A Canadian work permit authorizes a foreign national to work in Canada temporarily. Whether you need an employer-specific permit with an LMIA, an LMIA-exempt open work permit, or help extending a permit that is about to expire, Brightlight's RCIC-licensed team reviews your work permit application personally before anything is filed.
A Canadian work permit is a document issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that authorizes a foreign national to work in Canada for a specific period. Most foreign nationals need a work permit to work in Canada Canadian citizens and permanent residents do not.
People often search for a ‘Canada work visa,’ but Canada does not issue a separate work visa. What you need is a work permit. If your country also requires a visa to enter Canada, you will receive a Temporary Resident Visa or electronic Travel Authorization alongside your work permit approval — but the permit itself is what authorizes you to work.
There are two main types of Canadian work permit: employer-specific (closed) permits that tie you to one employer, job, and location, and open work permits that let you work for almost any Canadian employer. Most work permits fall under one of two federal programs — the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which requires a Labour Market Impact Assessment, or the International Mobility Program, which is LMIA-exempt. Which program applies to you depends entirely on your job offer, your occupation, and your personal circumstances.
| Who needs one | Most foreign nationals who want to work in Canada temporarily |
| Canadian citizens / PRs | Do not need a work permit to work in Canada |
| Two main types | Employer-specific (closed) · Open work permit |
| Two main programs | Temporary Foreign Worker Program (LMIA required) · International Mobility Program (LMIA-exempt) |
| Govt fee — closed permit | $155 CAD ✓ Verified 2026 |
| Govt fee — open permit | $255 CAD ($155 + $100 open work permit holder fee) ✓ Verified 2026 |
| Biometrics | $85 CAD — required for most applicants ✓ Verified 2026 |
| Extend your permit | Apply at least 30 days before expiry — implied status keeps you working while you wait |
| Path to PR | Canadian work experience counts toward Express Entry and BC PNP permanent residence |
Verification: All fees in this table verified against multiple 2026 immigration sources. Re-verify at canada.ca and esdc.gc.ca before publishing as IRCC may adjust mid-year.
| Fee | Paid by | Amount (CAD) | Status |
| Work permit (employer-specific / closed) | Applicant | $155 | ✓ Verified 2026 |
| Work permit (open) — total | Applicant | $255 | ✓ Verified 2026 |
| includes: base fee | Applicant | $155 | – |
| includes: open work permit holder fee | Applicant | $100 | ✓ Verified 2026 |
| Biometrics | Applicant | $85 | ✓ Verified 2026 |
| LMIA application fee | Employer (to ESDC) | $1,000 | Verify at canada.ca/ESDC |
| IMP compliance fee (Employer Portal) | Employer (to IRCC) | $230 | Verify at canada.ca/IRCC |
| Status restoration (if permit already expired) | Applicant | $246.25 + $155 | Verify before publishing |
Open permit holder fee note: The $100 open work permit holder fee is refunded if the application is refused. The $155 base fee is not. Vulnerable worker OWP applicants are exempt from the $100 holder fee.
Every work permit in Canada falls into one of two categories. Understanding the difference is the first decision in any work permit application.
An employer-specific work permit ties you to one specific employer, job title, and location in Canada. You cannot change employers, take on a second job, or move to a different position without getting a new work permit first. Most employer-specific permits require either a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, or an LMIA-exempt offer of employment submitted by your employer through the IRCC Employer Portal under the International Mobility Program. A valid job offer from a Canadian employer is required in either case.
Brightlight handles:
→ LMIA Overview
→ Global Talent Stream LMIA
→ Low-Wage LMIA
→ Agriculture Stream LMIA
→ C11 – Self-Employed or Entrepreneur Work Permit
→ C51 – Owner-Operator Intra-Company Transfer
An open work permit lets you work for almost any employer in Canada without a specific job offer attached to the permit. You are not tied to one employer, one location, or one job title. Open work permits are available only in specific situations: recent graduates eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit, spouses of certain workers or students, applicants waiting for a permanent residence decision under a Bridging Open Work Permit, and other defined categories. No LMIA is required for any open work permit.
Brightlight handles:
→ Open Work Permit
→ Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP)
→ Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)
→ Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP)
→ Open Work Permit for Spouse (Inland)
→ Open Work Permit for Dependent Children
→ Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers
→ Francophone Mobility Program
Not sure which type of work permit fits your situation?
Whether your work permit requires a Labour Market Impact Assessment depends on your specific situation and the basis of your job offer. This is one of the most misunderstood distinctions in the Canadian work permit system — and choosing the wrong program wastes months.
Your Canadian employer must first obtain a positive LMIA from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) confirming that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident is available for the role. The LMIA application costs the employer $1,000 (⚠ verify current rate at esdc.gc.ca) and typically takes several months to process. Once issued, you apply for your work permit using the LMIA approval number. High-wage, low-wage, agricultural, and Global Talent Stream permits all fall under this program. Quebec has additional requirements — employers must also obtain provincial validation from MIFI.
Certain work permits do not require an LMIA because they serve Canada’s broader economic, cultural, or social interests, or fall under international trade agreements. These permits fall under the International Mobility Program. Your employer submits an offer through the IRCC Employer Portal and pays a $230 compliance fee (⚠ verify current rate at canada.ca/IRCC) instead of applying for an LMIA. IMP categories include: CUSMA permits for US and Mexican citizens, intra-company transfers, Francophone Mobility, CETA permits for EU citizens, significant benefit to Canada permits, and most open work permits.
Not sure if your job offer qualifies for an LMIA exemption?
An open work permit lets you work for almost any employer in Canada without a specific job offer attached to the permit. These are the most common situations where an open work permit applies in Canada.
Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)
For graduates of Canadian Designated Learning Institutions. Lets you work for any Canadian employer in Canada. Permit length is tied to your program duration — up to three years maximum. Available only once in a lifetime.
Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP)
For spouses or common-law partners of certain foreign workers or international students already in Canada. Your partner’s work permit or study permit must meet specific IRCC conditions for you to be eligible. Lets you work for any employer while your partner’s status is valid.
Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP)
For permanent residence applicants in Canada whose work permit is expiring while their PR application is being processed. The BOWP lets you keep working legally in Canada under open conditions while you wait for a decision on your permanent residency.
Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers
For foreign nationals in Canada who are experiencing or at risk of abuse by their employer. Allows immediate work authorization with any Canadian employer while the situation is addressed. Applications are processed without a fee.
Other Open Work Permit Categories
International Experience Canada working holiday participants, certain permanent residence applicants inside Canada, temporary resident permit holders, and applicants under specific public policies. We confirm your specific eligibility during your free assessment before any application is prepared.
Not sure if you qualify for an open work permit?
Eligibility requirements vary by permit type and program, but these five factors apply to most work permit applications in Canada. A weakness in any one of them can result in a refusal — which is why we review every file before a single form is submitted.
A job offer from a Canadian employer supported by a positive LMIA or confirmed LMIA exemption under the International Mobility Program. The offer must clearly state your occupation, wages, hours, and the work location. Open work permit applicants do not need a job offer but must qualify under a specific eligibility category.
Proof you meet the educational, professional, or trade requirements for the position. Depending on the occupation, this may include a post-secondary degree, a trades certificate, professional licences, or detailed employment reference letters. Foreign credentials may need additional verification.
IRCC assesses whether you have genuine ties to your home country and real reasons to return after your temporary work authorization ends. Family, property, employment history, and community ties all support a strong application. Weak ties are a common refusal reason on temporary work permit applications — it must be addressed directly, not left out.
Sufficient funds to support yourself until you begin receiving income in Canada, and for travel home when your permit expires. Most applicants with a confirmed job offer satisfy this through their employment contract, but it must be documented clearly in the application package.
No serious criminal history, no security concerns, and a satisfactory medical examination if required. A medical exam is necessary if you plan to work in healthcare, childcare, or agriculture, or if you have lived in certain countries for six or more consecutive months within the past year. Medical exams must be completed by an IRCC-designated panel physician before your application is submitted.
Want an honest eligibility review before you apply?
The work permit application process varies by permit type, program, and where you are applying from. The six steps below reflect the most common route — an employer-specific permit applied for from outside Canada. The process for open work permits and in-Canada applications differs at several stages — we map the exact route for your situation during your free assessment.
Before any application is prepared, we confirm whether your situation calls for an employer-specific or open work permit, which program applies (TFWP or IMP), and whether your job offer qualifies for an LMIA exemption. Choosing the wrong category is the most common and most avoidable mistake in the work permit process — it can delay your authorization by months.
For LMIA-based permits, your Canadian employer applies to Employment and Social Development Canada. For IMP permits, the employer submits an offer of employment through the IRCC Employer Portal and pays the $230 compliance fee (⚠ verify current rate). We advise employers on both processes and confirm the offer meets IRCC requirements before you apply — a deficient offer means a refused permit.
Valid passport, job offer letter or LMIA approval number, proof of qualifications, proof of financial capacity, and any country-specific documents required by the visa office handling your application. We prepare and review the complete document package before a single page is submitted. Missing or inconsistently formatted documents are the most common cause of processing delays.
Most work permit applicants must apply online through an IRCC secure account. US citizens and certain other applicants in eligible categories may apply at a Canadian port of entry. We handle submission, confirm current fees ($155 CAD for a closed permit, $255 CAD for an open permit — verified August 2026), and monitor your file for any IRCC requests or Procedural Fairness Letters.
IRCC issues biometrics instructions after submission. You have 30 days to complete biometrics at a Visa Application Centre near you ($85 CAD — verified 2026). A medical examination from an IRCC-designated panel physician is required for certain occupations and countries of residence. Submitting an upfront medical with your initial application can reduce overall Canada work permit processing time.
Most work permits are issued at the Canadian port of entry when you arrive in Canada. If you are applying from inside Canada, your permit arrives through your IRCC account or by mail. You can only begin working once you have your work permit in hand and it reflects the correct conditions — employer, occupation, and location for a closed permit, or open authorization for an open permit.
Every step prepared and reviewed by our licensed RCIC team.
If your work permit is expiring and you want to keep working in Canada, you need to apply to extend or renew it before the expiry date. This is one of the most anxiety-producing situations Brightlight clients face — and it is one of the most manageable, when handled correctly.
How to extend your work permit in Canada
You apply to extend your work permit from inside Canada through your IRCC secure account. Apply at least 30 days before your current permit expires — IRCC recommends this to allow processing time. The government fee to extend a work permit is $155 CAD (verified August 2026). Current in-Canada processing time is approximately 120 days, which means your permit will almost certainly expire before a decision arrives. That is where implied status becomes critical.
What implied status means — and why it matters
If you submit your extension application before your current work permit expires, you are automatically protected by implied status. This means you can continue working legally in Canada under your existing permit conditions — same employer, same occupation, same location for a closed permit — even after the expiry date printed on your work permit card.
Implied status is not a separate permit. It is a legal protection that keeps your authorization alive while IRCC processes your renewal. Implied status ends the moment IRCC issues a decision, whether that decision is an approval or a refusal. We confirm your exact implied status situation and advise you on the correct steps before you continue working under it.
IRCC refuses work permit applications for specific, addressable reasons. Every refusal we have reviewed had a preventable cause — a document gap, an unexplained inconsistency, or a job offer that did not clearly meet program requirements. These are the reasons we look for before any file goes to IRCC.
Cannot prove intent to leave Canada
The most common refusal reason for temporary work permit applications. Officers assess your ties to your home country — family, property, employment history, community. If IRCC concludes you are likely to overstay, the application is refused. This concern must be addressed directly in your application, not left for the officer to evaluate without guidance. We advise on how to document home-country ties before submission.
Incomplete or inconsistent documentation
Missing documents, mismatched names across application forms, employment gaps that are not explained, or a job offer letter that does not clearly state occupation, wages, hours, and work location. These create processing delays at best and outright refusals at worst. We review every document for these gaps before submission — not after a refusal arrives.
LMIA or IMP offer deficiencies
An LMIA that does not clearly support the specific job offer in the work permit application, or an Employer Portal submission with errors or missing information. This is a common problem when employers prepare their own LMIA without professional guidance. We work with employers to confirm the LMIA or IMP offer is complete and consistent with the work permit application before the foreign national applies.
Admissibility issues
An undisclosed criminal record, a past immigration violation, or a health condition that requires further review. If your background is complex, we assess it before filing — not after a Procedural Fairness Letter arrives mid-processing when options are more limited.Already refused? A work permit refusal does not prevent you from reapplying — but it does mean the next application must directly address the reason given in the refusal letter. Options may include a reapplication with stronger documentation, a response to a Procedural Fairness Letter, or a different pathway entirely. We review every refused work permit file before advising which path makes sense for your specific situation.
Refused before or expecting a difficult review?
A skilled worker in Surrey came to Brightlight with a closed work permit expiring in six weeks. His employer had changed his job duties six months earlier without updating the offer of employment in the IRCC Employer Portal — a discrepancy between the permit conditions and his actual work that would have caused a refusal if the extension had been filed as-is.
Brightlight identified the mismatch during the initial file review, advised the employer to submit a corrected offer through the IMP portal, and held the extension application until the correction was in place. The extension was filed with the corrected documentation. The permit was approved. He continued working without any gap in his authorization.
Your situation may be different. Either way, we will tell you honestly what your options are.
No immigration consultant can guarantee a work permit approval. What Brightlight guarantees is an honest assessment of your application, careful preparation of every document, and full support at every stage — including if IRCC asks questions, issues a Procedural Fairness Letter, or refuses the application.
Hundreds of immigration consultants and unregulated agents operate across Surrey and the Lower Mainland. Many have no legal accountability if something goes wrong. This is the comparison that matters when your ability to work in Canada is on the line.
What matters
Brightlight
Unregulated agent
DIY
✓
✗
—
✓
Unverifiable
Risk
✓
Variable
Risk
✓
Variable
Risk
✓
Unlikely
—
✓
Varies
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When you work with Brightlight, your permanent residence application is handled by the founders themselves, not passed to a junior caseworker after the first call. That is how we keep the standard consistent across every file we take on.
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Canadian work experience gained on a work permit is one of the most reliable paths to permanent residence in Canada. A temporary work permit is not the destination — it is where most immigration journeys begin. Here is how each stage connects, and where Brightlight supports clients from first permit through to citizenship.
Stage | What it is | Brightlight helps with |
Authorization to work in Canada temporarily | Application, employer support, LMIA, IMP | |
Work Permit Extension | Renew your permit to keep working in Canada | Extension filing, implied status guidance |
Spousal Open Work Permit | Open permit for your spouse or partner | SOWP application while your permit is valid |
PR pathway after 12 months Canadian skilled work experience | CRS strategy, ITA preparation, PR application | |
Provincial nomination for BC workers and graduates | BC PNP eligibility assessment, nomination filing | |
Canadian Citizenship | Full citizenship after meeting PR residency requirements | Citizenship application guidance |
Planning your path from work permit to permanent residence in Canada?
Canada does not issue a separate work visa. When people search for a 'Canada work visa,' they are looking for a work permit — the document issued by IRCC that authorizes you to work in Canada. If your country requires a visa to enter Canada, you will also receive a Temporary Resident Visa or electronic Travel Authorization alongside your work permit approval. The visa allows you to enter Canada; the work permit allows you to work once you are here. Both documents are separate, and you need both if your country requires a visa.
Yes. Work permit extensions must be applied for from inside Canada through your IRCC secure account. You should apply at least 30 days before your current work permit expires. Current in-Canada processing times for work permit extensions are approximately 120 days — which means your permit will likely expire before a decision arrives. That is normal, and it is why implied status exists. See Q3 for what implied status means in practice.
Implied status is the legal protection that lets you continue working in Canada under your existing permit conditions after your permit's expiry date, provided you submitted your extension application before it expired. You keep working for the same employer, in the same occupation, at the same location as your current closed permit — or under open conditions if your current permit is open. Implied status lasts until IRCC issues a decision. If your application is approved, you move to your new permit. If refused, your implied status ends and you must stop working. We confirm your implied status situation before you continue working under it.
Your spouse or common-law partner may be eligible for a Spousal Open Work Permit if you hold a valid work permit and work in an eligible occupation under the National Occupational Classification (TEER 0, 1, or selected TEER 2 and 3 roles). Your work permit must also have at least 16 months of validity remaining after your spouse submits their application. Partners of certain work permit holders in lower-skilled occupations may not qualify — eligibility depends on your specific NOC code and permit type. We assess both your file and your spouse's eligibility together.
A work permit refusal is not the end of the road — but the right next step depends entirely on why IRCC refused the application. In most cases the best path forward is a reapplication that directly addresses the specific reason given in the refusal letter, along with stronger documentation of the issue IRCC identified. If IRCC issued a Procedural Fairness Letter before the refusal, there may have been an opportunity to respond that was missed — we assess whether a reconsideration request is available. We review every refused work permit file before advising which approach makes sense for your situation.
Canada work permit processing times vary significantly by country of application, permit type, and IRCC's current workload. As of 2026, some permit types and countries process in a matter of weeks, while others take several months. LMIA-based permits have an additional employer-side processing stage that typically adds 5 or more months before the worker can apply. The Global Talent Stream is the fastest LMIA route, with a target processing time of approximately two weeks for both the LMIA and the work permit together. We check current IRCC processing times during your assessment and advise you on the realistic timeline for your specific situation.
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