How to Apply for a Canada Open Work Permit?

Canadian open work permit allows you to work in Canada without a job offer and LMIA. However, not everyone can apply for an open work permit.

When you have an open work permit, you can work for multiple employers and locations in Canada.

An Open work permit gets most commonly issued through the following immigration programs:

• Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP)
• International Experience Canada (IEC)
• Inland Spousal or Common-Law Sponsorship
• Bridging Open Work Permits (BOWP)

What are the Benefits of an Open Work Permit

Under most Canadian work permits, you have to work for one employer. With an open work permit, you have the right to work for any employer and anywhere inside the country. When you get more work experience in Canada, you could improve your chance and eligibility to apply for a Canadian Permanent Residency.

Open Work Permit Eligibility

A few foreign nationals in the below situations might be eligible to apply for a Canada open work permit:

• Law partner or spouse of a few temporary foreign workers.
• Spouse or law partner of a few international students.
• A few international students graduated from a designated study program in Canada.
• Applicants of Permanent Residents who have applied through the inland spousal sponsorship process.
• Some young workers have taken part in International Experience Canada (IEC), working holiday programs, etc.
• Refugee claimants protected people, refugees, and their family members.
• Family members of a few permanent residence applicants.
• Applicants of permanent residents who have applied to an office in Canada

Please note that apart from the items mentioned above, there are other eligibility requirements. If you have one of the above options, you should consult with the authorities to make sure you are eligible for an open work permit.

What Jobs Don’t Require Canada Open Work Permit?

The following jobs in Canada don’t need a work permit. But you should research the details from the Canadian embassy or consulate. You should make sure you meet the eligibility criteria:

Types of Canada Open Work Permits

There are two major types of open work permits:

• Unrestricted (It allows foreign nationals to work in any job and location).
• Restricted (It restricts the job or the location).
• Restricted work permits, which let you change employers but do not allow you to change the work location.

The type of open work permit you will receive depends on the documents you submit and the authorities’ decision at the Canadian embassy or consulate.

Requirements for Canada Open Work Permit

Apart from the general requirements for a Canada visa, the requirements for a Canada open work permit are as follows:

Passport

It must be valid for a minimum of six months from the date you will enter Canada. You should also provide a copy of all passport pages. You could also change your passport inside Canada for a charge.

Photo

You should provide two passport-size photos according to Canadian photo requirements. Remember that nothing must cover your faces, such as a veil, glasses, unusual beard, or mustache.

Valid job offer from your future employer in Canada

You and a Canadian employer must reach an agreement for a job contract. It must cover the least basics of salary and insurance inside Canada. You could search through websites or employment agencies for a job related to your field. The following websites help you to find a job from inside or outside of Canada:

• Monster.ca
• Ziprecruiter.ca
• Eluta.ca
• Jobbank.gc.ca
• Careerbuilder.ca
• Ca.indeed.com
• Hotjobscanada.ca
• Simplyhired.ca
• Jobs.ca
• Indeed.com

Police record certificates

You can receive it from the Police or judiciary officials in your country. Remember that It might be valid for a limited period of time. In some countries, you could apply for an online one as well, which the application process is faster. You will save a lot of time.

Move to Canada as a food service supervisor by reading our article.

Your CV or resume

Try to write a strong, eye-catching resume that employers get interested in quickly.

Immigration tip; Highlight the important skills like;

• Ability to work under pressure
• Problem-solving
• Leadership
• Communication
• Teamwork

You would better prepare a separate CV for each job you apply as companies have different expectations and needs.

Your education certificates or diploma

Provide the details of your studies inside Canada.

Personal documents, including:

• Marriage certificate
• Children’s birth certificates
• Divorce certificate (if applicable)

If working in Quebec

If you are working in Quebec, you need a Certificate d’acceptation du Quebec (CAQ).

Immigration status

If the country you live in is different from your country of citizenship, you should provide proof of your current immigration status.

Please remember that Canadian officials might ask for more documents. If so, you have to obey and provide whatever they demand.

If you want to know how to move to Canada as a nurse, read this article.

Canada Open Work Permit Application Process

The application process for Canada open work permit has a few steps you have to follow one by one, as follows:

1. Job Offer

The first phase in the application process is to have a job offer from an employer in Canada. It can take a bit long. So you should start early and apply to different companies. You can search through the internet or employment agencies. The lawyers who work in this field also can help you. The websites introduced above are the best ones you could visit to find a job offer. We also mentioned useful points about resumes.

Immigration tip: LinkedIn is a useful platform where you can find information about the company you are applying to and find out what’s important to them.

When you receive an open work permit, you have the right to change your employer and location. But to get an open work permit, you need a job offer.

2. Work visa and Work Permit.

If you have the job offer and fulfill the requirements, you should apply for the visa and the work permit. You should apply through the Canadian embassy or consulate in your home country.

You should download the application form, complete it, and print to submit in person or apply online.

When you complete the application, print, date, and sign it. Now is the time to gather requirements, as we mentioned above. Please be cautious. If there is a fault with your requirements, the process could take longer.

3. Medical exam

You might need to go through a medical exam to prove you are healthy. You could get a certificate from any licensed doctor who can sign documents. If you don’t have a medical exam certificate, you have no right to work in:

• Child care
• Primary or secondary school teaching
• Health service occupations
• Agricultural occupations

It would be clever not to limit your employment chances and take the test.

Do you want to immigrate to Canada as a teacher? Read our article.

4. Visa Appointment

You should submit the requirements and application in person to the Canadian embassy. In a few cases, you could post requirements to them. If there is no embassy or consulate in your home country, you could visit a visa center or an embassy in a neighboring country.

5. Interview

When you are at the embassy, the officials might ask you to go through an interview. This is true even if you apply online. Canadian officials want to know whether you will return to your home country when your visa expires. If they ask for your biometric data, you should obey them.

6. Processing

When you submit all the requirements and complete the interview, you should just wait until your visa gets processed. The processing time for an open work permit can be from 3 to 27 weeks. The time depends on the country you apply from, the embassy workload, and more.

7. Travel to Canada

If the authorities approve your open work permit, you can travel to Canada. Please remember that having an open work permit and visa does not guarantee your entrance into Canada. When you get there, the Port of Entry (PoE) officers will check your documents. They will ask about the purpose of your visit and the duration of your stay. Be honest and answer all of the questions. You should know that they have the right not to let you into Canada if they find you not fit.

Extending Canada Open Work Permit

You can apply for an extension on your open work permit if you fulfill the following requirements:

• Have a Canadian open work permit or study permit, and it’s about to expire.
• You have graduated from one of the Canadian universities or education centers.
• Your situation is a temporary resident of Canada.
• You are waiting for the authorities’ decision on your refugee application.
• In case you already have a protected person status or refugee.
• If your application to get refugee status gets rejected, you can not leave Canada because you have no control over it.

Open Work Permit Validity

The Canadian open work permit is often valid for six months. But you can apply for an extension on it.

Where Can You Apply for an Open Work Permit?

If you live in Canada, you should apply from inside Canada for an open work permit. There might be a few exceptions. If you live outside Canada and live in one of the visa-free countries, you could apply to the Port of Entry. If you don’t come to the mentioned groups, you should apply before you enter Canada.

Can I Bring My Family Under an Open Work Permit?

YES. You may bring your minor children and spouse to Canada under an open work permit. You should submit their documents with yours to get processed as a family.

Can My Partner Work in Canada?

YES. When you arrive in Canada, your spouse or partner can apply for an open work permit if he/she fulfills the requirements.

What are the Open Work Permit Fees?

The first work permit application will cost you C$155, and the Open Work Permit will be C$100. The total cost for Canada open work permit will be C$255.

Please remember that the fee is subject to change and might vary according to your country.

Open Work Permit Interview Questions

The Canadian authorities might ask you to pass an interview. The sample of questions they ask include:

1. The place you live in.
2. Family.
3. Background.
4. Your hobbies.
5. Children, if you have any.
6. Previous work experience.
7. Are You Traveling With Someone Else?
8. Will your family travel with you?
9. Marital status.
10. Educational certificate.
11. Your job profile.
12. Your strong/weak points.
13. The last book you read, or the film you watched.
14. Financial means (bank statements).
15. What do you know about Canada?
16. Why have you chosen Canada?
17. What are you going to do in Canada?
18. How long will you stay in Canada?
19. The address of your company in Canada.
20. How did you find a job in Canada?
21. Have you ever traveled outside of your country?
22. Who and how will take care of your property when you are in Canada?
23. The reason you have chosen Canada.
24. What is the fieldwork of the company you will work for?
25. The toughest part of your job.
26. Your future plans of goals.
27. Will you return to your home country when your visa expires?
28. Can you work under pressure, deadlines, etc.?
29.  How do you solve the conflict on a project team?
30. Etc.

Let’s sum up…

In this blog, we explained all you need to know about Canada’s open work permits.

We explained the open work permit in detail, who is eligible for it, the exempted jobs, requirements, application process, validity, fees, FAQs, family, spouse, and more.

You can find all the Canada visa information in the world here. To find out more about the visa that suits you, go through the menu on the site. You can find all the types of Canada visas at the left sidebar.

You can check visalibrary.com to find more information about other countries’ visas.

In case you have some experience, please write it down in the comment section. Your comments let the readers choose better and avoid mistakes. Conveying your experiences as comments is a great help for applicants.