When people apply for immigration to Canada, they are in fact applying for a permanent residence visa. Permanent residence is a status that allows an immigrant to legally reside and earn a living anywhere in Canada. A permanent Residence Visa is a document which allows a person to live and work anywhere in Canada. It comes with certain responsibilities and can be revoked if the holder is out of the country for too long, or is guilty of some criminal activity. A person who is a Canadian permanent resident may apply for Canadian Citizenship after 3 years.

There are few main categories for permanent residence that can be summarized as follows: Skilled workers/professionals; Business Immigrants; Family class in certain circumstances,A foreign individual who wishes to settle in Montreal or another city in the Province of Quebec must apply for a Quebec Certificate of Selection (CSQ) prior to submission of his/her application for permanent residence. Other Canada’s province’s and territories have their own immigration programs called Provincial Nominee Program. To apply under the Provincial Nominee Program, applicants must be nominated by a Canadian province or territory.

As of May 1, 2003, applicants are required to submit applications to the visa office responsible for the jurisdiction of their permanent residence, or the region to which they had been legally admitted for a period of at least 1 year.

Your spouse and any dependent children may be included in the application. Children must be under the age of 19 years. If they are 19 and older, your accompanying dependents will be subject to medical and security clearance requirements. Other family members, such as your parents, generally cannot be included in the application but you may be able to sponsor them as part of the family class after you land in Canada. Applicant (including dependent children) must meet requirements not only at the time of application but also at the time approval decision is being made.

Depending on the category your are applying, supporting documents usually include evidence of language proficiency, employment, business activities, education, assets, civil status, police clearance, etc. Each visa office has specific requirements regarding the submission of supporting documentation and the required documentation differs from category to category. It is advisable to seek expert guidance or instructions from your visa office regarding the submission of supporting documentation.

Usually, all supporting documents must be submitted at the same time as your completed application forms . The application is first checked for completeness at the visa office and incomplete files may even be returned without acknowledging receipt. Some categories have simplified application process where documents will be requested later.

All supporting documentation in a language other than English or French must be accompanied by an English or French translation, as translated by a certified translator.We recommend that you complete and submit an online assessment of your eligibility for immigration which we will evaluate at no charge. You can always contact us for assessment of your qualification or any question you may have.

It is useful to hire a qualified immigration consultant. Immigration is one of the most complicated areas of Canada law. Canadian immigration law is changing all the time, and it is hard to keep up, even for many immigration consultants and lawyers. An experienced authorized representative can help make sure that your application goes through the immigration bureaucracy smoothly and quickly.Selection interview with an immigration officer are held to ensure the information in the application is accurate, to verify documentation, to help applicants relocate to Canada and in cases of Quebec and provincial programs to test language ability and intention to reside in the province. Visa offices may grant certain candidates an interview waiver, depending on the qualifications of the applicant, the quality of the supporting documentation, and the overall credibility of the applicant. The likelihood of an interview waiver varies from one visa office to another. Interview waivers are granted at the sole discretion of the immigration officials.

The length of time it takes to process your application is dependent on various factors. It is almost impossible to give an accurate estimate for how long it will take for you to receive your Canada Immigration Visa. In Citizenship and Immigration Canada web site you can find the application processing times (Based on past processing times) for Skilled Workers, Business Applicants, Provincial Nominees and Family Sponsorships. However, these published times are not current and are so vague as to be of little assistance. In addition, past processing times may not indicate the length of time it will take to finalize applications in the future. Information you may find on various sources on the internet such as weblogs is even less trustworthy as there is no accountability for the messages posted on them. Don’t accept the promises of anyone who tells you that there is a way to get your Canada Immigration Visa quicker for a fee; it is not true.

There is no magic way to expedite the process. Beware of representatives who claim that you will receive a visa faster or benefit from special treatment from the Canadian government by using their services. No priority or special treatment is given to the file of an applicant who retains the services of an immigration intermediary.

You can you have the intent to be both a visitor and an immigrant concurrently. Canada Immigration accepts that you can have such dual intent, but you have to satisfy the immigration officer that you are a genuine visitor and that you will comply with all visitor requirements. Many people enter Canada while their immigration applications are under process or even while they have an intention to become an immigrant at some point in the future. You must satisfy the examining officer that you are entering for a temporary purpose but simply having an outstanding application in and of itself is not grounds to refuse you entry.

No. You will only become a permanent resident when you cross a Canadian port-of-entry with your valid passport and your valid Canadian Immigrant Visa.

You must arrive in Canada before the expiry date which appears on your Immigrant Visa. Usually, it is one year from the time medical examinations were completed. As this is not always the case, be sure to verify the expiry date as soon as you receive your Immigrant Visa.

As a general rule, the expiry date on your Canadian Immigrant Visa will not be extended. Failure to land in Canada before the expiry date may result in the necessity of re-application.

Generally, the holder of a Canadian Immigrant Visa may land at any port of entry in Canada without difficulty. This is not the case, however, in the Province of Quebec, due to its exclusive right to select immigrants. If, in your application for permanent residence, you declared an intended destination in Canada outside Quebec, then landing in Quebec may be problematic. Likewise, you may be asked to land in Quebec if your intended destination in Canada had been indicated as Quebec. If you are immigrating to Canada under one of the provincial programs, please note that the officers at ports of entry have become stricter on determining whether your intention is to reside in that specific province. If they find otherwise they may refuse your landing.

No. There are dedicated doctors in every region of the world. You can visit only a doctor indicated by the Canadian consulate. For list of designated doctors in your area please consult CIC web site.

Accompanying dependents cannot land before the principal applicant has landed. The accompanying dependents should land with the principal applicant or after the principal applicant, but in either case prior to the expiry date indicated on their Canadian Immigrant Visas.

Canadian Citizenship can generally be obtained after three years of permanent residence in Canada.

Permanent resident status in Canada does not affect US immigration requirements for eligibility to legal employment. The North American Free Trade Agreement, which applies to citizens of Canada, does facilitate US employment in certain cases.

Applicants should take a valid passport and landing documents (Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR)). Proof of settlements funds may also be requested. Also take statutory documents as:
● Birth Certificate.
● Marriage Certificate.
● Driver’s License or International Drivers License
● few copies of lists stating inventory you wish to take to Canada in the future (list of “Goods to Follow”) and when landing in Canada. Include Model Numbers and Serial Numbers of products if they have such numbers.

If you would like to enter Canada with your spouse, you should get married before submitting the file to the Consulate or during the immigration process. Your spouse will receive a Canadian immigration status automatically if you receive it.
If you want to apply without a spouse, you will have to sponsor him or her after moving to Canada. Important: It is against the law to not to inform the immigration officials that you are married and land in Canada as a single person. If you do so you will not be able to sponsor your spouse after moving to Canada.

Each medical case is analyzed individually, taking into account your full medical history. If the disease or disorder poses health risks to Canadians or places excessive demands on the Canadian health care system, it may result in medical inadmissibility.

No. There are dedicated doctors in every region of the world. You can visit only a doctor indicated by the Canadian consulate. For list of designated doctors in your area please consult CIC web site.

Police clearance is a document that certifies that an individual has no criminal record. All adult applicants must provide no criminal record certificates from all countries where they resided for 6 consecutive months or more since the age of 18 years. If police in a particular country refuse to issue a clearance, it would be helpful if they provided a written statement confirming that they refused to issue the clearance. Police clearance documents must be submitted together with application forms, supporting documents and processing fees. Visa offices accept only original no criminal record certificates. Visa offices usually consider them valid for 3 months since the issue date.

When you come to Canada, you must present your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) to a customs/immigration officer at the port of entry. The officer will check your visa and travel document and ask you questions similar to those on the immigration application form to verify that you are of good character and in good health. The officer may also request proof that you have sufficient funds to settle in Canada. Then if there are no problems at the Port of Entry, the officer will authorize your admission to Canada as a permanent resident.The officer will also use the information on your COPR to have your Permanent Residence Card sent to you by registered mail. In addition the officer will confirm with you about your intention to settle in specific province, in case you are coming through one of provincial programs or Quebec program.

After the landing you can travel outside of Canada the same day. However, if immigrants are out of Canada for extended period, they may lose their permanent resident visa. You are allowed to remain out of Canada no more than three years in any five year period.

In order to be qualified for Permanent Residence under the Canadian Experience Class, you must: – Be a foreign worker with a minimum of one year of full time skilled work (NOC O,A,B) experience in Canada, or an foreign graduate from an approved Canadian post-secondary educational institution with at least one year of skilled full-time work experience in Canada; Apply for Permanent Residence while working in Canada or in three years before you apply; and Intend to settle outside the Province of Quebec.

All government processing fees must be submitted concurrently with the submission of the application for permanent residence. Under federal process of your application, there are two application fees you will have to pay when you apply to immigrate to Canada: Processing Fees and Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF).
The processing fees and must be paid for the principal applicant and any accompanying spouse, common-law partner, and dependent children.
Upon acceptance, applicants must pay the Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF). The RPRF is payable by principal applicants and accompanying spouse or common-law partners and each accompanying dependants aged 22 or over. It must be paid before the immigrant visa is issued overseas or before the applicant becomes a permanent resident in Canada.

Your occupation (job) will determine the language abilities you require to immigrate under the Canadian Experience Class. The requirements vary according to job classification under the National Occupation Classification system (NOC).

You must have obtained at least 12 months of full-time, or the equivalent in part-time, skilled work experience at NOC Skill Type 0, or Skill Level A or B. Full-time work means at least 30 hours of paid work per week.
This work experience must have been acquired in Canada within the 36 months preceding the date your properly completed application is received by the CIO.
You do not have to be employed at the time of your application.
Note: Any periods of self-employment, unauthorized work, or periods of employment during which you were engaged in full-time study (e.g. work experience gained on a co-op, off-campus or on-campus work permit) will not be included when calculating the period of qualifying work experience. You must have had temporary resident status during the period of work experience acquired in Canada.
If you are a student and graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution, you can gain the work experience required for CEC through the Post-Graduate Work Permit.

No. Quebec selects its own immigrants. If you plan to live in Quebec, you must apply to be selected at the Ministere de l’Immigration et des Communaut’s culturelles du Quebec, as Quebec has its own selection process.

Yes, all experience within Canada (including Quebec) is taken into account provided that you intend to live outside the Province of Quebec.

No.

No. However, Provincial Nominee Programs are available to lower-skilled workers. These are workers in jobs classified at skill levels C and D (lower skill levels) under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) System. Applying for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class is restricted to Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations) or Skill Level A (professional occupations) or B (technical occupations and skilled trades) in the NOC.

Yes, provided that you have accumulated at least 12 months of full time (or an equal amount in part-time) skilled work experience in Canada in the three years before you apply.

No.

Yes, but it will take you longer to accumulate the amount of hours necessary to apply than an applicant who has worked full-time.

No. Your work experience must be gained after graduation.

No. Co-op terms and apprenticeships completed before graduating do not count as skilled work experience as they are considered part of an educational program. For this reason, co-op terms and apprenticeships are counted as part of the minimum two-year educational program requirement.

Yes, but your new application will be subject to new fees unrelated to your Skilled Worker application. It is not forbidden to apply simultaneously with two different streams of the Economic Class. However, the applicant will have to choose under which one the permanent resident status will be granted.

English- or French-as-a-second language courses do not count toward education requirements under the Canadian Experience Class. However, if your education in Canada includes a second language component, that education can be counted provided that the second language component does not make up more than half of your course load.

The PNP considers all skilled occupations classified as Skill Level 0, A or B by the National Occupational Classification, as well as select entry-level or semi-skilled occupations in tourism/hospitality, food processing, and long-haul trucking.

You can only apply to the PNP without a job offer if you are applying as an international student with a master’s or doctoral degree from a B.C. university in the natural, applied or health sciences.

With one exception for international graduates, all applicants to the PNP require the support of an employer. This means that your employer must provide you with an indeterminate full-time job offer, submit an application form and supporting documentation, and meet specific eligibility criteria.One application category does not require an employer’s support for an application. This is for international students who have completed a master’s or doctoral program from a B.C. university in the natural, applied or health sciences. These applicants are not required to have a job offer.

There is a $550 non-refundable processing fee for each application to the Skilled Immigration component of the BC PNP.
There is a $3,000 non-refundable processing fee for each application to the BC PNP business immigrants stream (business skills applicants proposing supporting nomination of key staff member must also pay an additional $1,000.)

Once you submit your application to the PNP, the PNP office will process your payment, assign you a file number and notify you by email that they have received your application. A PNP advisor will then assess your application and will notify you if they require more information to process your application. You will have 15 business days to provide this information. A PNP advisor will review your complete application and decide whether you meet the BC PNP criteria. If your application is approved, you are nominated for permanent residence. PNP officer will send you a written notice of our decision and provide instructions on what steps you need to take to apply for a permanent resident visa from CIC.

No. Being nominated for permanent residence by the PNP does NOT provide you with the legal status to work in B.C. It is your responsibility to obtain and maintain legal working status.However, if you are nominated for permanent residence, the PNP can provide you with a work permit support letter that will help you obtain or extend an existing work permit.

No. Being nominated for permanent residence by the PNP does NOT mean you have been granted permanent resident status. Once you are nominated, you must submit a separate application for permanent residence to CIC under the Provincial Nominee Class, who will decide whether to grant you a permanent resident visa.

After you are nominated for permanent residence by the PNP, both you and your employer are responsible for advising us of any changes in your employment. This includes a promotion, lay off, termination or a potential new job with a new employer. In each of these cases, you are required to inform a PNP advisor of the change in your employment and he or she will inform you of any implications. Please note that failing to inform BCPNP office of a change in your employment status could lead officer to withdraw your nomination or could result in questions from CIC when they process your application for permanent residency.

If your application to the PNP is refused, BCPNP officer will send you a letter letting you know of their decision and the reasons for it. If you and your employer are able to resolve all the reasons that your application was initially refused, you and your employer may re-apply to the PNP in the future.

You can apply for the B.C. Provincial Nominee Program (B.C. PNP) and a Work Permit extension at the same time. If you are applying under the Entry Level and Semi Skilled category you must have a valid work permit at the time of application and throughout the entire application process. If you are applying under another category and you are in Canada, you must maintain legal immigration status.

Applications that demonstrate greater potential to create significant economic benefits for B.C. will receive priority processing. The current processing time for Skills Immigration applications is 5 – 6 months. Due to an unusually large increase in applications, average processing times for Business Immigration applications have increased. BCPNP officers are currently processing applications received in May 2012. Applications under the Regional Business Succession Option receive priority processing, and are normally processed within 9 to 12 months of receipt.

No. The PNP cannot comment on the eligibility of your business plan or the likelihood of whether they will approve you as a nominee candidate and support your work permit before assessing your formal application. BCPNP officers require that you submit all forms and documentation to determine if you meet the program requirements.

If the business you want to invest in requires less than the minimum personal investment requirement, you must make up the shortfall by investing in other eligible investments such as expansions or improvements to the business. You must demonstrate the viability and long-term stability of the initial investment in the business and any improvements or expansion plans.

The minimum personal investment requirements in the business are:
• At least $400,000 for applicants to the Entrepreneur category; or
• At least $200,000 for applicants to the Regional Entrepreneur category.
If you are purchasing an existing business in B.C., the PNP will consider the lesser of the total purchase price of the existing B.C. business or two-thirds (66.666%) of your minimum personal investment. The remaining amount of your personal investment must go towards upgrading, expanding or improving the business.
For example, if you are purchasing an existing business for $1,000,000 CAD under the Regional Entrepreneur category, the BC PNP will only consider $133,333 as an eligible investment (66.666% x $200,000). You must invest at least an additional $66,667 to upgrade or expand the business. Your total investment will be $1,066,667 or more.
In another scenario, if you are purchasing an existing business for $100,000 CAD under the Regional Entrepreneur category, the BC PNP will consider the entire $100,000 as an eligible investment (the lesser of two-thirds of the minimum personal investment or the total purchase price). You must then invest at least an additional $100,000 to upgrade or expand the business. Your total investment will be $200,000 or more.
Finally, if you are purchasing an existing business for $500,000 CAD under the Entrepreneur category, the BC PNP will only consider $266,666 as an eligible investment (66.666% x $400,000). You must invest at least an additional $133,334 to upgrade or expand the business. Your total investment will be $633,334 or more.

The Regional Business Succession Option is intended to support business transitions for retiring small business owners in communities outside of the Vancouver and Abbotsford metropolitan areas. The Regional Business Succession Option only applies to businesses outside the Vancouver and Abbotsford metropolitan areas and it represents a complete purchase and complete takeover of an existing business.

You calculate your personal net worth by subtracting you and your spouse or common-law partner’s liabilities (including mortgages and personal debts) from the current market value of you and your spouse’s assets including:
• assets in bank accounts,
• fixed (term) deposits
• real property,
• investments in bonds, stocks and mutual funds,
• investments in one or more businesses, and
• pensions and other assets.

Declared net worth must be in your name or your spouse’s name. You must provide details of your net worth in the Citizenship and Immigration Canada form Schedule 4A – Personal Net Worth. You must have clear title to any real estate holdings and business ownership. You will be asked to provide supporting documentation of your and your spouse’s respective ownership, or percentage ownership, positions on the property, as well as equity amounts based on current market values less outstanding mortgages or other encumbrances. Future inheritances cannot be counted towards your personal net worth, and the share of business or property ownership must be supported by legal documents, such as deeds, shareholder agreements, etc.

The BCPNP does not currently require applicants in the Business Immigrant stream to meet language proficiency requirements. However, fluency in English is important for business success in B.C. Your application should inform BCPNP office of your plans to address any language barriers. This could include current or planned language training, participation in immigrant service provider mentorship programs, partnerships with other businesses, hiring key staff members, and connections in the community where the business operates.

If you apply in the Entrepreneur category you can propose one key staff member and if you apply in the Strategic Projects category you can propose up to five key staff members as part of your application. You must demonstrate that the key staff member is essential to the business in B.C. It is expected that the key staff member has a unique skill set and/or technical background that is not readily available in the local labour market in B.C. Typically, a level of trust exists between the key staff member and the principal applicant, often as a result of a long-term working relationship.
If you are proposing a key staff member in your application, you must clearly define the senior management role of the key staff member and outline his or her work experience. The key staff member must submit specific application forms, including supporting documentation, and he or she must attend the in-person interview with the principal applicant. If accepted, the PNP will issue the key staff member a work permit support letter to apply to CIC for a work permit. He or she will be included with the principal applicant in the assessment for nomination completed after submitting the Final Report.

Yes, you can submit an application to BCPNP. However, if the PNP approves your application, you must withdraw all other applications with provincial government(s) and/or CIC. Before you sign your Performance Agreement, BCPNP will ask you to provide proof that you have requested withdrawal from the other program(s). Once BCPNP office approves your application, their expectation is that you are committed to settling in B.C.

Eligible dependants are a spouse, common-law partner or dependent child of a provincial nominee.

Yes, Startup Visa is an official program of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

No – this survey aims to measure your eligibility in terms of:
1. Your credentials to meet the basic rules of the Startup Visa program as prescribed by the Canadian government.
2. The viability of your business to be funded by a Canadian Angel Investor or Ventures Capital organization.

You will need an investor in Canada to acquire a stake in your business on the following two criteria:
• $200,000 CDN from a designated Venture Capital organization, or
• $75,000 CDN from an approved Angel Investor.

You will need to contact an angel investor group or venture capital fund that has been designated by the Minister as eligible to participate in the Start-Up Visa Program. You will need to convince them that you have a business idea that is worth investing in. If you reach an agreement, they will send you a letter of support. This is proof required by CIC to show that the angel investor group or venture capital fund will support your business idea.

An ‘essential person’ is a person who is considered to be essential to the business and who has been specifically identified as essential by the designated angel investor group or venture capital fund on the commitment certificate and letter of support.

The designated venture capital fund or angel investor group will give you a letter of support once you reach an agreement. You need to include this letter when you submit your application. When you receive an investment commitment from a Canadian investor, the private sector organization will send a commitment certificate directly to CIC for the assessment to begin.

CIC recognizes that business ventures are often developed by an entrepreneurial team. Therefore, acommitment certificate and letter of support may identify up to five persons. A maximum of 2750 applications will be processed per year for the Start Up Business Class. No more than 5 persons may be part of a single commitment from a designated business entity. If your commitment has more than 1 person related to the business proposal an application for each person named in the commitment must be received. This means that if a husband and wife are both named on the commitment then an application and supporting documents must be submitted for the husband and a separate application with supporting documents must be submitted for the wife.

Each Letter of Support is valid for a period of 6 months from the date it was issued. This means you must submit your application for permanent residence as a Start-Up Business Immigrant within 6 months of the date the Letter of Support was issued.

The main difference between an angel investor group and a venture capital fund is that angel investors are usually investing their own money into a start-up business, while venture capital funds are limited partnerships that have a fund of pooled investment capital with which to invest in a number of companies. Generally, angel investor groups are investing in companies that are at an earlier stage of development as compared to venture capital funds. Minimum investment amounts were determined based on consultation with industry associations and represent typical investment amounts in each industry.

No, you are not required to invest any of your own money. The minimum investment required is an investment that comes from a Canadian venture capital fund or angel investor group that has been named as a participant in the program.

Receiving support from multiple designated venture capital funds or angel investor groups is known as syndication. If you have syndicated support, then all investment entities involved in the syndication must be identified. Only one commitment certificate will be sent electronically to CIC and one letter of support will be provided to you..

Failure of your business will not affect your permanent resident status. We recognize that not every business will succeed and this program is designed so that the risk is shared between the public and private sector.

To qualify as a Self-Employed Immigrant, you must demonstrate an intention and ability to establish or purchase a business in Canada that will keep you employed and make a significant contribution to the economy or the cultural or artistic life of Canada. The business must generate sufficient revenues to support you and your dependents. Farmers, artisans, sports personalities, actors, consultants, and operators of small business outlets that may be in demand in outlying communities are examples of the applicants who may qualify.
Assessment in this category is based on:
● business ability and experience (when applying under the economic contribution component of the Self-Employed Immigrant description);
● farming, athletic (at a world level) or artistic qualifications; and
● net worth (sufficient to establish/purchase the proposed business).
Self-employed persons under the Quebec program are required to have relevant experience in a trade or profession that he/she intends to practice in the province of Quebec and they are not limited to the above categories.

As a Self-Employed Immigrant you are encouraged to make an exploratory visit to Canada to properly assess the business/cultural/artistic environment of the area in which you intend to locate.

The net worth requirement for Self-Employed Immigrants varies depending on the nature and location of the proposed venture. Self-Employed persons destined to the Province of Quebec must have a net worth of at least CAD$100,000, lawfully obtained.

In addition to the application forms, statutory documents such as passports, birth and marriage certificates, etc. and education-related, you must submit documents proving your business and/or managerial experience, as well as documents evidencing your net worth.

You must demonstrate the origin and accumulation of your wealth through reliable, third-party documentary evidence: tax returns, pay stubs, contracts of purchase/sale, business/real estate valuations, statements from stockbrokers, etc. You must be able to demonstrate that your assets were gained through means, which are considered legal, including gifts or inheritances.

Most students need a study permit to study in Canada, but there are some exceptions. In some cases, you do not require a study permit to go to school in Canada.
● If you wish to study in a short-term course or program. You do not need a study permit if you plan to take a course or program in Canada that lasts six months or less. You must complete the course or program within the period authorized for your stay in Canada.
In some cases, you do not require a study permit to go to school in Canada.
•If you wish to study in a short-term course or program
You do not need a study permit if you plan to take a course or program in Canada that lasts six months or less. You must complete the course or program within the period authorized for your stay in Canada.
•Foreign representatives to Canada
If you are a family member or staff member of a foreign representative to Canada accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD), you may not need a permit to study in Canada. You should contact your embassy in Canada. Your embassy can contact the Office of Protocol at DFATD to find out whether you need a study permit.
•Members of foreign armed forces
If you are a member of a foreign armed force under the Visiting Forces Act, you do not need a permit to study in Canada. If your family members, including minor children, want to study in Canada, they must meet the requirements.
•Foreign nationals who are Registered Indians in Canada
If you are a citizen of another country who has Registered Indian status in Canada, you do not need a permit to study in Canada.

Here is a list of Canadian College / University campus websites, where you can find complete list of recognized universities and colleges in Canada that leads you to information on admissions, courses, degree programs, student loans, scholarships, grants, online education, student community life and much more.

You should apply as soon as you receive your letter of acceptance from the Designated Learning Institution. The time needed to process an application to study in Canada may be different at various visa offices.

If you want to renew your study permit, you must apply before the permit expires. If your study permit has expired, you must leave Canada. In some cases, you may be able to apply for restoration of status. However, you are not allowed to study until your status has been restored.

If you leave Canada and want to return, you must have:
● a valid passport or travel documents
● a valid study permit if you are returning to study in Canada and
● a valid temporary resident visa if you are a citizen of a designated country for which Canada requires a visa.
If you are a citizen of a designated country (Including Iran) and you travel to a country other than the United States, Greenland orSaint-Pierre et Miquelon, you will need a multiple-entry visa to re-enter Canada. If your temporary resident visa has expired or if your visa was only valid for a single entry, you must re-apply for a temporary resident visa at a Canadian visa office outside Canada before you can re-enter Canada.

Primary school student
•You must apply to modify your study permit when you move on to high school. Send your application to the CIC Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta.
High school student
•You must apply to modify your study permit when you move on to post-secondary school. Send your application to the CIC Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta.
Post-secondary student
•You may change your school, program, field of study or level of study (e.g. from the Bachelor level to the Masters level) without applying for a new study permit. You do not need to apply for a change to the condition of your study permit, either. You may continue to use your study permit as long as it is valid.

Yes. You may be eligible to work in Canada while studying and after you graduate. As a study permit holder, you may qualify to work on-campus or off-campus without an additional work permit if you meet specific criteria.
If your academic, professional or vocational training program includes an essential co-op or internship component, you will need to apply for a work permit.
You may also apply for a post-graduation work permit to continue working in Canada after you graduate from an eligible institution.

Yes.
If you have a study permit and are enrolled full-time in an eligible institution:
•you may work on-campus without a work permit.
If you have a study permit and are enrolled full-time in an academic, professional or vocational training program at a designated learning institution:
•you may work off campus without a work permit.
If you receive your study permit after June 1:
•your study permit will indicate if you are able to work off campus. If so, you are allowed to work for up to 20 hours per week while:
•your program is in session, and
•full-time during scheduled breaks in the academic calendar.
You may work for any employer in Canada who is not on the ineligible employer list.
You must have the appropriate work permit in order to take part in a co-op or internship program. You also must apply for a post-graduation work permit in order to work in Canada after your studies.

Canada offers many choices of schools for international students. These include primary and secondary schools, post secondary institutions (i.e. colleges and universities) private career /vocational schools, and language schools. Find more information on choosing a school.
Once you have chosen a school, you will need to make sure it is on the designated learning institution list. This list names the schools in Canada that are approved to accept international students. A study permit can only be issued to someone who has been accepted to study at a designated learning institution.

To study in Quebec, you first need to have a letter of acceptance from the designated learning institution which you plan to attend in Quebec. In addition, you must have received or applied for a Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ) or certificate of acceptance which is issued by the province of Quebec. At that time, you can apply for a study permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

Generally, minor children need to apply for a study permit from outside of Canada, if they want to go to study in Canada. However, a minor child can go to school without a study permit if:
•one parent (biological or adoptive) is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident; or
•one parent (biological or adoptive) is permitted to study or work in Canada; or
•neither parent is physically in Canada.

Yes, you need a medical exam , if you:
•come from a designated country/territory for which Canada requires a visa,
•will be here for more than six months, or
•are a medical student or intend to work in health care, or in another field that brings you into close contact with children or the elderly.

If you leave Canada and want to return, you must have:
•a valid passport or travel document;
•a valid study permit if you are returning to study in Canada; and
•a valid temporary resident visa, if you are a citizen of a country or territory whose citizens require visas in order to enter Canada as visitors.
You must re-apply for a temporary resident visa (commonly known as a visitor visa) if:
•your visa has expired; or
•your visa was only valid for a single entry to Canada.

No. Once you are authorized to work off-campus, you can work up to 20 hours per week while classes are in session. However, during scheduled breaks such as the summer or winter holidays and spring break, you are allowed to work full-time. You must ensure you comply with the requirements of the off-campus work authorization.

The post-graduation work permit allows students who have graduated from a participating Canadian post-secondary institution to gain valuable Canadian work experience.
Note: Work obtained through the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program may help support your application to become a permanent resident of Canada through Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Workers, or PNP programs.

You must apply for a post-graduation work permit within 90 days of receiving written confirmation from your educational institution that you have met the requirements for completing your academic program.

Yes, but you must have a valid post-graduation work permit before working.

A post-graduation work permit may be valid anywhere between eight months and up to three years, depending on the length of the program of study completed in Canada. The permit cannot be valid for longer than the length of the program of study completed in Canada. For example:
•If you graduate from an eight-month certificate program, you could be eligible for an eight-month work permit.
•If you graduate from a four-year degree program, you could be eligible for a three-year work permit, if you meet program requirements.

To qualify for a post-graduation work permit, you must have graduated from a public institution or a recognized degree program at a private institution. These institutions may include a university, college or a Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (an educational institution in Quebec that offers pre-university classes and technical career programs).

There are several permanent resident categories that you may fit into, including the Canadian Experience Class, the PhD stream of the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Provincial Nominee Program. See Immigrating to Canada for information on these and other categories.
Some of those categories require eligible Canadian work experience. If you want to work in Canada after you graduate from your studies, you must apply for a work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program. If you are international graduates and currently working. You may send us an enquiry through Free Online Accessment, we can access your eligibility and reply you within 24 hours.

This depends on a few factors, such as the job you want to work in and what program/stream you will apply under. Usually you will need any number of these:
•a job offer in Canada,
•proof that you are certified or accredited to work in that occupation,
•proof from Employment and Social Development Canada that your proposed employer is allowed to hire you (known as a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment),
•a visa to travel to Canada,
•a work permit letter from a Canadian mission overseas,
•a work permit issued at the border and generally stamped into your passport.

A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document that an employer in Canada may need to get before hiring a foreign worker.
A positive LMIA will show that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the job and that no Canadian worker is available to do the job. A positive LMIA is sometimes called a confirmation letter.Your proposed employer must contact Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). ESDC will provide details on the LMIA application process.
In many cases, an employer must get a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to hire a foreign worker.
An LMIA is a document from the Government of Canada that permits your employer to hire a temporary foreign worker through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Employers hiring foreign workers through the International Mobility Program do not need an LMIA. These people need a work permit but do not need an LMIA:
•Workers covered under international agreements
•People taking part in exchange programs
•Spouses and common-law partners of certain skilled foreign workers.
•Workers, their spouses/common-law partners or their dependants who are eligible for a work permit through a pilot project
Pilot projects are agreements between the Government of Canada and provincial/territorial governments. Find out if you are eligible to come to Canada through a pilot project.
•Workers nominated by a province for permanent residence
The person must have a job offer from an employer based in that province.
•Entrepreneurs and workers transferred within a company
This includes workers who will greatly benefit Canadians or permanent residents by working in Canada.
•Academics
This includes researchers, guest lecturers, visiting professors and others.
•Co-op students
These are international students studying in Canada and doing co-op work placements or internships as part of their study program.
•Religious workers
These are people doing charitable or religious work.
•Francophone Significant Benefit Program
Francophone foreign workers working in a province or territory outside Quebec in specific occupations (Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)).
•Others
These are other people who need to support themselves while they are in Canada, such as those waiting on a refugee claim.

In most cases, your employer must send you:
•a job offer letter, and
•a document from Employment and Social Development Canada that says your employer is allowed to hire you (known as a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment, or LMIA).
Once you have these two documents, you can apply to get, extend or modify a work permit.

It depends on the work permit you have. Work permits are often tied to a specific employer. They will only allow you to work for the employer on the permit. Your employer may need to get authorization from Employment and Social Development Canada first before they can hire you. This is known as a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). In some cases, a foreign worker can get an open work permit, which does not include a specific employer.
As well, a foreign worker cannot work for an ineligible employer. This means an employer who is not allowed to hire a foreign worker because they have not followed the rules of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program.

An open work permit is a work permit that is not job-specific. Because it is not job-specific, no job offer or authorization from Employment and Social Development Canada (known as a Labour Market Impact Assessment, or LMIA) is needed.

Most people can come to Canada to work for a maximum of four years. If you are applying for a work permit, you should keep track of the total time you have worked and plan to work in Canada. Once you have completed four years of work as a temporary foreign worker in Canada, you will not be eligible to work in Canada again until another period of four years has passed.

Some conditions CIC will be written directly on your work permit.
These may include:
•the type of work you can do,
•the employer you can work for,
•where you can work, or
•how long you can work.
There are also standard conditions that apply to all work permit holders. Even if you have no specific conditions on your work permit, you still must:
•not work for an employer in a business where there are reasonable grounds to suspect a risk of sexual exploitation of some workers, specifically: strip clubs,massage parlours, and escort agencies,
•leave Canada at the end of your authorized stay.

Processing times vary, depending on the type of application you submit. Information on processing times is available online for applications submitted inside and outside of Canada. This information is updated on CIC website frequently, so you can check often.

Only in some cases. You can only apply for a work permit from inside Canada if:
•you, your spouse or parents have a valid study or work permit,
•you have a work permit for one job but want to apply for a work permit for a different job,
•you have a temporary resident permit that is valid for six months or more, or
•you are in Canada because you have already applied for permanent residence from inside Canada. You will have to pass certain stages in the main application process before you can be eligible for a work permit.

Under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, there is no formal right of appeal on temporary resident decisions. Instead, you can reapply. If possible, a different officer will examine the application.
You can also ask for a judicial review through the Federal Court of Canada, if you think the process was not fair. A lawyer in Canada would act on your behalf.

No. However, each country has a unique agreement with Canada. Some countries allow participation in the program more than once. If your country’s agreement allows participation more than once, you would have to reapply outside of Canada.

No. The rules for the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) differ from those for other work permits. Under the SAWP, you may remain in Canada for a maximum of 8 months between January 1st and December 15th. You must leave Canada no later than December 15th. Your employer must request authorization from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) to hire you each season. This is known as a positive Labour Market Opinion. More information is available from ESDC and the Quebec immigration ministry. Your employer may want to rehire you. Even so, you must go back to your home country before you can apply for another work permit.

You may need one. Citizens of certain countries need a temporary resident visa to enter Canada and stay for a short period. It is a sticker the size of a passport page. It proves that an officer at a Canadian visa office read your application and was satisfied you met the requirements to enter Canada.

Single-Entry Temporary Resident Visa
•If you have a single-entry temporary resident visa, you will generally need a new visa to come back to Canada.
•You can request to return to Canada on your original single-entry temporary resident visa, if: ◦you will only visit the U.S. or St. Pierre and Miquelon; and you will return to Canada before the end of your approved stay in Canada.
Multiple-Entry Temporary Resident Visa
•Yes, you can come back to Canada, if you have a multiple-entry temporary resident visa and it has not expired.
Expired Temporary Resident Visa
•You can ask to come back to Canada on your original temporary resident visa, even if it is expired, if: you will only visit the U.S. or St. Pierre and Miquelon, and you will return to Canada before the end of your approved stay in Canada.
An officer will make sure you meet all the requirements before allowing you to come back to Canada. If you visit any country other than those listed above, you will need a new temporary resident visa.

If you want to extend your stay in Canada, you should apply at least 30 days before your status expires. You will be allowed to extend your work permit for a period of time that adds up to — but does not exceed — the maximum of four years of work in Canada.
Depending on your situation, you may need to use a different application form. For example, if you have a new job offer in Canada, you will need to apply for a new work permit.
Your employer may also need to apply for a new Labour Market Impact Assessment (a document from Employment and Social Development Canada that says that your employer is allowed to hire you).
Temporary residents currently in Canada with a valid study or work permit must submit their application for a new temporary resident visa to the Case Processing Centre in Ottawa (CPC-O), or visa office that serves their country of nationality.
•If your work permit expires after you have submitted your application for an extension but before you receive a decision on your application, you can stay in Canada under what is called implied status. That means the law implies you are a temporary resident. That status lasts until Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) decides on your new permit application. However, you must respect the following requirements:
If you applied for another work permit:
◦You must stay in Canada and meet the conditions of your original work permit. If you applied for a work permit extension before your work permit expired, you can keep working under the same conditions as your existing permit until CIC decides on your application, even if you have applied to extend your stay under another category of temporary resident.
If you applied for a different kind of permit:
◦You cannot do any of the activities allowed by the original work permit. For example, you may have come to Canada as a worker and then applied for a study permit. If so, you must stop working once your work permit expires. After that, you cannot work or study until you get a new permit.
•If you have applied to extend your work permit and plan on traveling outside Canada while your application is in process, you can leave Canada and come back. However, one of three things will happen when you return to Canada: ◦You may be allowed to come back to Canada as a visitor, if Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has not yet decided to extend your work permit. If this is the case, you cannot work until you get your work permit extension. The officer at the port of entry may ask you to prove you have enough money to support yourself in Canada.
◦You may be allowed to come back to Canada as a worker, if the officer at the port of entry finds out that CIC extended your work permit while you were away.
◦You may be asked to apply for a new work permit at the port of entry.
Note: It is possible that you will not be able to enter Canada. The final decision is made at the border by the border services officer.

Yes, you can apply to extend a work permit from inside Canada if the work permit you applied for outside Canada is still valid. You will be allowed to extend your work permit for a period of time that adds up to — but does not exceed — the maximum of four years of work in Canada.

Your employer must apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) renewal from Employment and Social Development Canada. A positive LMIA allows your employer to hire you. Then, your employer must also apply for a Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ) from the Quebec government for your job.

Yes, if you applied for a work permit extension before your work permit expired, you can keep working until a decision is made on your application.
You must stay in Canada and meet the conditions of your original work permit. For instance, if you have an employer-specific work permit, you must still work for the employer named on that permit. And you should keep proof that you submitted the application before your work permit expired. This includes copies of the application, the fee receipt, and something that confirms the date it was sent and delivered.

You should apply to renew your government ID before your status expires.
These services are provided by the province you live in. If your status has expired and you need to renew your government ID, you will have to apply to the government of the province or territory you live in. That government will decide how and when they renew the documents. For more information, contact the appropriate government department or agency in the province or territory where you live, such as those responsible for health or transportation.

You can only submit your application without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ) if your work permit expires within 2 weeks. You must include proof that the LMIA/CAQ request was made.
You must:
•include a copy of the application sent to Employment and Social Development Canada/Immigration Québec, or
•include a copy of the receipt confirmation number, if the request was done online, or
•indicate, in the section Details of Intended Work in Canada of the work permit application:
◦the date the LMO/CAQ request was sent,
◦the office it was sent to,
◦the employer’s name, and
◦the confirmation number for the submission, if available.
You must contact CIC with the LMIA/CAQ confirmation number within 2 months of the date your application was received; otherwise your application could be refused.
Note: If you are waiting for your CAQ, you cannot submit your application online. You must submit a paper application.

Your spouse or common-law partner and children can come with you to Canada or visit you in Canada, if they:
•meet all the requirements for temporary residents to Canada,
•satisfy an immigration officer they will only stay in Canada temporarily,
•can prove they have no criminal record, if necessary, and
•meet all the conditions for getting a temporary resident visa, if they are from a country or territory whose citizens require a visa in order to enter Canada as visitors.

Perhaps. If your spouse or common-law partner wants to work in Canada, they must apply for their own work permit. Normally, they must meet the same requirements that you do.
In most cases, your spouse or common-law partner must apply for a work permit for a specific job. The employer may have to get a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada. An LMIA allows a particular employer to hire someone for a specific job.
However, your spouse or common-law partner may be able to apply for an open work permit—allowing him or her to accept any job with any employer—if you meet one of these conditions:
•you are allowed to work in Canada for at least six months, doing work in Canada that meets a minimum skill level (usually work that requires at least a college diploma) and doing a job listed in Skill Level 0, A or B in the National Occupational Classification, or
•you are allowed to work in Canada and doing work in Canada that is on a list of eligible occupations in participating provinces.
If your spouse or common-law partner gets an open work permit, it is normally valid for the same period as yours.
In some cases, your spouse or common-law partner will need a medical exam.
Some provinces and territories also have pilot projects for spouses or common-law partners to get open work permits in some cases.

It depends on the immigration status of your spouse. If your spouse or common-law partner is a permanent resident, they can work in Canada.
If your spouse or common-law partner is in Canada on a temporary resident (visitor) visa, they have to apply for a work permit to be able to work.
Your spouse or common-law partner can apply for a work permit from inside Canada if:
•they have a temporary resident permit that is valid for six months or more; OR
•they are in Canada because they have already applied for permanent residence from inside Canada AND they have passed certain stages in the main application process; OR
•you are a Canadian citizen and resident of Ontario returning to that province to work in an academic or health-care career.

Depending on your citizenship, you may. People travelling on passports from certain countries and territories need a temporary resident visa (commonly known as a visitor visa) to travel to Canada. You can send us an enquiry, we will access if you need visa to visit Canada.

If you need a visa to come to Canada, you can apply for a visitor visa (also known as a temporary resident visa). There are two types: a single entry visa and a multiple entry visa. Both are valid for a fixed period and cannot be used after they expire.
A multiple entry visa allows visitors to come and go from Canada for six months at a time, without having to reapply each time. It can be valid for up to 10 years, or one month before your passport expires, whichever is earlier. You must arrive in Canada on or before the expiry date on your visa.
A single entry visa allows you to come to Canada only one time. Once you have left Canada, excluding travel to the United States and St. Pierre and Miquelon, you will need a new visa to travel back to and enter Canada.
If your visa is still valid and you are travelling only and directly to the United States (including its Territories and Possessions) or St. Pierre and Miquelon, you do not need a new visitor visa to return to Canada. If your visa expires before returning to Canada from one of these areas, and you are not in possession of a valid visitor record, work permit, study permit, or temporary resident permit (authorizing re-entry), you will need to get a new visitor visa.
Starting on February 6, 2014 (00:01 EST), all visa applicants will automatically be considered for a multiple entry visa. The visa officer reviewing your application may be able to give you this type of visa even if you applied for a single entry visa.

All applicants who are eligible for a multiple entry visa will be issued one. However, not all applicants will be eligible for a multiple entry visa. This remains at the discretion of a visa officer. A single entry visa may be issued in cases where, for example:
•An applicant is eligible for a fee-exemption and where the purpose of entry to Canada is limited (e.g., for an official visit by a foreign national);
•An applicant is participating in a one-time special event in Canada (e.g., Pan-American Games); and/or
•Country-specific procedures or guidelines are in place and approved by CIC.

When you arrive at the point of entry in Canada, border services officer will make sure you meet the requirements to enter Canada.
The officer will authorize your stay by stamping your passport and/or issuing another document.
If there is no stamp, handwritten date or document in your passport, your temporary resident status will expire six months from the day you arrived in Canada.
If you received a visitor record, student or work permit, the expiry date is marked on it.

If you are on a cruise ship that departs from Canada or the continental United States and enters international waters and you are not in possession of a valid multiple-entry visa, you will need to obtain a new temporary resident visa in order to re-enter Canada.

Citizens of certain countries and territories must have visas when they enter Canada. If you need a visa to visit Canada, then you will need a Transit Visa to travel through Canada without stopping or visiting. This is true even if you are in Canada for less than 48 hours. There is no fee for a Transit Visa. You can apply for a transit visa by filling out the application for a Temporary Resident Visa and selecting transit visa from the list of options on the form.
You may not need a transit visa if you are travelling to or from the United States. The Transit Without Visa program (TWOV) and the China Transit Program (CTP) allow certain foreign nationals to transit through Canada on their way to and from the United States without a Canadian transit visa, if they meet certain requirements.

Anyone who visits Canada from a temporary resident visa-required country must initially apply from outside the country. Your friend or family member must apply to the Canadian visa office responsible for his or her country or region. A visa officer will review the application and decide whether to issue a visa.
You may provide your family member or friend a letter of invitation in support of their application. It should explain how you will help the person. For example, you may offer to pay for plane tickets or accommodation. A letter of invitation can help, but it does not guarantee the person will get a visa.

You can hire a representative or an agent to help with your application. The representative or agent must be either:
•a lawyer or paralegal who is a member in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society, or
•a notary who is a member in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec, or
•an immigration consultant who is a member in good standing of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council.

Canada does not pay for hospital or medical services for visitors. You should get health insurance to cover any medical costs before you come to Canada. For travel insurance quote, please visit our Travel Insurance Service page.

No. Each person must complete and sign the Application for Temporary Resident Visa (IMM 5257), as well as any other forms needed. Each applicant aged 18 or over must also complete the Family Information form (IMM 5645).
You can submit all family member applications in the same envelope with one payment receipt for the total fee for all of your applications.
Parents or guardians can help children fill out their forms. Parents or guardians must sign the forms for any children under the age of 18.

Yes, if you are a Mexican citizen and can show that you travelled to Canada or the U.S. in the last 10 years, you may be eligible,The CAN+ program builds on a successful six-month pilot that streamlined visa processing for an expected 50 percent or more Mexican visitors travelling to Canada with visas issued within seven days and an approval rate of over 95 percent.

As a U.S. Green Card holder, you do not need a temporary resident visa to travel to Canada. At the Canadian border, you will need to present your valid passport and Green Card.

Currently, most visitors to Canada may visit for up to six months when they first enter Canada. Visitors who wish to stay longer must apply for an extension, and pay a new fee.
With the parent and grandparent super visa, eligible parents and grandparents can visit family in Canada for up to two years without the need to renew their status.
The Super Visa is a multi-entry visa that provides multiple entries for a period up to 10 years. The key difference is that the Super Visa allows an individual to stay for up to two years on initial entry into Canada, while a 10-year multiple entry visa would only have a status period for each entry of six months only.

To be eligible for the super visa, applicants must be the parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Dependants of parents and grandparents are not eligible for the super visa. However, they can apply for a regular visitor visa. The super visa applicants must also be found admissible to Canada and meet some other conditions.

A business visitor is someone who comes to Canada to engage in international business activities without directly entering the Canadian labour market. For example, someone who comes to Canada to meet people from companies doing business with his or her country would be a business visitor.
Visitors may come to Canada to observe site visits. Alternatively, a Canadian company may have invited them to Canada for training in product use, sales or other functions related to a business transaction.
Business visitors must prove that their main source of income and their main place of business are outside Canada.

You do not need a work permit to carry out business activities related to your job back home, such as meeting clients of your company or visiting job sites. However, if you plan to carry out secretarial, managerial, technical or production activities or stay longer than six months in Canada, you have to apply for a work permit. In both cases, if you are from a country that requires a visa to visit Canada, you must apply for a temporary resident visa.

Yes, as long as it has not expired. Make sure you have documents that support your business visit to Canada.

There are three basic steps for hiring a foreign worker.
1.Find out if you need to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (or LMIA, a document an employer must usually get before they are allowed to hire a foreign worker). See Who Can Apply for information on LMIA and then apply at Service Canada, if needed.
2.Have the foreign worker complete the work permit application.
3.The worker will receive an authorization letter when their work permit has been approved. The actual work permit is issued by a border services officer at the port of entry when the foreign worker arrives in Canada.

Your responsibilities as an employer include:
•making sure that your workers have their work permits,
•making sure that foreign workers working for you follow the conditions and time limits outlined on their work permit,
•meeting your commitments to the foreign workers regarding wages, working conditions and the occupation that was listed in the job offer or Labour Market Impact Assessment,
•complying with provincial, territorial or federal employment legislation, and
•helping the workers obtain the correct documents (for example, social insurance number and medical documents).

Yes. If an employee does not carry out the duties agreed to in the contract, you can give the employee the required notice or pay in lieu of notice.

A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document that an employer in Canada may need to get before hiring a foreign worker.
A positive LMIA will show that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the job and that no Canadian worker is available to do the job. A positive LMIA is sometimes called a confirmation letter.
Your proposed employer must contact Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). ESDC will provide details on the LMIA application process.

A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document from Employment and Social Development Canada that gives your employer permission to hire you.
You may apply for a work permit without an LMIA if you are in one of the LMIA exempt situations.

The family members who can come with you to Canada when you immigrate include:
•your spouse or common-law partner,
•your dependent child,
•your spouse or common-law partner’s dependent child, and
•a dependent child of a dependent child.
Your parents, grandparents and other family members cannot come to Canada with you. However, you may be able to apply to sponsor them to come to Canada after you immigrate here. Effective August 1, 2014, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has changed its definition of a dependent child for its immigration programs. A dependent child must be under 19 years of age, instead of the previous limit of under 22 years of age.

The program re-opened on January 2, 2014. Citizenship and Immigration Canada has now received 5,000 complete applications and the new intake into the PGP program will again pause until next year.

You must first try to hire a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in the available job. When you apply to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for permission to hire a foreign worker, you will be asked to show what efforts you made in this regard.
If you have been unable to hire a Canadian or permanent resident, your next step is to apply to ESDC for what is known as a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which confirms that there is no Canadian worker available to do the job. If ESDC issues you a positive LMIA, you are then authorized to hire a foreign worker.
It also tells you which documents you must give your future employee so that he or she can apply for a work permit through a Canadian visa office outside Canada.
You are responsible for finding a foreign live-in caregiver. To do so, you can use advertisements, personal contacts or hiring agencies.
When you have found a foreign live-in caregiver you want to hire, you must first contact Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). If your future employee applies for a work permit and meets the program’s requirements, he or she will receive a work permit. The approval process could take several months.Your caregiver cannot work for you until CIC approves a work permit showing your name as the employer.

Recruiters charge recruitment fees for recruitment services, such as:
•advertising jobs;
•collecting and filing applications;
•pre-screening workers;
•testing and analyzing workers’ skills or knowledge;
•arranging formal interviews with workers;
•confirming that workers meet the program criteria; and
•negotiating a wage or salary that reflects the employer’s needs and LCP requirements.

Recruiters may offer workers some services that are not considered recruitment services under the Live-in Caregiver Program. These services are optional for workers. They include:
•résumé writing help;
•interview preparation; and
•first-aid courses.

Under the Live-in Caregiver Program, recruiters may charge fees for services that are not recruitment services to workers. In these cases, the person using these services will need to pay.

If you lose your job, you should find a new employer under the Live-in Caregiver Program as soon as possible. However, you may be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits while you look for another job. If so, EI will provide you with benefits if you lose your job through no fault of your own. The number of hours you must work before you qualify for EI will depend on the unemployment rate in your region when you file a claim for benefits.
You may also be eligible for EI benefits that are provided at certain times when you are unable to work. This includes sickness, maternity, parental and compassionate care benefits.
While you are working, your employer deducts EI premiums from your wages. The amount deducted depends on how much you earn. Your employer sends your EI premiums to the government.

If your employer is moving within the same province or territory, you do not need a new work permit or Labour Market Opinion. However, you should send your new address to Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

If your employer is moving to a new province or territory, he or she must get a new Labour Market Opinion from Employment and Social Development Canada. Also, you must get a new work permit before you can work in the new location.
Apply for a new work permit well before you move to the new location with your employer. Be sure to apply at least 30 days before your current work permit expires.

It is illegal to work in Canada without a work permit. However, if you have applied to extend your work permit, you can keep working under the same conditions (such as working for the same employer) until Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) decides on your renewal application and notifies you. This is known as having implied status.
You should apply to extend your work permit at least 30 days before it expires.

No, you cannot work for more than one employer at a time under the Live-in Caregiver Program. Under this program, your work permit specifies your employer and the type of work you may do in Canada.

Yes, you may change employers under the Live-in Caregiver Program. However, you must first sign an employment contract with your new employer so that your new employer may apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). After Employment and Social Development Canada issues a positive LMIA, you must apply for a new work permit.
There are several other steps you must take before you change employers, including asking your current employer for some documents.

If you wish to leave the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) and get another type of job, you need to find a job first. Then, your new employer must get a positive Labour Market Opinion (a document that an employer in Canada must usually get before hiring a foreign worker). After that, you must apply for a new work permit.
The hours you work for any employer outside the LCP will not count toward the work experience you need to apply for permanent residence under the LCP.

Family members do not normally come to Canada with people working under the Live-in Caregiver Program. Even if an employer agrees that a family member can live with you in the home where you will provide care, future employers may not agree to the same terms. Also, you may not make enough money to support your family members in Canada.
However, you may be allowed to bring your family with you if you satisfy a visa officer that:
•you have enough money to care for and support your family members in Canada, and
•your employer will let them live in the home where you will provide care.

Yes. However, remember that you are in Canada to work as a full-time live-in caregiver. Also, if your course or program lasts more than six months, you will need a study permit. You can take non-credit special interest courses without a study permit.

No. Your live-in caregiver work permit only authorizes you to work in the Canadian home of your employer or of the person you are caring for. You may be able to get permission from another country to work there. However, that work does not count toward your work requirement for permanent residence under the Live-in Caregiver Program.

Yes, you can return to your home country for a vacation. The length of your vacation should be written in your employment contract. If you take a longer vacation than that, without written consent from your employer, you could lose your job in Canada.
If you leave Canada before your application for permanent residence is approved, you may not be allowed to come back into Canada, especially if:
•you come from a country whose citizens need a temporary resident visa to enter Canada; or
•your work permit has expired and you no longer have legal status in Canada.
In this case, if you cannot return to Canada for any reason, your application may be abandoned.
Before travelling, check with your country’s government for information on visiting or exit visa requirements. They may have changed while you have been working in Canada.

Perhaps. If your spouse or common-law partner wants to work in Canada, they must apply for their own work permit. Normally, they must meet the same requirements that you do.

In most cases, your spouse or common-law partner must apply for a work permit for a specific job. The employer may have to get a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada. An LMIA allows a particular employer to hire someone for a specific job.
However, your spouse or common-law partner may be able to apply for an open work permit—allowing him or her to accept any job with any employer—if you meet one of these conditions:
•you are ◦allowed to work in Canada for at least six months, doing work in Canada that meets a minimum skill level (usually work that requires at least a college diploma) and doing a job listed in Skill Level 0, A or B in the National Occupational Classification, or
•you are ◦allowed to work in Canada and doing work in Canada that is on a list of eligible occupations in participating provinces.
If your spouse or common-law partner gets an open work permit, it is normally valid for the same period as yours.
In some cases, your spouse or common-law partner will need a medical exam.
Some provinces and territories also have pilot projects for spouses or common-law partners to get open work permits in some cases.

You should submit your open work permit application with your permanent residence application. If you do so, you do not need to renew your current Live-in Caregiver Program work permit to keep working for your employer.
However, you may need a valid work permit to renew documents such as your social insurance card or your health card. In these cases, you would need to renew your work permit.

If you submitted an open work permit application with your permanent residence application, you can keep working after your current work permit expires. However, while the application is being processed, you can work only for the employer on your current work permit. While waiting for the open work permit, you do not have to extend your Live-in Caregiver Program work permit. This condition is known as “implied status.”

No. To be eligible to apply for permanent residence under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP), you must have applied for the program from outside Canada. Also, a visa officer must have decided that you met the criteria of the Live-in Caregiver Program before you entered Canada and worked as a live-in caregiver. Only time you have worked as a live-in caregiver with a valid work permit under the Live-in Caregiver Program in Canada counts toward the employment requirement for permanent residence.

You must declare your spouse (if applicable) and all dependent children in your application for permanent resident status in Canada, whether they are accompanying you to Canada or not. For you to become a permanent resident, all of these family members must pass a medical exam and background checks even if they are not coming to Canada.

Live-in caregivers working in Canada under the Live-in Caregiver Program need a certain amount of work experience to apply for permanent residence. They can qualify with one of two amounts of experience:
•24 months of authorized full-time employment; or
•3,900 hours of authorized full-time employment.

Generally speaking, only permanent residents of Canada have the right to appeal an immigration decision. In some limited situations, “foreign nationals” may have a right to appeal from the issuance of a removal order. A permanent resident is a person who is allowed to live permanently in Canada and who may later apply to become a Canadian citizen (provided that he or she meets the citizenship criteria). A foreign national is a person from another country who is not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident.

Permanent residents have the right to appeal under the following circumstances:
•As sponsors who wish to bring family members to Canada, they can appeal if their sponsorship applications have been refused by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
•Permanent residents who have removal orders made against them have the right to appeal the orders
•Permanent residents found not to have met their residency obligation (i.e., they have not resided in Canada for at least 730 days in a five year period) can appeal that finding.

Appeals made by permanent residents on immigration matters go to the Immigration Division (ID) and the Immigration Appeals Division (IAD) of the Immigration Refugee Board (IRB).
The IAD and ID are both administrative tribunals and must follow a process similar to what happens in a court, although they are less formal.
The person who hears and decides the case is called a member. IAD and ID members are appointed by the Government of Canada. They are supposed to be impartial.

CBSA may ask the ID to hold a hearing to determine if a permanent resident is inadmissible if that person:
•has failed in some way to comply with the immigration law
•is a security threat
•has violated human or international rights
•has been involved in crime or organized crime
•has engaged in misrepresentation
Misrepresentation means you misrepresented certain facts, or failed to disclose certain information at the time you applied for permanent resident status. This information must have been relevant to your application. For instance, when you applied to immigrate to Canada, you did not disclose the fact that you had a dependent child. You subsequently tried to sponsor the child to Canada. When this happens, CIC checks to see if you have declared this child in your initial application. If you have not, CIC may initiate an investigation against you for misrepresentation. Misrepresentation may also be alleged against you if, for instance, you were sponsored by your spouse to Canada but just before coming to Canada, you and your spouse became separated and you did not inform immigration about the change in your marital status.

When the CBSA requests an admissibility hearing, it will prepare a report which explains why you should not be allowed to enter or remain in Canada, including the specific section of the immigration law that CBSA claims you have breached. The report will be sent to you and to the IRB. The ID will then hold a hearing.
Before the hearing, you should receive further information from CBSA about the case they have against you. At the hearing, a person representing CBSA, called the Minister’s Counsel, will tell the ID member why you should not be allowed to enter or remain in Canada. You have the right to respond to what the Minister’s Counsel says. You may also submit your own evidence or call your own witnesses to support your case.
After considering all the evidence, the ID member will make a decision. If the member decides to issue an order to remove you, you have the right to appeal that decision to the IAD. If the member decides not to issue a removal order against you, the CBSA will also have the right to appeal that decision to the IAD.

The Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) hears four types of immigration appeals:
•Appeals by sponsors in family class cases
•Appeals of removal orders made against permanent residents
•Appeals by permanent residents found not to have met residency requirements
•Appeals by CBSA of decisions on admissibility made by Immigration Division