Note that open work permits for dependent children are available on a trial basis in participating provinces only. Accompanying family members must always apply for their own work permit. They should apply for one at the same time as you, before entering Canada. If they only decide to work after they arrive, they can apply once they are here. Find out more about applying from within Canada in the “Learn about” section on this page.

Working temporarily in Canada

Every year, over 90,000 foreign workers enter Canada to work temporarily in jobs that help Canadian employers address skill shortages, or as live-in caregivers.
A work permit is needed for most temporary jobs in Canada, though for some positions and business people it is not necessary.

Who can apply
Some temporary workers require a work permit and some do not. For some categories of workers, permits are approved more quickly.
The requirements and processing times depend on the sort of work you will do when you come to Canada.

What you should know
If you want to work in Canada, you must understand the following important information:
Your employer helps determine if you are eligible. Your employer may need to get a labour market opinion from Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC). A labour market opinion confirms that the employer can fill the job with a foreign worker. You will find more information about which jobs do not require a labour market opinion under each section on the Eligibility to apply page. You can also find out more about HRSDC labour market opinions in the Frequently asked questions in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.
To work in Canada, you must meet the general requirements for entering the country and for staying here, in addition to those for getting a work permit. This means you may need a temporary resident visa.

A work permit is not an immigration document. It does not allow you to live in Canada permanently. To live here permanently, you must qualify under an immigration category, such as skilled worker. Live–in caregivers can stay in Canada permanently if they meet certain requirements

If you want your spouse or common–law partner and your dependent children to come with you to Canada, they must apply to do so.

Visitor Visa Exemptions

Many people do not require a visa to visit Canada.

These include:

• citizens of Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brunei, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel (National Passport holders only), Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Latvia (Republic of), Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Slovenia, Switzerland, United States, and Western Samoa;
• persons lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence who are in possession of their alien registration card (Green card) or can provide other evidence of permanent residence;
• British citizens and British Overseas Citizens who are re-admissible to the United Kingdom;
• citizens of British dependent territories who derive their citizenship through birth, descent, registration or naturalization in one of the British dependent territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena or the Turks and Caicos Islands;
• persons holding a British National (Overseas) Passport issued by the Government of the United Kingdom to persons born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong;
  persons holding a valid and subsisting Special Administrative Region passport issued by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China;
• persons holding passports or travel documents issued by the Holy See.