A work permit is permission to work in Canada for a limited time. It is not permanent residence, and it is not a visa. You may also need a temporary resident visa or an electronic travel authorization to travel.
Two cuts, and they are not the same
- Open — work for most employers, in most jobs.
- Closed (employer-specific) — the permit names the employer, the job, and usually the location. Working outside those terms is a violation even if another employer will hire you.
- LMIA — Service Canada’s finding that hiring a foreign worker will not harm the Canadian labour market. Some permits need it. Others are exempt and fall under the International Mobility Program.
- An open permit is usually LMIA-exempt. A closed permit can be either.
The menu heading “Close (LMIA-Based)” gathers employer-specific routes. Several of those routes are LMIA-exempt. Each section on that page says which it is. Intra-company transfers, trade-agreement professionals, and International Experience Canada are not LMIA routes.
How we can help
- Say whether the job is open, employer-specific, LMIA, or LMIA-exempt, before anyone advertises or pays a fee.
- Prepare the employer step and the worker’s permit as two files when both exist.
- If the work is skilled, say later whether it can count for the Canadian Experience Class or a provincial stream. The permit only gets the person to the work.
