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.