If I have a Canadian job offer, am I eligible to apply for a work permit?
Not necessarily. A job offer, if required for certain work permit applications, must meet certain requirements in order to be considered valid. For most temporary work permits, in order to be eligible for a work permit, an applicant’s job offer must be either:
It should be noted that the province of Quebec has its own process for determining the validity of an offer of employment.
The application procedure is different depending on which type of work permit you need. The first step is determining which work permit is best for you. If you need help figuring out the application, simplycontact us and a member of our team will assist you with scheduling a consultation.
The processing time for a work permit application depends on the type of work permit and the applicant’s country of residence at the time of application. Processing times range anywhere from a few weeks to several months.
There are two types of Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications: a regular LMIA and a simplified LMIA. The simplified LMIA is only available in the province of Quebec.The regular LMIA is processed on a case-by-case basis with processing times varying greatly from applicant to applicant. Generally, it takes a minimum of five months to receive a response on a regular LMIA application.
If an employer is eligible for Canada’s Global Talent Stream, they may qualify for expedited LMIA processing.The simplified LMIA completed for Quebec employment is usually processed in approximately two to three months.
It is impossible to give a rate of success for work permit/LMIA applications, as all applications are processed on a case-by-case basis. If an applicant meets the requirements of the LMIA, their application should be approved. However, applications are assessed by individual officers, each exercising their own discretion in choosing whether or not to approve a work permit application.