Canada Work Permits
Employer Specific Work Permit or Open Work Permit
LMIA Based Work Permits
High Wage, Low Wage, Global Talent Stream, Agricultural and Caregiver Streams
LMIA Exempt
International Mobility Program, CUSMA, Intra Company Transferees, Francophone mobility, C-category exemptions
Open Work Permits
Spousal, PGWP, Bridging, Vulnerable Worker, and other Eligibility Types
Work Permit - PR Continuity
Provincial Nominee and Ecpress Entry. Quebec: CAQ requirement and it is a separate process.
Canadian Work Permit Pathway Checker
Answer a few questions to explore possible Canadian work permit pathways and your next steps.
Your preliminary next steps
Verify current requirements with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
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Work Permits in Canada. Know What Your Permit Allows Before You Accept The Job
Work permit rules change often. We check your permit type, your employers position and your family's option before you make a commitment.
A work permit is not one document. The type you hold decides who you can work for, whether your spouse can work, and whether your time in Canada counts toward permanent residence. Contract work is the most common mistake: an employer-specific permit covers only the employer named on it.
Which permit fits your situation?
| Your situation | Likely route |
|---|---|
| Canadian employer offers you a job | Employer-specific permit (LMIA or LMIA-exempt) |
| US or Mexican citizen with a professional job offer | CUSMA Professional |
| Transferred by your multinational employer | Intra-company transferee |
| Student or graduate | Co-op permit or post-graduation work permit |
| Spouse of a student or worker | Spousal open work permit, if eligible |
| Waiting on a PR application in Canada | Bridging open work permit |
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Read before you rely on these tools
- Expiry: applying to extend before expiry is important, but your right to keep working depends on your circumstances and the rules that apply to you.
- Maintained status: it generally depends on applying before your authorized stay ends and meeting the conditions. A pending application does not give unrestricted work authorization.
- Changing employers: an employer-specific permit generally limits you to the authorized job. Do not start a new job until you are legally authorized to.
- Restoration: it is not automatic, and you generally cannot work while waiting unless a specific legal authorization applies.
- Flagpoling: restrictions and exceptions change. Check current official guidance before relying on it.
- Processing times: estimates only, never a guaranteed decision date. Check IRCC processing times for your category.
Answer what you can. Results show pathways that may be relevant. They are not an eligibility decision or legal advice.
Mark each item Done, Missing or N/A. Red items are mandatory. Grey items are conditional and depend on your facts or your occupation. Progress is saved only in this browser.
This list is general. Always confirm against IRCC's current checklist for your category: Work in Canada.
Saved only in this browser, never sent to us. Download a calendar file to get reminders at 120, 90, 60, 30, 14 and 7 days before expiry. A reminder does not preserve your status and a submitted application does not automatically let you keep working.
General information only, not legal advice and no guarantee of any outcome. Rules and fees change; verify with IRCC. Page last reviewed: [INSERT DATE]. For advice on your own case, book a consultation.
Contract Work And Self Employment
The conditions printed on your permit decide what work you can do. If you work outside them, you can lose status and face inadmissibility. See our Lost Status and Inadmissibility pages.
Our Process
Screen
Your permit, your status, employer, and family situation.
Assess
The routes that fit, the risks return tradeoff, and the route to permanent residence, if you wish to pursue.
Every query is answered within 24 hours.
Submit
A consistent, honest application, with a checklist before filing.
Advance payments and retainer funds are held in trust and released only as billed. See our Refund Policy.
Who We Represent
Individuals & Families
Individuals & Families: workers choosing or changing permits, spouses and dependants, students moving to work.
Employers & Corporations
sponsored hires, intra-company transfers, mobility teams wanting files checked before filing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I switch employers?
Not freely on an employer-specific permit. A new employer generally needs its own authorization (usually a new work permit, plus an LMIA unless exempt) before you start. Working for a new employer before approval is unauthorized work. Ask us before you resign or accept an offer.
Does my work permit lead to PR?
It can, but not automatically. Skilled Canadian work experience can open Express Entry or provincial nominee routes, if the occupation, hours and authorization meet the rules. See our PR Pathways page.
Can my spouse work?
Only in the cases listed above, and the rules have tightened. We check yours.
Where do I check fees and processing times?
What if my employer's LMIA is refused?
The work permit cannot be issued without it. The employer may be able to fix the cause and reapply, or you may qualify for an LMIA-exempt route. Do not resign or move until we have reviewed the refusal.
Employer Specific Work Permit (LMIA)
The employer must first obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment. Low-wage LMIAs are refused for processing in cities where unemployment is 6% or higher, a list updated quarterly, and low-wage roles are capped at 10% of a site’s workforce. We do not sell job offers or LMIAs. Check ESDC page here.
LMIA Exempt Work Permits
Roles that need no LMIA, including CUSMA, intra-company transfers, Francophone Mobility and youth mobility programs. Eligibility depends on nationality, occupation and employer.
CUSMA (US and Mexican Citizens)
Four categories: Professionals, Intra-Company Transferees, Traders and Investors. Professionals must work in an occupation on the CUSMA list and hold the matching credentials. Intra-company transferees are executives, senior or functional managers, or specialized knowledge workers who have worked for the company for at least one year in the last three years.
Intra Company Transferees (Other Nationalities Besides US and Mexico)
For executives, managers and specialized knowledge workers moving within a qualifying multinational. Officers scrutinize “specialized knowledge” closely, so the file must show it.
Students and Graduates
Co-op and internship permits during study, and the post graduation work permit after. See our study permit page.
Spouses and Common Law partners
Spouses of students qualify only if the student is in a master’s program of 16 months or longer, a doctoral program, or an eligible professional program. Spouses of workers qualify only if the worker holds a TEER 0 or 1 job, or a selected TEER 2 or 3 job in an eligible sector, with at least 16 months left on the permit. Dependent children of workers generally no longer qualify. Spouses of CUSMA workers are assessed separately.
Bridging Open Work Permit
For some applicants waiting on a permanent residence decision from inside Canada.
Business Owners and Investors
PR Pathways
Please check our permanent residence link.
Time Sensitive? Do not wait.
Tell us where your stand. We will respond within 24 hours
Kay Cee Immigration Services is led by a licensed RCIC-IRB. Outcomes depend on individual facts and are not guaranteed. Federal Court matters are referred to licensed lawyers.